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The New England Foundation for the Arts has awarded Dr. Carolina Alonso Bejarano’s collaborative project ELMO-MENTO a 100,000 USD National Dance Project Grant to support the creation and U.S. touring of the piece.

[Art by Peter Quach, featuring Carolina and Miguel’s collaborator and one of the coauthors of Carolina’s first book, Mirian Mijangos García]

ELMO-MENTO is a multidisciplinary dance-theater work, centering the stories of immigrant New Yorkers who make a living as cartoon character street performers in Times Square. Conceived by interdisciplinary artist Miguel Alejandro Castillo in collaboration with researcher-artist Carolina Alonso Bejarano and devised with a cast of seven street performers, this piece investigates notions of labor, anonymity, hybridity, and migration. By blending personal narratives with surreal embodiment, ELMO-MENTO immerses audiences in the lives and imagination of the performers, who reveal their perspectives on the costs and value of the American Dream. Premiering at Abrons Arts Center in Spring 2027, this visually striking and thought-provoking performance challenges audiences to consider who is seen, who remains invisible, and what it means to truly belong.

Congratulations to Carolina and the rest of the ELMO-MENTO team from everyone at º£½ÇÉçÇø Law School.