Oyc Ed Training

Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac Aztec Dancers & Pre-Hispanic Cultural Group

www.ollinyoliztlicalmecac.org 5236 Chester Ave. Philadelphia PA. 19143-4350

Email:[email protected] www.ollinyoliztlicalmecac.org

Contacts: Brujo de la Macha. Co-founder: 215-384-3369 Alejandra Bergemann. Program Director: 210-273-5510

Letter of Inquiry: Dear Kalliopeia Foundation we are interested in you funding opportunities, please take a look at this letter to know who we are. Mission: Our mission is to investigate, understand and raise awareness of the culture, which flourished in Mexico prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1492.

(1)*MEXICAYOTL

The Mexica Dance, or also known as Aztec Dance, has its origins in the cultures of ancient Mesoamerica., such as those of the Totocans, the Olmecs and the Chichimecs (To name some). These cultures have not been widely known since the virtual destruction of all the native cultures of the now called American continent since the arrival of the Europeans 517 years ago. This dance has a very deep meaning to the Mexican people, as well as to many South American and North American people. History: The members of (2)*OLLIN YOLIZTLI CALMECAC (OYC) are migrants and immigrants from various parts of Mexico. Some are new in the U.S.A. and some have been here many years. The group was founded by Daniel Chico Lorenzo and Brujo de la Mancha in 2003. Daniel has extensive knowledge of ancient Mexican culture and languages. His first language was Nahuatl, an indigenous language that the Spanish tried to eliminate. Brujo de la Mancha is a multidisciplinary artist who helped Daniel in the process of creating and representing OYC. Brujo learned some of the traditional Aztec dances and drumming from Daniel. Since Daniel went back to his hometown in Dec 2006, Brujo undertook the responsibility to incorporate (OYC) as Nonprofit and create the Master Artist in Residence Programs (MARP) in order to sharpen (OYC) mission. Ongoing programs: Our objectives are to educate both Mexicans and non-Mexicans about indigenous Mexica culture, the heritage and the similarities with other Indigenous cultures of “IXACHILAN” now called the “American Continent.” We particularly focus on presenting our cultural dances, music and public talks. We use handmade clay flutes, many types of drums and other special instruments as part of our presentations. We aim to make the global communities aware of the relevance and importance of the contributions in our everyday lives of native Mexican science and traditions such as the use of astronomy, math, agriculture, (to name some) as well the many uses of clay, the creation and playing of musical instruments, mask-making, costuming, to do dance-ceremonials and rituals, to pay respect to the Earth, the Universe the four elements., sculpture, etc. And the Nahuatl language, the mother tongue, of many other indigenous tribes in northern USA. Now in 2009, OYC has made a great evolution and all members have done the best possible to present the traditional arts forms of dance and music. We also offer weekly clay workshops to reach a more diverse community, by offering at the Mann Adult Older Center, where we offered two hours of clay classes every Thursday. The company has pursued cultural exchange with its artist in residence program, bringing three masters to Philadelphia from across the country and one of them to DC, to perform in the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts &The National Library of Congress on June 17-18 -2009 with OYC. This organization has been an example to other “Kallpulis” (Aztec Traditional Groups in Mexico, USA, Canada and Europe) who wish to become affiliated under the umbrella of OYC or work in some projects. For this to happen we are making our next move, we are working on the setup of (OYC) subdivisions in other places with the possibilities in Milwaukee, Texas and Oregon to send a OYC representative, these representatives are our masters and other skilled persons. The members range in age from 20 to 46, OYC is very active, performing at least once a month for the public (sometimes more). These public ceremonies are often organized by the group itself, when there is not another event taking place. Our services are presentations on

Aztec Dance & Music, as well as public talks about our “Mission”. These services are requested by museums, universities, colleges, public schools, senior centers, communities centers, in the state of Pennsylvania, as well with possibilities of National & international presentations. OYC is one of the first organized groups within the Mexican immigrant community in Philadelphia, where our mission has been working to OYC expectations, to educate both Mexicans and non-Mexicans about indigenous Mexica culture. In the Transnational level with the return of Daniel Chico to his hometown and the connections we have in Mexico DF with Maria Luisa Fuentes from the organization called“Cemanahuac Tlamoxtilollan” and our final goal is Europe, Our inspiration for the project: There has been an influx of Mexican people to the northeastern area of the USA over the past fifteen years or so, also from the last one hundred years or so to all over the USA. Most of them are former residents of small towns in Mexico and some are from cities that are made up of descendants of the original native Mexican populations. They are the new generation of indigenous people from the American continent. (1)*Mexicayotl= “The Mexican Indigenous Identity” Mexi/ca= The indigenous tribe, which came from Aztlan, Ca= Place, Yotl= Heart (2)*Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac (OYC) means in the Mexican language called Nahuatl:“The School of the Blood Moving in the Heart”

