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If Cities Could Dance: Austin, TX / Salsa

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      [mambo and Latin influenced hip-hop]

      (Describer) In slow-motion, a woman spins another.

      (Angie Egea) When I started salsa, like professionally, I would never see a woman leading. So when I first saw it, I was obsessed with wanting to lead. I wanted to have the choice to say, "I want to lead this dance," or "I want to follow this dance." When I met Audrey, I completely fell in love with her. I decided to be more open about it. Unfortunately, you get put in that box-- like this is who you are and this is who you dance with.

      (Describer) They dance side-by-side.

      Our mission is creating the queer dance community and spreading the non-binary idea that is "lead and follow" rather than "female and male," but everything about expression and connection. Hello, everyone. My name is Angie Egea. And I'm Audrey Guerrero, and we're here in Austin, Texas, with "If Cities Could Dance" to show you how we're making the salsa community more inclusive.

      (Describer) As they dance, an outline of the Austin skyline appears. Title: If Cities Could Dance: Austin, Texas. The word “Austin” is painted across a street.

      [mambo continues]

      [country rock]

      (Rey Arteaga) Austin is special because it is a scene of diversity. The Puerto Rican community is very vibrant.

      (Describer) Rey Arteaga, He/Him:

      The South American, Latin American community is vibrant.

      (Audrey Guerrero) I think Austin is such a beautiful city. It's very accepting. It's full of color, full of artists, and you just want to be part of the color rainbow.

      (Describer) Audrey Guerrero, She/He/They, Latin Dance Instructor:

      [upbeat salsa Caribbean music]

      (Audrey Guerrero) I am originally from the Dominican Republic. I came to the United States when I was about ten years old with my mom. Salsa is what opened me up to coming out because if I hadn't met my wife, I probably wouldn't have come out.

      (Describer) She turns in Angie’s arms.

      I love the way Angie moves.

      (Describer) Angie dances alone.

      She expresses so much with so much love in the way that she moves.

      (Describer) Angie Egea, She/They:

      (Angie Egea) I am from Colombia. I ended up in the U.S. because I wanted to pursue my career as a dancer.

      (Describer) Audrey dances alone.

      The way that Audrey dances, she completely embodies the connection and duality of feminine and masculine. I see her entire personality come through that. I think that's the most beautiful thing for any artist to do.

      (Describer) Cyclists fill one lane of a street. A little dog on a sidewalk looks around. Angie:

      [vibrant Latin dance music]

      (Audrey Guerrero) Salsa is something that's very intricate.

      (Describer) They dance together on a bridge. A headline reads: “ Caribbean Exodus”.

      (Angie Egea) Salsa came from the Caribbean

      (Describer) A headline reads: “ Caribbean Exodus”.

      because of the political issues between the U.S. and Cuba.

      (Describer) After the Cuban Revolution, more than 200-thousand Cubans resettled in the United States between 1959 and ’62.

      (Audrey Guerrero) You have the influence of all the immigrant Cubans coming in in the '60s and the '50s.

      (Describer) Title: They settled in Florida, New Jersey, California, New York and Texas.

      (Angie Egea) This is early footage of Celia Cruz, known as the queen of salsa, because she was a pioneer. Not only did she bring the Afro-Cuban rhythms that were ripped out, but also she was a Black woman from Cuba. Salsa is Cuban with African roots. And Celia always brought that back.

      (Describer) Audrey:

      (Audrey Guerrero) So you have Puerto Rican young musicians who were playing Latin jazz. A specific night gets assigned for a Latin night in New York, which was called Palladium Era. All people of color came together into that one night, and then other dancers brought in...

      (Angie Egea) ...movement like hustle, jive, and swing into it, which changed the structure of it.

      (Describer) In a black and white photo, a man and woman dance.

      [joyous swinging Latin cue in dance music] And then it has influences from dances from Colombia, from Mexico.

