In august 2016 La Sala (a Latinx arts community based in Seattle) organized La Cocina, an exhibit and month-long Latinx Artist’s Salon in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. La Cocina served as a gallery, theatre, presentation space, and arts incubator for some of Puget Sound’s most dynamic Latino/a/x artists.
Monica Rojas was invited as the dance curator for La Cocina and was invited to “cook” a piece with other local artists and arts discipline, which resulted in Monica Rojas-Stewart’s piece “Me gritaron negra” (They Screamed ‘Black’ at Me)

As an Artivist (artist + activist) whose work focuses on using art as a tool to give visibility and empower Latinos of African descent, Monica Rojas-Stewart (Peru) brings “Me gritaron negra” (they screamed “black” at me) to La Cocina, a poem originally written by Victoria Santa Cruz, considered the mother of Afro-Peruvian dance and theater. For La Cocina, this piece will be a collective collaboration with dancers Milvia Pacheco (Venezuela), Dora Oliveira (Brazil), Carolina Martinez (Mexico), Valentina Gonzalez (Chile), and it will be flavored with dance, spoken word, music, theater, and personal stories. Do you have a story to tell? We invite you to share it with us at this event for an improvisational dance in response to your own story.