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Juan Enrique Irizarry

@juaneirizarry

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Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher, Mental Health Advocate, Artistic Director & Founder of @neocortexdance

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What a blessing it is to have someone in your life who reminds you what stupid joy is like. Easily one of the best B-Day gifts is having this bad boy to post on a really dope site. Shout out to @amarykate for the amazing site to be nerdy on. ❤️

www.artisticaccessibility.com/2006 taken in After School Matters Gift Shop by @juaneirizarry

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a month ago

Raw. Intimate. Unfiltered.

I’m thrilled to invite you to an exclusive studio showcase for Neocortex Dance Theatre Company! Before we head to Hannover, Germany, for our world premiere, we are performing a special preview right here at home.

Join us for an evening of contemporary modern dance, live piano and magic by the incredible Frank J. Glab (The Great Frankini)

📅 When: Saturday, June 20 @ 7pm
📍 Where: Chicago Ballet Arts (915 Foster St, Evanston, IL 60201)
🎟 Admission: Donation-based (Pay What You Can) to support our journey to Germany!

Space is limited for this intimate showing. Please [RSVP/click the link in bio] to reserve your spot.

Can't come: You can still Donate (Link in Bio)

Hope to see you there!

Photo Credit @mreidphotog
Poster Credit: Francisco Melendez taken in Chicago Ballet Arts by @juaneirizarry

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4 months ago

by @juaneirizarry

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5 months ago

#aerialdance #lyra #aerialdancechicago taken in Aerial Dance Chicago by @juaneirizarry

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7 months ago

@sildanceacrodanza rehearsal sneak pick by Alexis Willis from "Ellas y yo Silvita" Join us tomorrow and Saturday 7:30 pm @danztheatre for Body Passages. With original music by @chromabeats_music and dancers @ileana_nadine @juaneirizarry @danioblitas @sandiaperez_

Through my Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Body Passages Residency and my 2024 Individual Artist Grant DCASE I created an autobiographical new ensemble work “Ellas y Yo: Silvita” that is part of a larger triptych piece called “Ellas y Yo Mexicanas. Ellas y Yo Mexicanas (Them and I, Mexicans) is a dance-theater triptych inspired by historical figures who defied colonial and patriarchal expectations: uncompromising painter Frida Kahlo, feminist writer and philosopher Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and a contemporary character, “Silvita,” based on my own lived experience as a Mexican woman and artist transplanted in the U.S.

The newest section, Ellas y Yo: Silvita,is rooted in autobiography, it draws from my childhood experiences of racism growing up in Puebla, Mexico, the early loss of my mother, and the journey of carving a creative identity in the diaspora. To ground this process, I commissioned a poem from playwright Lani Montreal, who interviewed my family, close friends, and collaborators. The resulting text became the backbone of “Ellas y Yo Silvita” . I am thrilled to share this personal work with you, which also incorporates an infusion of tango—a dance I love and practiced in Mexico. I have always been passionate about tango for its passion, beauty, partnering, and the dynamic interplay of legs, symbolizing my own internal battles to grow and evolve in partnership with others that I love.

The full Ellas y Yo Mexicanas triptych work is expected to premiere in 2026!!

#sildanceacrodanza #ellasyyomexicanas #bodypassages #chicagodanztheatreensemble taken in Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble by @juaneirizarry

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Two years ago, in 2023, I received an email stating I was offered the Advanced Opportunity Program (AOP) Fellowship and the AOP Renewal in 2024, receiving my master's for free and being paid to attend.

For the past two years, I have been on the computer between 12-20 hours a day, working on my thesis and creating my dance company, Neocortex Dance Theatre Company @neocortexdance. From the highs to the lows and back up again, my thesis examines the spectrum of corporeal psychological experiences and fluctuating mental states associated with bipolar disorder and inspects the correlation between bipolar disorder and creativity within professional dancers through interdisciplinary studies, qualitative interviews, autoethnographic critical self-reflection, and a choreographic investigation (Up Again, Down Again, Up Again: A Study of Dance and Bipolar Disorder).

Yesterday, I walked across the stage and graduated, earning my MFA in Dance as an AOPF.

Thank you to all my friends, family, coworkers, peers, dancers, teachers, UWM faculty and MFA Cohort, my thesis committee, professors, directors, managers, theatre ensembles, audience members, photographers, videographers, musicians, production crew, acquaintances, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, strangers, former lovers, and former friends or friends who drifted apart who have helped me throughout my life. Thank you to all the people who let me couch surf at their place, protected, fed, sheltered, listened to me, let me cry on your shoulder, let me vent, called me out, held space, and just were there for me!