      (Audrey Guerrero) And so all of those things kind of came together to create what we call salsa.

      (Describer) Dancing on the bridge, Audrey leads Angie into turns in both directions. The Texas state flag flies. Rey:

      [uplifting mambo track]

      (Rey Arteaga) I've been playing professionally in the Austin music scene for 31 years.

      (Describer) He plays conga drums and sings on a patio.

      I came from an upbringing when you went to the dances and it was very heterosexual, the way you would partner up.

      (Describer) Audrey and Angie dance to his music.

      What I think Audrey and Angie are doing is critical. It's valuable, and it's so welcomed. So I'm excited that the dance community's integrating because it's a beautiful thing to get to dance in this town. [Cuban flavored salsa music with Latin acoustics]

      (Describer) A Progress Pride flag hangs outside a food truck. On the patio, Audrey and Angie dance with another woman.

      (Audrey Guerrero) Traditionally, salsa has been portrayed as binary for hundreds and hundreds of years.

      (Describer) More women dance nearby.

      (Angie Egea) And I would never see a woman leading, and I never thought that was even an idea. So when I first saw it, I was like, "That is the hottest thing ever."

      (Describer) Angie twirls Audrey under her arm.

      Our mission is creating the queer dance community and work to amplify the community here... for us, but everybody who keeps being like,

      "So where do we go dancing?" [laughs]

      (Describer) All the women dance in a circle. Two women walk past a gate which has letters that spell out “taco”. Monica Caivano, She/Her, Director, Esquina Tango Austin:

      [uplifting mambo track]

      (Monica Caivano) I feel Austin is a city where you can grow if you have an idea like we did. I ran a nonprofit in East Austin that we established in 2006. Audrey and Angie have actually been doing some workshops for us. Dancing is for everybody, so we support them. We want to make it accessible and a safe space for all.

      (Describer) Robbie Sky, She/They, Latin Dance Instructor:

      (Robbie Sky) I love the classes that they're teaching.

      (Describer) They dance by a store.

      I think it's really important to have classes where people are making choices on the role they want to have, not only in dance but in their life, and taking gender out of the equation.

      (Describer) Audrey's hair is pulled back into two long, thin braids that swing when he turns. People stand by a river, and a dog wanders in a park. People play volleyball. Angie:

      [uplifting mambo track]

      (Angie Egea) Once Audrey and I actually started to create art together, that's when we started to be respected a lot more in the scene and just as a dance couple.

      (Describer) They dance on a stage.

      I think that creating art gave us that power and that strength to really step into who we are.

      (Describer) They dance by large sculptures.

      And we are inspired, and we want to continue to spread the idea that you just have to be yourself on the dance floor, and that you can express yourself in whatever energy that is, if it's masculine, if it's feminine, if it's both, if it's everything in between.

      (Describer) Their dance is viewed from above. Audrey:

      (Audrey Guerrero) In a world that's so exclusive to, like, who can speak and who can have power behind that-- it's a way to resist to that, that it's a way for people to find themselves, that they can be respected through movement.

      (Describer) The sculptures are the words "love" and "hate".

      [bright Latin track with salsa beat] Thanks so much for watching. We hope that you enjoyed hanging out with us here in Austin, Texas. Be sure to check out more episodes of "If Cities Could Dance." Well, keep dancing.

      (both) And honey wishes.

      (Describer) Titles: Senior Producer: Kelly Whalen Copyright 2022 KQED Inc. Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.

      [singing in Spanish]

      Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

      Transcript Options


      Now Playing As: English with English captions (change)

      When salsa dancers Audrey Guerrero and Angie Egea first got together, their love opened up new expressions and possibilities both on the dance floor and off. In Austin, Texas, this non-binary couple performs and teaches classes that break down traditional gender roles in salsa dancing. While traditionally a man leads and a woman follows, these dancers take turns leading and following and often switch roles within a dance. Part of the "If Cities Could Dance" series.

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