CONTRA-TIEMPO - “Roots of Loving Us” (work in progress)

CONTRA-TIEMPO is a bold, Los Angeles-based activist dance theatre company that fuses Salsa, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop, and contemporary dance into a physical language of joy, resistance, and storytelling. Founded by choreographer and educator Ana María Álvarez, the company harnesses the social power of dance to reimagine community and celebrate cultural identity through movement, rhythm, and collective expression.

Their performances are kinetic and deeply human—an ensemble of extraordinary artists who dance not only with precision, but with purpose. Each work draws from lived experience and social dialogue, transforming the stage into a space of connection and reflection. Music, spoken word, and percussive body movement intertwine to create pieces that are as emotionally charged as they are visually stunning.

At Sierra Madre Playhouse, audiences will experience CONTRA-TIEMPO in an intimate setting—close enough to feel the rhythm of the dancers’ feet and the pulse of the music that drives them. The proximity reveals the raw athleticism and emotion that defines their work, turning each gesture into conversation.

Renowned dance artists holly johnston of Responsive Body and Ana Maria Alvarez from CONTRA-TIEMPO, both women of color, mothers, activists, and community leaders, join forces to create Roots of Loving Us. This innovative, evening-length multimodal choreographic work uses somatic healing and ancestral technologies of dance, music, and imagery. It explores origin stories shaped by biological uprooting, unchosen separation, and the re-rooting of bodies, altering family tree DNA. The dancers of CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater bring this work to life through their embodied knowledge of afro-latine movement practices, focusing on narratives of adoption, foster families, bioadaptive families, queer parents, single-parent families, and diverse birthing experiences. Through deep community collaborations, cross-sensory experiences, and innovative production elements, ‘Roots of Loving Us' is a powerful testament to lives transformed by the enduring choice to love forever.

Presented as part of the Playhouse’s Dance Series, which celebrates Los Angeles-based creators, this performance exemplifies the city’s spirit: diverse, daring, and deeply expressive. It’s a chance to witness one of L.A.’s most dynamic ensembles up close—where the boundaries between performer and audience dissolve, and movement becomes dialogue.