Vanessa Sanchez y La Mezcla

La Mezcla will be performing as part of WAA’s 2025 juried showcase on Wed, Sep 3 @ 10:20pm at Bing Theatre, USC.

La Mezcla is a polyrhythmic, San Francisco-based dance and music ensemble rooted in Chicana, Latina and Indigenous traditions and social justice. Founded in 2015 by Dance/USA and Rainin 2025 Arts Fellow Vanessa Sanchez, their work brings together Tap dance, Son Jarocho and Afro-Caribbean rhythms to bring the often unseen histories and experiences of communities of color to stages, streets and fields. Their work has toured internationally to venues including Jacob’s Pillow, the Lincoln Center and Festival Cervantino in Mexico, and has been featured in Dance Magazine and NEA’s American Artscape Magazine.

La Mezcla is deeply rooted in community and prioritizes local engagement and outreach. Engagement activities include:

• Dance Workshops & classes
• Cultural & Historical discussions
• Q&A sessions
• Outdoor performance excerpts
• Son Jarocho Fandangos

Their production “Pachuquísmo,” an all-womxn Tap dance and Son Jarocho performance about Pachucas and the Zoot Suit Riots, received the Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Production. The show has toured nationally to venues including Dance Place (DC), Jacob’s Pillow (MA) and the Lincoln Center (NY), and made its international debut at Festival Cervantino in Guanajuato, Mexico in October 2023, later returning for a 3 city tour in summer 2024 culminating with a performance at Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris, Mexico City.

La Mezcla’s latest work “Ghostly Labor,” explores the legacy of labor in the US-Mexico borderlands and the joy of collective resistance, and is scheduled to tour the US through 2025. The associated film “Ghostly Labor: a Dance Film” has been screened internationally at film festivals, and was named Best Short Documentary at the Los Angeles Dance Camera West Festival.

The newest project in development by Vanessa Sanchez, “El Ahualulco,” explores the historical connections between Veracruz, Mexico and Cuba, decolonizing histories through music and dance, and challenging anti-blackness by emphasizing African presence in Mexican/Latinx cultures.