We want people to know about native Mexican indigenous arts and culture, as well as the preservation of sacred and artistic traditions and contributions. In Mexico, the United States and Europe, there is severe discrimination against people who look like they come from the native indigenous populations. Xenophobia, political repression and stereotypes depicted by the media or books, with the western religious influence of Catholic or other Europe-derived beliefs, are only a few components that are destroying this culture. Many of our own people are losing interest in themselves. They want to live the "American Dream" or to actualize to the modern way of life as quickly as possible. Some people refuse to take pride in their own heritage and for some it's difficult to see other cultures with value. Too often, children or people, in general, learn about indigenous people of America, in history books, as though native populations only existed in the past or in reservations. Our reputation is very low and the misrepresentation of our culture has been a problem for the last 500 years in our own environment. Some people still see us as the Spanish did. They called us "Savages, Ignorants, and people that Sacrifice Human." These are factors for this project, but the most important is for us is to remember that: "This world is the only house we have and if we don't respect it and we don't live in harmony, we will destroy our only house." This will promote inter cultural understanding and strengthen neighborhoods’ and communities' relationships by raising awareness of the Ancient Cultures of this continent, in the USA, and as well as in the whole world. As of today, in the new era of "Globalization", these conflicts are still ongoing, not just in Mexico, the United States or Europe, but also in the whole world, because a new identity of our people has been created for the global market and has confused people in many ways. Description of the project and the need it serves: We are working on one special project, and for this project to be able to happen, OYC is requesting funding to support our capacity-building project, the "Leadership Development Plan." The top priority for OYC at this moment is in "leadership development" in order to improve OYC’s management, programs, relations, evaluations, financial support and to increase organizational visibility. We are still without a great deal of infrastructure for the management side of the organization. This is an area in need of development. We want our E.D., Brujo, to go to (DCU) Dublin City University to take a bachelor's in International Relations (IR). It will take four years, for this leadership development plan (sabbatical leave) to happen. Our E.D., Brujo, needs to educate himself. This is the best option and a top priority for OYC at this moment. DCU has been chosen, because education in the USA is very expensive and training school in the USA is 40 – 60 thousand dollars per year, and that training is four years long! In Ireland, it would only be $60,000 for the total training. In the USA, it will cost around $160,000.00 (not counting personal expenses). This option is available in Ireland because it is a special program focusing internationally. Upon completion of his bachelors' degree at DCU, the E.D of OYC will develop oral and written communication skills, critical thinking and analysis, plus team work and research techniques. Brujo will bring back to the USA or anywhere else he goes, what he has studied about: third-world debt, American foreign policy and all this will give new understandings that can be implemented to OYC's mission. OYC & Brujo will become familiar with significant debates in IR about explaining and understanding, ontology and epistemology in an agency and structured levels of analysis. Brujo will learn to identify and critically evaluate the theoretical, philosophical and methodological approach underpinning International Relations in the USA. This will encourage OYC work to debate the implications of these issues for our understandings of international relations in our environment, in order to better our services in USA and Internationally. If Brujo de la Mancha gets this training, OYC, the USA, & Mexico will have a "Strong Community Leader." We want to be an organization that is well managed, in order to grow our mission. Also, the new position of “Program Coordinator” was created to assist any facilitated help for these transitions (sabbatical leave) and with the development plans of OYC. Program Director: Alejandra Bergemann. Alejandra is a danzante, community organizer and activist from Mexico City. When she was about 10 years old, Alejandra’s family moved to San Antonio, Texas. So, she grew up in a bilingual and bicultural home, traveling back and

