MAINSTAGE 2026-27
Camino y Despedida
Camino y Despedida is an interdisciplinary performance that embraces culture, language, and identity while challenging colonial patterns rooted in the lived experiences of six Latin American artists from Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia.
After two years of exploration through solo, duet, and trio formats, the work has evolved into a powerful ensemble piece that weaves together contemporary dance, live music (including original songs), video projection, and multilingual text.
“Through the work, we reconnect with our roots while confronting the nuances of privilege that allow us to live on these unceded territories. We reflect on the struggles of erasure: Why must we sacrifice parts of our identity, language, and culture to survive? What does it mean to miss a home where we no longer belong or cannot return? We examine the questions we couldn’t ask before leaving, the micro- and macro-racisms we face and sometimes internalize, and the resilience found in shared stories. Amidst sorrow, there is laughter; amidst hardship, a rediscovery of joy and community.”
While deeply personal, the work resonates universally, especially in today’s climate of global conflict, displacement, and shifting immigration policy. The text and lyrics span Spanish, Portuguese, Nahuatl, and English, reflecting the expanded cultural intersections that migration fosters.
TEMPO Dance & Visual Art
photo Adrian Ortega
TRAILER
ARTIST BIO
Tempo Dance and Visual Art is a multidisciplinary company that works by project, seeking to create, connect and share visions of the world through contemporary dance, photography, video, installation and education. Founded in Mexico in 2019 by Carla Alcántara—Mexican dancer, choreographer, photographer, and educator. Through her passion and commitment to positively transforming others’ lives, Carla has worked with many artists to develop choreographic works and inspiring workshops that continue to impact many.
Today, TEMPO is co-directed by Carla Alcántara and Marco Esccer, a queer Mexican dance artist, choreographer, and Dance Movement Therapist based in Vancouver. Together, they bring a shared vision for interdisciplinary creation, cultural exchange, and community-driven practice. Their collaborative leadership continues to expand TEMPO’s reach and deepen its commitment to art as a vehicle for connection, reflection, and collective storytelling.
TEMPO has participated in performances and festivals including "POP UP Dances" and "All Over The Map" by New Works (Vancouver, BC), Vines (Vancouver, BC) "Postcards Digital Short Works" by Spring Works (Ontario, Canada ), III Contemporary Dance Festival "Cuerpo al Discubierto" (CDMX), "Festival Internacional Cuerpos en Tránsito 2019" (Tijuana, MX), "Sibu International Dance Festival" (Sibu, Malaysia), "Without Walls México" (Tijuana, MX), "IMARP Mostra Internacional de Dança- Imagens em Movimiento- Video dança" (Brazil), finalist for the "Young choreographers Showcase & Price" by San Diego Dance Theatre (San Diego, CA) and company selected for the International Contemporary Dance Festival of Mexico City " FIDCDMX".
Performance History & Upcoming Performances
Potential upcoming performance with Delta Stageworks 2027
June 19, 2026, Workshop showing of DBLSPK Residency with Rice & Beans Theatre, Progress Lab- Vancouver BC
*February 28, 2026, Bulkley Valley Concert Association, and supported by Dance West Networks and Myriad Dance, Della Herman Theatre- Smithers,BC
*August 28-29 2025, Partnership with The Roundhouse, Rice & Beans & VLACC, with support from Dance West Network (CASC Grant), Migrant Journeys & VIDF
*November 3rd 2024, STAND Festival, The Dance Centre, Vancouver BC
Project Created by: Marco Esccer- TEMPO Dance & Visual Art
Key Artistic Collaborators: Artistic Director: Marco Esccer
Assistant Director: Carla Alcántara & RCHRDY
Co-creators & Performers: Ysadora Dias, Carla Alcántara, Carolina Silva, Marco Esccer, RCHRDY, and Rodrigo Flores
Music Composition & Arrangements*: Carolina Silva & RCHRDY
Video projection design: Carla Alcantara
Video projection mentor during DBLSPK residency: Candelario Andrade
Light Design: Victoria Bell & Gillian Hanemayer (during DBLSPK residency)
Project/Cultural Consultant: Carlos Rivera
Dramaturg consultant: Pedro Chamale
Daniela Rodriguez: Poet/ translator
Andrea Cownden: Accessibility consultant
Performance type: THIS WORK IS BUILT FOR THEATRE
How do you define this work: Multidisciplinary, including dance, multilingual text, live music, and projection design
Length of performance: 50 min + additional 20 min Q&A
Audience type: General Audience
Number of Performers on tour (including choreographer): 6
Number of Support Staff on Tour: 1
Availabilities: 2027 Spring Season (Mar - June),2027/28 Season,2028/29 Season
Project Details
General Technical Requirements: Wood or marley floor-(we can adapt to black, white or gray colours)
Video projector
*4 lavalier microphones
*We can adapt the lighting design to what is available in the space
*Sound system to connect 2 instruments: guitar and ukulele, and play recorded music.
*Please note that the artists will bring their own props and instruments: 6 small suitcases, 1 guitar, and 1 ukulele.
Required amount of time for tech set up: Given the number of layers in the piece, we ideally require 8 hours for tech. Considering lighting setup, projection design, live music equalization, performers spacing and dress rehearsal.
Alternative Venues:
Outreach Activities
Camino y Despedida — A Creative Process on Migration & Hope
This creative process workshop offers an opportunity to connect with the ideas, practices, and questions behind Camino y Despedida, the interdisciplinary performance touring with TEMPO Dance & Visual Art. Led by Marco Esccer—queer mexican dance artist, Dance Movement Therapist, and TEMPO Co-Director—the workshop invites participants into an embodied exploration of migration, hope, change, and belonging.
Using guided movement, improvisation, writing, and collective reflection, participants will engage with the symbol of the suitcase and the figure of the traveller as entry points into personal and shared stories. The focus is not on learning choreography nor dance technique, but on experiencing how movement, sensation, and imagination can open space for meaning-making in the creative process.
Open to all bodies and experience levels, the workshop creates a welcoming environment to slow down, listen, and explore what we carry with us—emotionally, culturally, and physically. While the themes are rooted in migration and displacement, the process remains accessible and relevant to anyone curious about transition, memory, resilience, and community.
Together, we will cultivate a space of presence, empathy, and exchange—honouring difference while finding common ground through creative practice.
What to Expect:
*Gentle, guided movement and improvisation
*Embodied* creativity and somatic exploration
*Reflections on migration, language, hope, and change
*An inclusive, intercultural space for dialogue and artistic inquiry