Page 10 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 8, 2024 Flamenco dancer explores the role of caregivers and disability through expressive dance T hrough June 2024, fl amenco dancer, educator and choreographer Laura Sánchez will partner with Urban Media Arts (UMA) as artist in residence, sharing elements of her new work to the Malden community through a presentation, a podcast, a roundtable discussion and a workshop. UMA is a nonprofi t organization, established in 1989, whose mission is to connect community, promote civic engagement and nurture arts and culture in Malden. UMA is thrilled to welcome Laura Sánchez as their fi rst-ever artist-in-residence! Sánchez expresses her art in many ways – as a fl amenco dancer, an academic, an educator, a fi lm-maker, a business-woman and, now, an activist. Through fl amenco dancing, she has shown Law Offices of JOSEPH D. CATALDO, P.C. “ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW” • ESTATE/MEDICAID PLANNING • WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES • INCOME TAX PREPARATION • WEALTH MANAGEMENT • RETIREMENT PLANNING • ELDER LAW 369 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 (617)381-9600 JOSEPH D. CATALDO, CPA, CFP, MST, ESQUIRE. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Designee Flamenco dancer, educator and choreographer Laura Sánchez (Courtesy Laura Sánchez) the power of art in providing a space for expression and being an outlet for complex emotions and experiences. She has shaped and developed the diff erent contexts and ways in which such a traditional dance may be practiced. Her current work shares her inner journey as a parent of a child with multiple disabilities. She implores others, whether one’s experience with disabilities is vast or small, to walk in the shoes of a care-giver “even if it’s just for a little while.” Her residency began with a spoken word performance as part of the Opening Celebration for Malden Reads, the community’s “One City, One Book” program. This year’s book, “Being Heumann” by Judith Heumann, is a memoir of a leading disability rights activist. Sánchez also recorded a podcast as an episode of Culture Matters in Malden, which is produced by UMA. She shared her journey as an artist and a parent and talked about her new work Welcome to Holland!? – a performance piece that will have its debut at the Dance Complex in Cambridge in March. She also spoke about how the disability of her child impacted her regard for the disability rights movement in the United States. In May, Sánchez will moderate a roundtable discussion about caregivers of children with disabilities with three to four guests who have some personal connection to the topic. This discussion be presented as part of the video program “In the UMAverse,” which will play on the public access cable channel, the UMA YouTube channel and as an episode of the “In the UMAverse” podcast. Later that month, UMA will host a Caregiver Workshop led by Sánchez that will use her model of Expressive Flamenco to provide helpful insight and guidance to caregivers of children with disabilities in a supportive environment. Relevant to her work at UMA, Laura Sánchez will be performing, Welcome to Holland!? – a grant-funded “work that explores unspoken realities of motherhood,” on March 16 at 8:00 p.m. and March 17 at 7:00 p.m. at The Dance Complex. “This event is a part of The DC’s DIY Performance series and will be available for virtual viewing on March 17.” Details about the performance and tickets are available at https://www.dancecomplex.org/events/. For more information about Laura Sánchez and updates about her projects at UMA, visit https://urbanmediaarts.org/laurasanchez/
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