Photo: Jay, Editor: Rock ill
Rock ill is a part of
The Community Artist Program (CAP)
Through this program, she can offer your Dallas community free performances and workshops. Under the name Coyote Rock, she present stories that are inspired by her culture with a mix of traditional storytelling and modern aesthetics. Her workshops provides individuals tools to create their own stories and offers ways to manage stress. If your event is free to the public in the city of Dallas, you can sign up for services for free.
The Community Artist Program (CAP) provides artist services to Dallas communities by ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American) and other individual artists and non-profit organizations to teach, perform, and exhibit at host facilities in neighborhoods around the City of Dallas. CAP cultivates collaborations between artists and communities. This program helps promote cultural awareness, heightens citizen understanding of art forms, and celebrates the various traditions that contribute to the composition of this city. Services are requested of CAP artists and organizations on an as-needed, when-needed basis. This means that if you need an artist for an event, we may be able to help.
Indigenous Storytelling
In Indigenous cultures, Storytelling is the beating heart as it is firmly grounded in oral tradition and history. Indigenous culture and storytelling emphasize the fundamental belief in the interconnection of the world and the need to preserve it for future generations. It is important for youth to build a strong connection to the land in the sense that water, land, and animals are all sentient beings that rely on one another for their well-being and vitality. It is a significant and vital part to our Indigenous culture.
Culture Revitalization
As many reconnecting Indigenous people are finding their way home, culture revitalization is crucial. It helps us preserve our way of life by teaching individuals who either were displaced or forcibly assimilated. Telling our stories plays a role in preserving our history as Indigenous people.
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Rock was deeply inspired by a woman from the Chickasaw Nation named Te Ata. Her unique approach to storytelling opened up Rock's imagination. Witnessing her impact, she realized that with her own knowledge and skills, she could contribute to the narrative.
Mountain Yo'eme Warriors fighting against Mexican Military.
Yo'eme aka Yaquistas, Warriors in the Mexican Revolution.
Indigenous Representation
After learning the disheartening truth that her history has been systematically erased or distorted, it prompt her to take action. She realized we all have been presented a biased lens in the colonial society we all live in now. Hollywood, in particular, has wrongfully portrayed Indigenous people, causing harmful stereotypes and perspectives, and many of the narratives about Natives are predominantly told by non-Native voices.
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This is still an ongoing issue today. Many of our stories are being written and directed by non-Native voices. They mainly share through the white man's perspective, giving an impression that they want us to continue believing biased, and colonial settler rights to take over.
Our tribes and family's history, legends and history of Indigenous people in the colonial narrative MATTERS. This is her purpose to take to the stage. Rock is a very shy, quiet individual who loves being in solitude and nature. Being center stage is not her dream, it's a calling. A calling to be apart of her people's fight for accurate representation and history.
CAP Services
Below, you will find a YouTube video of one of my Movement Performance pieces, and a list of services I offer through CAP. Find me under Coyote Rock.
Te Ata, who is a member of the Chickasaw Nation, is a woman who broke the cultural walls and became one of the most famous Indigenous Storyteller of her time. Through her love of the stage, she shared the culture of many Indigenous tribes with the United States as well as many different areas of the world.
Rock's mask is an interpretation of reconnecting Indigenous people across the world. In her performances she shares her families history of persecution from Mexican officials, Yaqui legends, Indigenous history and the fundamental belief in the interconnection of the world and the need to preserve it for future generations.
Workshops
Literary Art "Visual Storytelling"
Visual Art: Photography and Videography
Movement Workshop: Dance Healing 101
Participants will gain insight into the significant meaning of Storytelling within Indigenous people. This workshop blends traditional with contemporary technology to help enrich the art of storytelling.
For age 6+
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Participants will learn the powerful form of healing through dance, a deeply significant and integral aspect of Indigenous culture, representing part of her heritage.
For ages 6+
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In these workshops I presents videography in which participants will acquire the skills to effectively use photography and videography as tools for storytelling.
For ages 12+
Movement Performance
I present the audience with a unique storytelling performance that weaves together movement and sharing Indigenous culture and history. Some performances feature installations, elevating the overall atmosphere. I incorporate dance, traditional instruments and props to enhance the storytelling experience.
Audiences ages 6+
What the Audience and Community Members Say
