Ballet Taos will create and perform four dance phrases, each ten minutes in length and titled Inertia and Motion, each evening in the Space Cloud pavillion. Ballet Taos dancers will perform with Visiophone Lab. Ballet Taos Contemporary Program Director, CJ Bernal, will integrate the notion of how we relate to gravity, space, time, weight and inertia as a species. Posing the question – “how can we effectively speak to the subjects at hand?” – as dancers, using just their bodies as means of communication, the dancers will bring an aspect of live performance to the audience.

About the artist: Carpio Bernal (CJ) was born in British Columbia and spent his formative years in beautiful, artful Taos, New Mexico. Growing up on Taos Pueblo, CJ had his first exposure to music and dance which inspired his passion for composition and movement. He pursued his love of the arts at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, majoring in performing arts and psychology. He focused on several techniques and genres of dance, ranging from modern and contemporary to Suzuki Method Acting and Butoh. Throughout his artistic journey, CJ has sought to integrate his musical abilities with dance choreography and the essence of the human condition. His unique approach has led to an innovative and prolific body of work. Using the raw physicality of the human form, his work is inspired by bodily impulse, voice, dreams, politics, and everyday human interaction, all of which serve as a collective muse in his intention to create bold and exciting dance.