These photos of dancers performing the Concheros dance, also known as the dance of the Chichimecas, Aztecas and Mexicas, were taken at a Dia de los Muertos event at Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco, CA, USA. The photos show the passage of time and poetically examine the balance between what is here and what is gone.
The dancers’ movement is captured in photographs that capture a moment in time. Whirling and spinning in celebration of the ancestors. Traveling through space in a single photo the dancers appear both present and absent in this reality.
Fluttering feathers, skulls, and traditional prints are glimpsed while passing through the frame. Moments of stillness are a quiet reminder of what is present and what is not. The seen and the unseen stepping together leaving traces of where they’ve been. This juxtaposition is especially relevant since this specific dance is celebrating Día de los Muertos, a day where the dead are honored by the living.
They dance through the veil between the ancestors in front of and around altars filled with ofrendas of food and drink. They dance to celebrate their ancestors and as a way to honor their history in spite of colonization.
This celebration honors the absence of our loved ones. This celebration honors the presence of our loved ones. The light and shadow in the photos parallels the light and shadow of the holiday and the dance.