Year 31 : The Preview
MUDA presents
Year 31: The Preview
December 15-17, 2022
Based on MUDA co-director Danielle Yasuda's personal experience with hair loss, Year 31 is a search for the freedom to embrace our bodies in all forms. Through this series of short films about hair loss, we hope to provoke essential dialogue around what is perceived as “normal” and how society systemically uplifts or labels people based on white-supremacist and heteronormative notions of beauty and gender. We as humans should not be told how to look, or how to present ourselves, or how to be.
A letter from MUDA Co-Founder Danielle Yasuda:
“Each film depicts a month in my 31st year when I first experienced hair loss. They are based on my personal journal entries and illustrate the rediscovery of my identity while I dealt with outside reactions and found community. I began writing my experience down as a means of processing everything I was going through and it became a therapeutic way to regain my confidence + self worth. These films share my story of hair loss, but they are also a love letter to anyone who has ever been made to feel that who they are is not enough. Thank you for coming and supporting this project, But more importantly, I hope you feel seen through them. Beauty exists in our differences. Join us as we celebrate that.”
Artistic Directors: MUDA
Producers: MUDA + Lindsey Villarreal
Video Programmer: Matthew Mellinger
Costume Designer: Foreste Jean
Lighting Designer: Justin Huen
Run Time: 25 minutes
This project is supported in part by a grant from the City of West Hollywood
PROGRAM
Identity
Cinematographer + Editor: Nathan Kim
Featuring: Emmie Bauer-Sanchez, Brin Hamblin, Maritza Navarro, Ansley Rubinstein, Rachel Turner, + Danielle Yasuda
Production Coordinator: Juan Toledo
Music: Yeah Yeah Yeahs + voiced by Danielle Yasuda
This is the first film in the series of 12, highlighting the process of unwrapping pre-determined, societal views of Identity. This one holds a special place in our hearts because it started this all.
Journal Entry written November 2018 -
I’ve become much more attuned to how easily influenced we are as human beings since watching my niece grow up. Watching her understand things for the first time, form opinions, have ideas. It’s been wild to see her develop. I’ve witnessed how certain things influence her and her idea of what it means to be a female and have realized even more so how all of these same things have influenced myself and other women.
I mean, I’ve never met a Princess dealing with hairloss. Let alone, anything less than perfect, flowy, straight-with-just-the-right-amount-of-curl kind of hair.
Fast forward a few years and not much has changed. Girls learn early on that boys like it when you have long hair for they too have been shown that that is what makes a female attractive. And so girls continue to learn the power of hair.
It just continues to be reiterated in adulthood. This interplay between hair and identity and self worth. So I can’t help but feel completely lost now that I find myself struggling with it all. Suddenly, at 30 something years old, I find myself uncertain about my own identity and worth. I wish I could stand here and say I’m so self-assured that it doesn’t affect me, but it does. I suddenly find myself questioning whatever identity I’ve formed up to now and spend my days hoping others won’t notice.
Live Performer Soloist: Annie Grove *solo choreographed alongside dancer
Live Performers: Jessica Emmanuel, Annie Grove + Danielle Yasuda
Fixation
Cinematographer + Editor: Letxia Cordova
Soloists: Melissa Schade + Rachel Turner
Featuring: Jacqueline Browne, Megyn Cawley, Jackie Nii, Emily Roe, Aerica Siegel + Elizabeth Tramontozzi
Music: Tom Kremer
Fixation dives into the world of insecurities + jealousy while searching to find a sense of self. For this one, we wanted hair to be the primary focus while simultaneously heightening other senses.
Journal Entry written March 2019-
It’s almost humorous how much I pay attention to hair these days. I would equate it to how much attention I pay to things that are my lifestyle. For example, I will always notice florals in every tv show and/or movie I watch. And now I will always notice people’s hair. Sometimes I catch myself staring at a complete stranger’s head of hair for probably an uncomfortable amount of time. Honestly, I won’t even know how long I’ve been staring sometimes when I catch myself.
(Side note: brief apology to anyone I maybe made uncomfortable by staring. P.S. you have great hair).
But there’s always something enticing about what you don’t have. What is it about us humans that always desire what we do not have? It’s an odd sort of fixation. And from first hand experience, I can ardently say it’s detrimental to our health. And instead of being able to find gratitude for what I do have, it strips me of my happiness.
THAT. Happiness. It’s been a struggle for me lately. I’ve found that when happiness and gratitude aren’t a part of my day, jealousy sets in. And jealousy never did anything beneficial for anyone.
Let’s be real. Jealousy sets in when I feel like I lack in a certain area. It’s really not about the other person at all. It’s about me not having that thing (whatever it may be) that they do. It’s about me being self-conscious and doubting what I have to offer. And so I need to check myself every time I lust after someone else’s hair. Because if I didn’t check myself, I would be stuck sitting in this place of self-doubt and dislike.
