Next Stop

Creators: Carlos (Cayu) Mayorga Jr. and Mary Polhemus

Cast: “Andres Sobalvarro, Avielle Conn Sherman, Carlos (Cayu) Mayorga Jr., Carmen Casillas, Emily O’Rourke, Mary Polhemus, Michelle Zhuang, Nicole Bordeaux, Shin Wang, Simon Chernow, Sydni Wilmore, Tyler Law, Valorie Bullock, Vinnie Ta

 

Call To Action

Call to Action: We hope that after watching our piece, audience members research and advocate for public transportation systems that are safe, affordable, reliable, and accessible to all. We would like viewers to research and get involved with local organizations that advocate for social well being, and aid in the upliftment of their communities.

Move LA

Bio.

Hi, I’m Carlos and I’m a fourth-year Dance and Chicanx & Central American Studies Double Major, with a Minor in Education Studies, raised in Lamont, California. And I’m Mary, a Dance and Biology Major, born and raised in Los Angeles. We are so excited to be dancing and creating alongside such beautiful and creative diverse individuals and share the joy of live performance once again! We are using public transportation, specifically the bus, as a vessel to explore the varying social, economic, and cultural inequalities seen in cities across the U.S. The bus is a place that unites people from different backgrounds and exposes people to diverse stories, creating a space for vibrant exchanges. It also has the power to reveal the city's inequality and socioeconomic divide. Our piece "Next Stop" seeks to improve representation for mislabeled communities and uplift the voices, stories, and histories that are often muted and obscured.

  • Carlos (Cayu) Mayorga Jr.

    Carlos (he/they) was raised in a Nicaraguan household in the small town of Lamont, CA. His passion for dance was ignited by his mother and older sister, who taught him Latinx social dance forms such as Bachata and Cumbia. While at UCLA, under the guidance of his mentors, Jackie Lopez, Leigh Foaad, and Versa Style Dance Company, Carlos has been training in Street Dance forms, such as Hip-Hop, House, and Whacking. He has been a member of Versa Style Next Generation for two years. He seeks to serve low-income communities as a Dance Educator, focusing primarily on the Central Valley, where there are few resources for accessible arts education.

    Coming from a rural community, Carlos would ride the city bus for two hours after school to get to his dance classes in Downtown Bakersfield, a destination that would typically be a thirty minute drive. Through this experience, he was inspired to co-create a piece with Mary Polhemus that uses public transportation to talk about different social issues, such as topics of socioeconomic status, houselessness, racial/ethnic identities, mental health, and addiction.

  • Mary Polhemus

    Born and raised in Venice, CA. Mary’s first dance experience was at an after school parks and recreation program where she took a West African dance class which then turned into a small performing group that danced at schools and prisons. From there she went on to train at Debbie Allen Dance Academy where she was exposed to a variety of styles including Hip Hop, West African dance, ballet and flamenco. Through Russian teachers, Yuri Grigoriev and Marat Daukayev, Mary also was trained in Vagonova ballet technique. The diversity of her training gave her a vast range of opportunities. Mary also was part of a dance, beatbox and spoken word performance “I came to make noise’” in the Hollywood Fringe Festival. The hip hop feminist theatrical happening that challenged the stereotype that women are expected to be quiet and agreeable. The knowledge Mary has gathered has led her to want to be a performer in zestful bold works of art and unite communities that are often separated. Mary is interested in improving representation for mislabeled communities by telling stories of disenfranchisement and marginalization that resonate with communities throughout the US and the world.