Episode Description
This podcast explores how dance, though ephemeral, generates tangible artifacts and living histories worth preserving in San Antonio. Opening with Mona Lisa Montgomery’s poem “Bertita’s Legacy” honoring Berta Almaguer, Montgomery shares her efforts to research Almaguer through interviews, limited archival traces, and rare community-held recordings.
These artifacts like shoes, costumes, instruments, studios, and recordings function as mementos of what communities value. Southside dance studio owner, Sarita Zúñiga emphasizes storytelling, cultural pride, and innovative work that blends genres, while costumes become cherished, reused links to memory and craft.
Contemporary artist Catherine “Cat” Cisneros discusses scarce documentation, sacred dance spaces, and preserving artifacts such as Vladimir Marek’s salvaged wooden floor. Closing with Gio Bazaldua’s activism-centered “PanzaFusion” and dragtivism, the podcast concludes with two goals: the importance of interviewing elders in the dance community and documenting artifacts to counter cultural reduction and ensure dance legacies endure.
Episode Credits
Producer - Amber Ortega
"I would like to dedicate this podcast to Dora Ruffner"
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Series Credits
Technical Producer - Lamont Jack Pearley
Executive Producer - Jeannelle Ramirez
Learn more at TexasFolklife.org
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts