Created by Adriana Contreras, this is a commissioned graphic response to four hours of oral history interviews conducted by Seika Boye with Ashley Perez about her dancing life. Adriana took the conversations and the audio stories she heard and turned them into a colorful visual poster.
DETAILS OF THE RECORDING
A LOVE OF MUSIC AND DANCE
Having been introduced to the world of dance from an early age, Ashley loved performing. She was part of a dance group (the Caribees) that her mother and godmother directed and even though…
SOCA CALYPSO DANCEHALL FUNK RND
Ashley’s grandparents played a major role in her early introduction to dance. They created a space in their basement where Ashley and the other children (her siblings and sometimes her cousin) would dance after dinner.
CARIBEES
Ashley’s professional journey as a dancer started with the Caribees. The Caribees, which later changed to Diversity, was an after-school dance program that offered dance lessons to children in the 90s in Calgary, Alberta. They also participated in festivals. Ashley’s mum and godmother became teachers/choreographers of the Caribees….
HOUSE OF DANGERKAT
House of Dangerkat was a collective that came out of a collaboration between different artists who brought their diverse skills together to create and document dance performances.'
MIX MIX DANCE COLLECTIVE
Mix-Mix was a dance collective that Ashley partnered to create and produce. When she moved from Alberta to Toronto, Emily wanted to launch her dance presence in her new community and she and partner on the project, Emily, applied for grants and put a collection of dances titled Mix-Mix which featured in the Fringe Festival. The title is a translation from Filipino in reference to salad.
MAP
Ashley is a second-generation immigrant who was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. Ashley’s grandparents migrated from Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1960’s as economic migrants and settled in Calgary, Alberta. Ashley’s dance career began in Calgary, Alberta, with her earliest influences being her family who introduced her to Carribean music and dance.
BISHOP MCNALLY DANCE TEAM
Ashley attended Bishop McNally High School. The school played an important role in her career as it served as a practice ground to begin her practice as a coordinator of a dance group and choreographer.