Live Performer Soloist: Keva Walker *solo choreographed alongside dancer
Live Performers: Annie Grove + Keva Walker
Becoming
Director: Talia Shea Levin
Cinematographer: Adam Leene
Editor: Romina Rey
Featuring: Paula Ayotte, Sophia Tellis + Danielle Yasuda
Music by: Foreign Body Sensation, Keeley Bumford
Gaffer: Jeremy Guico
Costume Designer: Foreste Feely
Production Designer: Maria Dirolf
This film was made possible by a commission from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
Becoming is the penultimate film in our series of 12 short films. It depicts the role of ancestors, how they impact who you are + the healing of your inner child while Becoming you. It was shot on 8mm to resemble watching an old family home video.
Journal Entry written September 2019-
If you had told 20 year old Danielle that she would be in a phase of “becoming” at the ripe age of 31 (almost 32!) she would’ve laughed in your face. College me thought she had already become. She thought she knew who she was and her place in the world. Now in my 30’s I’ve realized that there is never actually an end to becoming. That it is instead a constant state in which we get to experience and live whatever time we have here on this earth.
And honestly, I don’t hate that idea. I think it allows me the freedom to continue learning and growing. It enables me to be more compassionate towards myself about the process. For if I reached a state where I assumed I had figured it all out, what would I have to look forward to? Plus wouldn’t that in fact, cause me to lose a sense of compassion towards others as well. I would assume myself better and have no understanding of their personal journey under the pretense that I had already figured mine out.
I think human beings are one of the most fascinating subjects. The way our minds work and how personalities develop. I could contemplate this for hours. We are complicated, that’s for sure. But I wouldn’t want it any other way. For that is what makes life interesting and keeps us in a constant state of learning and hopefully in a constant state of extending acceptance towards others.
Live Performer Soloist: Jessica Emmanuel *solo choreographed alongside dancer
Live Performers: Jessica Emmanuel, Keva Walker + Danielle Yasuda
When You Go Looking for Yourself + Find Others Looking for Themselves + Somehow Find Yourself in Each Other
Music by: Foreign Body Sensation
Live Performers: Jessica Emmanuel, Annie Grove, Keva Walker + Danielle Yasuda
Huge Thank You’s
Brin Hamblin for helping us search for locations + for generously being our bartender + always being so willing to offer help
Winston & Main for your guidance with the floral structures + letting us borrow acrylic stands
Poppy Lavender Florals for your support + letting us borrow acrylic stands
Gema Productions for your constant support and very generous donation
Joanne Yasuda for your constant generous donations helping to make all of this possible
Brandee Pierce for your generous donation
About MUDA
MUDA is a movement company that creates live performance installations blending the interdisciplinary practices of dance, documentary and botanical design. Our work explores diverse and inclusive stories highlighting mental health, questions of identity, and the generational impact of immigration, trauma and racism based on our familial stories.
@muda.mvmt // mudamvmt.com
About our CAST
Jessica Emmanuel
Jessica is a Los Angeles based dancer, choreographer, performance artist, educator + curator. She studied Dance & Choreography at the BOCES Cultural Arts Center in New York and is a graduate of The California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Performance & Choreography. Jessica is the founder of Mothership LA and a co-founder of the theater based artist collective Poor Dog Group. Her work has been presented internationally at the Bootleg Theater, Live Arts Exchange Festival, the New Original Works Festival at REDCAT, Montserrat DTLA, Highways Performance Space, The Electric Lodge, Zoukak Studios (Lebanon), The Getty Villa, Interferences Festival (Romania), Baruch Performing Arts Center, The Curtis R. Preim Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), Pieter Performance Space, Palace of Culture and Science (Warsaw, Poland), Girlschool LA Festival, Project Row Houses and The Contemporary Art Museum Santa Barbara. She has choreographed/performed for Poor Dog Group, Heidi Duckler Dance Theater, The MOVEMENT Movement, Ania Catherine & Dejah Ti, Genevieve Carson, Bryan Reynolds, Son of Semele Ensemble, The CalArts Center for New Performance, Paul Outlaw, No)one. Art House and Stacy Dawson Sterns. Jessica has also curated art events at various locations in Los Angeles.
@_jessicaemmanuel
Annie Grove
Annie is a dancer, educator, choreographer + actor residing in Los Angeles. Their training has ranged from stage combat, to classical theatre, clowning, dialects, movement therapy and everything in between. Together, their wide net of skills make them a unique artist full of experience, knowledge, care, and passion. Annie is body inclusive and welcoming of all ages, genders, races and backgrounds.
@anniengrove
Keva Walker
Keva is a choreographer, performer + teacher based in Los Angeles. They choreographed such films as Sasie Sealy’s Lucky Grandma (official selection of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival) and Leslie Foster’s Etude #1 (official selection of the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival).
