Footless Dancers

The Footless Dancers series is a collection of 13 paintings of Mexika dancers paired with verses of my poem, "Footless Dancers." This series celebrates the survival of a history of violence and continued aggression through inaccurate versions of history and misrepresentation. The paintings show Mexika dancers symbolically resisting oppression: Their energy bursts forth despite their confined space; their vibrant colors stand out among gray backgrounds; they are missing limbs and parts, yet continue to dance. The poetry, word placement, font, and even spelling, defy conventions. This series is a visual and written celebration of spiritual liberation.

Esta série se trata de 13 cuadros de acrílico y tinta sobre tela que llevan escritas versos del mi poema, "Danzantes sin pies." El tema es de sobrevivir un pasado lleno de violencia y falsas historias. Los danzantes de los imagenes resaltan, llenos de energía, y aunque les faltan extremidades, siguen danzando con entusiasmo, y siguen resistiendo la opresión. Esta es una celebración de la liberación espiritual.

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Footless Dancers
by Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo

Why do you claim we ripped
Each other’s hearts out?
It was you who tried to rip ours out!
But when you reached in to grip them
We had already hidden them.
 
So you took our feet,
Our hands,
Our tongues.
You took our heads!
Only our hearts remained.
 
The blood flowed,
But it flowed from the tips
Of the sharpened crosses
You drove into our lives.
You dipped them,
Still dripping blood,
Into ink
And wrote lies to hide your evil deeds.
 
We planted your crosses,
Planted our flowers around them,
Tied green leaves to the tips.
 
Now, as we dance without feet,
As we pound drums without hands,
As we sing our songs without tongues,
And even without heads
Remember the wisdom of our ancestors,
 
We wash away your inks
With the condensation
Of our turquoise songs
And burn your lies
With the fire in our hearts.
 
We will be whole again.
You will share with us
Your feet, your hands,
Your tongues,your heads.
You will replace what you took from us.
 
We will be whole again.
We will become the Moon
And the walking waters
Will turn their heads
And know the truth.
 
We will be whole again.
We will share with you our hearts,
Wash the blood and ink from your palms,
And as you are finally able to see us
With your eyes closed,
You will know that we are one.


Footless Dancers was first published in English and Spanish in Nos pasamos de la raya/ We Crossed the Line (2015).

Footless Dancers in solo exhibition at La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA. (2014)

Danzantes sin pies
escrito por Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo
 
¿Porque declaran que unos a otros
nos arrancábamos los corazones?
¡Fueron ustedes quienes intentaron arrancar los nuestros!
Pero cuando intentaron sujetarlos
ya los habíamos escondido.
 
Así que ustedes nos quitaron los pies,
las manos,
las lenguas.
Nos quitaron las cabezas!
Solo nuestros corazones permanecieron.
 
La sangre escurría,
pero escurría de las puntas
de las cruces filosas
que clavaron en nuestras vidas.
Ustedes las metieron,
aun chorreando sangre,
en tinta
y escribieron mentiras para disfrazar su maldad.
 
Nosotros plantamos sus cruces,
plantamos nuestras flores alrededor,
amarramos hojas verdes a las puntas.
 
Ahora, mientras que sin pies danzamos,
mientras que sin manos tocamos los tambores,
mientras que sin lenguas cantamos nuestras canciones,
y aún sin cabezas
recordamos la sabiduría de nuestros antepasados,
 
Lavamos sus tintas
con la condensación
de nuestros cantos azul turquesa
y quemamos sus mentiras
con el fuego de nuestros corazones.
 
Volveremos a ser completos.
Compartirán con nosotros
sus pies, sus manos
sus lenguas, sus cabezas.
Remplazarán lo que nos quitaron.
 
Volveremos a ser completos.
Nos convertiremos en la Luna
y las aguas andantes
voltearan sus cabezas
y sabrán la verdad.
 
Volveremos a ser completos.
Compartiremos con ustedes nuestros corazones,
enjuagaremos la sangre y la tinta de sus manos,
y cuando por fin logren vernos
con sus ojos cerrados,
sabrán que somos uno.

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Broadside Poem: Footless Dancers

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