[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.