Walker has guided actors through on-set movement direction for artists STF and Scout Durwood; choreographed music videos with musicians Nora Rothman, Abby Diamond, Bad Wolfy, and Joe George; and assisted choreographer Stacy Walker on Toyota commercials.
As a performer, Walker appeared live with Tiësto, Calvin Harris, and Armin Van Burren; danced in music videos with Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Coldplay; and appeared as both actor and dancer in Euphoria (HBO), Hit the Floor (BET), and Fast & Furious 7.
Walker’s lifelong training in ballet, tap, and jazz has led to professional teaching stints in Los Angeles, Chicago, Florida, and China, specializing in vogue femme, contemporary, and multiple styles of footwork. Knowing that dance improves self-esteem, self-sufficiency, and overall health and fitness, Walker is grateful to have worked as a lead instructor with the non-profit Fostering Dreams Project, which focuses on underserved communities and foster youth. She continues teaching the CUT-A-RUG dance classes in Los Angeles and takes pride in cultivating inclusive spaces for everyone to be themselves in.
@kevawalker
About CREW
Lindsey Villarreal- Producer
Lindsey is a Los Angeles based TV and Feature writer and producer focusing on female driven genre and Latinx influenced content. Lindsey is currently a Co-Executive Producer on an upcoming drama series for Hulu. In the past she’s written drama and genre horror projects for AMC, Paramount Plus, Netflix, Starz, and USA.
Lindsey graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a professional Caricature Artist and Marathon runner. Originally from San Antonio, Texas she remembers the Alamo.
Foreste Jean- Costume Designer
Foreste is a former dancer who has always had an eye for textiles. They spent their childhood doing musicals and plays or forcing her sisters to play dress up with her in their redwood cabin in the trees. Creating costumes for dancers is one of her core enjoyments since she started at 16 making costumes for her own dance troupe.
Matthew Mellinger- Video Programmer/Projectionist
Broadway credits include: TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL, ANASTASIA, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, THE OTHER PLACE, BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL, BABY IT’S YOU! Dance: DEBBIE ALLAN’S HOT CHOCOLATE NUTCRACKER (Royce Hall), THE SUN ALSO RISES (Washington Ballet), Remember Me (Parsons Dance). Matthew has over 100 productions credits spanning the globe. He also received a BFA from California Institute of the Arts.
Foreign Body Sensation - Musician
In a sense, The Echo Is in Code - - the debut album by Foreign Body Sensation - - plays like a survey of modern electronic music. You’ll hear familiar favorites, old and new: Morton Subotnik, Morton Feldman, Olivier Messiaen, Eno, Tangerine Dream, Pauline Olivieros, Laurie Anderson, Haxan Cloak, David Behrman - - even Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. Still, while Foreign Body Sensation has studied the greats, The Echo Is in Code is not a pretentious tourist trap of analog noodles satisfied by the sound of their own oscillations. Rather, these 9 pieces benefit from well-tempered timbers, powerful dynamics, unexpected pop detours, and a natural flow that gives the album’s sequencing a stirring continuity that balances waves of bliss with startling gasps of modern doom and a peaceful resolution - - a sense of purpose born from the compositional gifts of Foreign Body Sensation mastermind, Louie Schultz.
A classically trained musician, Schultz refined his pop sensibilities in the bands Army Navy and Nightjacket. Still, while Foreign Body Sensation obliquely utilized pop economics, The Echo Is in Code was born from the skills Schultz has acquired as a music editor and composer, who has collaborated with he likes of Mark Mothersbaugh, Cliff Martinez, Terrance Blanchard, and Paul Haslinger. In fact, it was Haslinger - - a former member of Tangerine Dream - - who ignited Schultz’s love of analog synthesizers (Schultz now claims to have a collection of around 40 synths at his disposal). Fickle, yet capable of generating an almost endless array of textures and sounds, Schultz took his time not only discovering the unique capabilities of each machine but integrating them into his compositional process. In some cases, many of The Echo Is in Code’s pieces lingered for 5 years or longer - - each new discovery tempting a brand new series of songs.
Dune Altar is proud to announce the release of Foreign Body Sensation’s debut album, The Echo Is in Code on September 17, 2021.
Tom Kremer- Musician
Tom Kremer is an LA based dance music producer and a nationally certified Hypnotist on a mission to help people heal and grow. He’s worked with MUDA on various projects from the beginning and loves supporting their powerfully therapeutic creative projects with his music. Support Tom’s music project, Lost City, on any streaming platform and reach out to Culvercityhypnosis.com for help with stress release, quit smoking, fitness, and more.
Sammy June - Artist/Illustrator
Sammy June aka @gimme_shimmy is an LA-based, Oregon/Utah-grown, queer, non-binary digital illustrator who simply seeks to make art with and for people they find enjoyable.
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