Joey Navarrete-Medina - Fraggmonts

FRAGGMONTS is an exploration of the essence and energetic shifts between male and female energies, aiming to ground itself in the spaces in between. This autoethnographic dance work delves into the intersection of identity politics and dance through a Queer Mexican-American lens. It serves as an exploratory investigation into queer Latine diaspora dance, offering a fresh approach to contemporary dance that nurtures and celebrates genderfluidity. Additionally, it explores the unique experiences of a first-generation brown individual navigating predominantly white spaces within the realm of concert dance. Recognizing the connection between dance and storytelling, this process delves into personal memories to examine how a queer Mexican-American person can activate and positively impact the Brown body while engaging with dance styles such as Contemporary, Heels, and Jazz, influenced by Latin dance-forms from childhood experiences at traditional Latino(e) parties.

Joey Navarrete-Medina is a queer Mexican-American contemporary dance artist based in Los Angeles. As a first-generation individual from a Latine, Catholic, and immigrant-working family, Joey's work is deeply inspired by their upbringing as the youngest of seven siblings. Joey is dedicated to connecting their artistic practice with inclusivity and their personal and collective journey of decolonization and queerness. In 2014, Joey received a BFA in Dance from CSULB and later became a certified Pilates instructor under Body Arts and Science, International (BASI). Joey has worked at various local and international schools, including UCLA, UCI, CSULA, RCC, and UDLAP. Recently, they collaborated with the AB Miller Conservatory of Dance to establish a pre-certification program for underrepresented and underserved Pilates students of color. Joey received the Diversity Fellowship Award at UCLA in 2018 and the Leo Freedman Fellowship for artistic merit in 2022. They completed their master's degree in dance at UCI and currently engage in freelance performance and movement creation in both concert and commercial dance.