I can't fit everyone on here but I want to give a special thanks to @tgfrankini, @mariaelenaroqueirizarry, @mavrikmax, @nahimawinema, @carole.lewis.7146 @jensmithdances, @silvitadiazbrown, @pierre.lockett.5, @ginnychingyin, @danztheatre, @ellyzabethadler, @jedi_dc, @rainbow_children_dance, @elona2384 @alexandrayasinovsky, @the_real_spence_warren @jedilee, my Cohort, @zosialaumusic @carl.voss.art @uwmdance and all the dancers and production crew within this research.
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#masters #mfa #mfadance #bipolar #bipolardisorder #bipolardisorderawareness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #dance taken in University of Wisconsin Milwaukee by @juaneirizarry

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Congratulations to our 2024 microgrant recipient @juaneirizarry on a SOLD OUT show and a rave review from @seechicagodance! We were so honored to support your work and can't wait to see what @neocortexdance does next!

📸 Michelle Reid by @juaneirizarry

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2 years ago

Dancer and choreographer Juan Enrique Roque Irizarry Jr. has been a mainstay on the Chicago dance scene for many years, performing in such companies as Identity Performing Arts and Movement Revolution Dance Crew; but now he steps into the role of Artistic Director of Neocortex Dance Theatre Company, which made its debut with “Up Again, down again, UPAGAIN: My Bipolar Experience” at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble theater on Feb. 1. The company’s mission is to “promote awareness about mental health and mental illnesses, reduce stigma, and foster relatability.”

My Bestie is cooler than yours.
Always and forever proud of my people and the ability to make this world such a better place than they found it. Keep creating. Keep slaying. by @juaneirizarry

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Sold Out Show!

Thank you so much for all the people who attended, all the talented dancers, and everyone involved in this show!

What a beautiful performance filled with so much love and support! taken in Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble by @juaneirizarry

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Congratulations to @neocortexdance on your launch of your dance company and congrats to @juaneirizarry on your MFA. A fantastic sold out show with beautiful work about mental health. #chidance #mentalhealth #chicagotheatre taken in Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble by @juaneirizarry

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Join the Neocortex Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) at the Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble for our inaugural performance and MFA dance thesis concert. Featuring the Musicians: @chromabeats_music, Video Artist: @alexandrayasinovsky , and Videographers:@the_real_spence_warren and @jedilee

Up Again, Down Again, Up Again: My Bipolar Experience
https://www.neocortexdance.com/

"Up Again, Down Again, Up Again: My Bipolar Experience" is an evening-length dance performance exploring the complex psychological experiences and fluctuating mental states associated with bipolar disorder. This concert is the culmination and continuation of Juan Enrique Roque Irizarry Jr.'s research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, combining interviews with dancers living with bipolar disorder and Juan Enrique's personal experiences.

The performance features two original choreographic works in collaboration with the dancers:

"Switching (The Oscillation of Polarity)": A physical representation of bipolar disorder's effects.

"Up Again, Down Again, Up Again": An abstract interpretation of the chemical imbalance of Juan Enrique's brain.

Through this event, NDTC and Juan Enrique aims to:
Raise awareness and destigmatize bipolar disorder
Create relatable work supporting those affected and their loved ones
Provide valuable resources and informational brochures

From the highs to the lows and back up again, this event will shed light on the complexities of Juan Enrique's experiences living with bipolar disorder, and he hopes to share a shared exp@c.w.mke.photography
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#bipolar #bipolarawareness #bipolardisoder #bipolardisordertype2 #bipolardisordertype1 #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #neocortex #neocortexdance #psychology #socialwork #psychopathology #mentalhealth #mentalillness #destigmatizementalillness #versatility #universityofwisconsinmilwaukee #mfa #masters #uwm #chicago #illinois #research #dance #dancerlife #dancer #contemporarydance
#moderndance #dancetheatre taken in Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble by @juaneirizarry

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Seeking Interviews with U.S Professional and Former Dancers who are Living with Bipolar Disorder!

Please Email: jrijr@uwm.edu

All Dance Styles, Race, Gender, & Sexual Orientation are Welcomed!

This research examines how bipolar disorder enhances and improves a dancer’s performance, practice, and creativity.

Deadline for Interview Requests:

February 23, 2025

All interviews must be completed by March 01, 2025

Photo Credit: @mreidphotog

@uwmdance @uwmilwaukee @uwmpsoa

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#bipolar #bipolarawareness #bipolardisoder #bipolardisordertype2 #bipolardisordertype1 #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #neocortex #neocortexdance #psychology #socialwork #psychopathology #mentalhealth #mentalillness #destigmatizementalillness #allstylesdance #allstylesdancer #versatility #universityofwisconsinmilwaukee #mfa #masters #uwm #milwaukee #chicago #illinois #wisconsin #research #dance #dancerlife #dancer by @juaneirizarry

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