fourth between Texas and Mexico, spending a lot of time in her mother’s community in Rio Hondo, Mexico. Through that migration, Alejandra gained the skills and knowledge that have enabled her to navigate and act as a bridge between cultures, on a multiplicity of levels. Alejandra is also part of Grupo Teokalli, a Danza Azteca-Chichimeca group that traces its lineage back to a well-known and respected family that has been practicing these traditional ways for generations. As Program Director for OYC, she seeks to further the organization’s mission of promoting the investigation, documentation, and sharing of Mexicayotl culture, both with the Mexican community in Philadelphia and throughout the U.S., (as opportunities arise), as well as using her roots of danza from Mexico to find ways to connect and contribute back to the elders and the communities that have kept these traditions alive. Since 2004, we have made a big impact as an organization. We have been able to guide people that look for information about Mexico or Aztec culture to our website, where there's information that is full of facts and realties. Immigrant communities can be difficult and fractured, and OYC is proud to be an organization that has brought groups together to look at their own past with pride and to view their own community as a whole. We are looking for more funding for this project, but one problem we have is that there are more opportunities for Hispanics or Latinos, and for some of this founders we are “Indios”, and for some others we are not seen as native American. We are applying to the Hispanics in Philanthropy to help in this. We have been part of their programs “HIP Collaborative.“ 2006-2008: In support of OYC for planning their development in the future. Now, OYC is asking for $30,000 of funding to support OYC, E.D. for “Leadership Development” so OYC can work in it's development of the future. We are also applying to NALAC for the Transnational project and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts for a grant of $20,000, for OYC programs. And PEW Fellowships for the Arts $10,000 for tours. I, myself, as co-founder, am doing research on connections to set a tours, and as well to set a line of work for OYC in EU. OYC is talking to it's bank to set up a line of credit to bring this project up, the amount is $35,000. Leadership and staffing: Artistic & Executive Director: Brujo de la Mancha: Co-Founder. Brujo was born in Mexico City, but his grandmother was a native of the small town of Xico, in the mountains of the state of Veracruz. Every year Brujo would travel to Xico for family visits, including trips to the surrounding area. In Xico, Brujo learned about the activities and the lives of the indigenous people. Brujo observed the style of farming, as well as the arts, music, and the culture of the area. This is an area made up of a mixture of influences from the Olmec, Maya, Aztec and Catholic traditions. At sixteen years old, Brujo left Mexico City to travel to different places in order to immerse himself in the indigenous cultures of the people of Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz, Michoacan, and Tlaxcala. In addition to being a dancer and flute player, Brujo is a visual artist working in painting, drawing, paper mache’, photography, ceramics, puppetry and non-profit management. Brujo has also worked as an art teacher for after school and youth programs with the Philadelphia Clay Studio and the Philadelphia Arts and Education Partnership. He has also taught water color painting to people with Alzheimer's with the Alzheimer’s Association and Taller Puertoriqueño and ceramics to older adults. Brujo has made many of the instruments for the dance group. He has also created a large portion of the choreography with Daniel and the Masters that OYC has invited to the Artist in Residences Programs. He also continues to work on choreography with the new members. Brujo has additionally been responsible for OYC incorporation and organization of the group for their performances and programs. In performances, he introduces the group and talks about the mission of OYC and the history of the Mexica people. In 2005, he won a “Arts Management Internship” with the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, where he participated in a six month observation of Pennsylvania’s funding of nonprofit arts organizations, including the Institute for Cultural Partnership, Mt. Pleasant Hispanic American Center in Harrisburg, and Philadelphia Folklore Project. He also has a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the The Nonprofit Center at the La Salle University in Philadelphia, through the Hispanic Leadership Development Program. Also, he has a certificate of Strategic Planning for arts-oriented, nonprofit organizations from Amherst University of Massachusetts through the Arts Extension Services . Program Director: Alejandra Bergemann Alejandra is a danzante, community organizer and activist from Mexico City. When she was about 10 years old, Alejandra’s family moved to San Antonio, Texas, so she grew up in a bilingual and bi cultural home, traveling back and forth between Texas and Mexico, spending a lot of time in her mother’s community in Rio Hondo, Estado de Mexico. Through that migration, Alejandra gained the skills and knowledge that have enabled her to navigate and act as a bridge between cultures, on a multiplicity of levels. Always feeling that innate connection to her indigenous roots and seeking to have a deeper knowledge of history and how different forces have shaped the lives of Native Peoples today, Alejandra majored in Anthropology and International Studies at Trinity University. There, her quest to find tangible ways in which to effect positive change in society was strengthened and she became involved in community and youth organizing. Through her work at Fuerza Unida, where she was Director of Programs, she gained further experience in grassroots organizing, using popular education tools and methodologies to build collective knowledge around economic and environmental justice issues, and looking at how these impact women and communities of color in particular. Alejandra was also part of the Coordinating Committee of the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance (GGJ), an alliance of grassroots organizations based in the United States, and the she was on the organizing committee of the 2006 Border Social Forum in Cuidad Juárez, México. Since then, she has participated actively in the Social Forum process, at the World Social Forum in Kenya in 2007, the Americas Social Forum in Guatemala in October of 2008, as well as other international forums where

she has worked to bring voice to the women’s and indigenous people’s organizing and struggles. Describe how the project is aligned with Kalliopeia Foundation's mission: OYC is very surprised that the Kalliopeia Foundation has very similar intentions, similar to what OYC is working on. This work is to revive the messages of our ancestors & what they believed: "That we are only one, and that we are part of this world, and therefore we need to respect and to understand it and to observe the law of nature in and around us, so we can understand how to live with it and, most importantly, to respect one another." As the Kalliopeia Foundation contributes to the evolution of communities and cultures that honor the unity at the heart of life's rich diversity & to strengthen a collective recognition of the oneness of humanity, OYC has been working to strengthen the native Mexican Indigenous cultures that are part of the new communities in the USA and Europe, as well. Our evolution as human beings depends on our own work, & for this reason, OYC is looking forward to working with the Kalliopeia Foundation and others to revive these messages of "Unity, Peace and Respect to all." As the Kalliopeia Foundation seeks to join with others in its work to honor our earth, its plants, creatures and people, OYC is looking forward to showing to humanity how these values were there in the native people of Mexico. The spiritual power of Indigenous Mexican dance and music help all human beings to connect with Mother Earth and the Universe. As our great Mexica grandparents said: “Corn does not come in just one color, and yet it continues to thrive and flourish.....” We hope to be able to work as a team to make these set of tours happen & to give these ancestral messages in this time of a cultural shift. Thank you very much for your time. Brujo de la Mancha. Artistic, Executive Director & Co-Founder. of Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac