SEARCH
Laura Yohualtlahuiz Rios-Ramirez is a Mexican-born Xicana scholar-practitioner of indigenous descent trained in educational pedagogy, circle keeping, performance art, and community organizing. They are recognized for their canon of healing-informed praxis intersecting performance art, ancestral knowledge systems and restorative/transformative justice practices as tools for personal & collective transformation. She holds a BA in International Relations Latin American Studies, a MS in Organizational Leadership & is currently a MAS Professor at UTSA. She’s participated as Southwest Folklife Fellow focusing on Participatory Action Research & an Intercultural Leadership Institute Fellow focusing on interculturality in arts & culture. She co-leads, Kalpulli Ayolopaktzin, a transnational inter-tribal group of families preserving Anahuaka teachings and was active in the Wind & Warrior Sacred Waters Pilgrimage to heal colonial trauma through ritual solidarity across Black Indigenous diaspora. She is a veteran Bgirl/Hip Hop dancer, a wife, and most importantly a Mami passionate about healing intergenerational/colonial trauma through matriarchal leadership and resiliency. Laura is a Co-Founder and Visionary behind De Corazón Circles, a consulting and capacity building firm that envisions a safe and equitable world where restorative interactions transform individuals, relationships, communities and systems through the prevention, repair and deep healing of harm.
Resume (PDF)
Work Samples (PDF)
MORE ABOUT THIS ARTIST
Artist Style: Dance: Contemporary, Folk, Hip-Hop; Music: Experimental, Hip-Hop/Rap, Rap, World; Street Art; Teaching Artist/Instructor: Group Instruction, Guest Speaker, Instruction for Adults, Instruction for Children, Instruction for Seniors, Instruction for Special Needs, Multi-Day Artist Residency, Performer for Schools/Classrooms, Private Lessons, Workshop Presenter; Theatre; Visual Art: Environmental, Experimental, Figurative, Focus on Color/Light/Movement, Landscape/Cityscape
Culturally Specific Art Category
Select Culturally Specific Art Category:: American Indian or Alaska Native
VIDEOS
-
TLANEZI TEATRO RITUAL: Awakening out of 500 years of Resistance, we are the children of the sun. The spirits of the ancestors who could not be killed or silenced. We are healers, dancers, artists, creators, weavers of new futures. We are here! Produced by performance artist, and culture bearer Laura Yohualtlahuiz Ríos-Ramírez, featuring members IndigeNecies & Calmeca Skwad. TLANEZI is a theatrical ritual that invites us to witness the awakening of our warrior spirits and heed the call to love, honor, and connect with our self, each other, and our ancestors.
Contact information
AUDIO
-
Abre La Tierra - An offering by Yacatsol Featuring 4Rios - a lyrical response and call to connect with Mother Earth and Defend the Sacred - released as part of the 2016 Peace and Dignity Journeys, a transcontinental spirit run that connects Indigenous People and our ceremonies from Alaska to Chile.
-
Yohualtalhuiz - Splendor of the Night Sky - 4 Sacred Songs set by Laura Yohualtlahuiz feat. water drumming by Dr. Adrian Chavana
-
Yanaguana (Water is Life) - The spirit of our resistance speaks to us and moves us to speak, sing, and defend our Mother Earth. This song came to us during our fight against Energy Transfers Partners in the Chinati territory of our Apache relatives. Co written by Frontline Water Protectors: Laura Yohualtlahuiz, Madelein Santibanez, and Kiani Mendez and performed by IndigeNecies for the STOP LINE 3 Virtual Concert in 2021.
-
How to Tame a Savage Tongue - Itzli feat Calmeca Skwad, Krudxs Cubensi & Native Shadows - Powerhouse of Black Indigenous lyricists representing Xicanx, AfroCuban, Black and Indigenous excellence controlling the mic.
-
Rise of the Sixth - Itzli feat Azul Barrientos & 4 Rios - Ancestral rhythms invoking the rise of our gente. Reclaiming, Awakening! Rise Up! Lift Up! El Sexto Sol esta presente Hoy y Siempre!