No Cuesta d’Enero opens with performance at Fine Arts Gallery

The Fine Arts Association’s annual event No Cuesta d’Enero opened this week with a performance by The Movement Collective.

The Movement Collective performed a snippet of the ‘Memory Project 2’, which was themed on dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Actress Carol Trinidad portrayed Margaret who is losing her memory. Claire Trinidad, Carol’s daughter, acted as Margaret’s younger self.

Ensemble dancers Zoe and Nikki Bishop, Giovanna Garzon, and Francesca Hemmi performed at the event depicting Margaret’s hallucinations.

The Memory Project 2 was held last year at GEMA Gallery, with the performance for No Cuesta d’Enero being a condensed version.

Director Zoe Bishop and Assistant Director Nikki Bishop told the Chronicle the performance focused on Margaret who is recognising the loss of her identity.

“She's looking across at her younger self, where in her mind is where she thinks she's stuck at, and is now recognising that she's no longer who she thinks she is,” Zoe said.

Nikki added that as the scene progresses Margaret is more and more confused and expresses a variety of emotions.

“It's scary not to be able to recognise yourself and start losing what you think makes you yourself,” Nikki said.

They likened it to a monster taking over someone’s mind, which Margaret is frightened of and can’t get away.

“A complete surrender to what ultimately is the person of this person,” Zoe said.

“The ensemble of dancers are almost used as a hallucination. We're not actually there, but this is what's happening to this woman.”

The inspiration for the piece was from some of their last conversations with their grandmother, who had retained her long-term memory but her short-term memory had suffered.

Events have been held every evening this week at the Fine Arts Gallery, with a body art workshop and photography session with winner of GBC’s makeup artistry competition ‘Face Off’ Stella Bosano this evening at 7pm at the Fine Arts Gallery.

On Thursday, a free life drawing event featuring musicians Rafa and Maria on violin and cello will be held from 7pm to 9pm.

The programme will close on Friday with a closing solo violin performance by Maria at 7pm.

The events, held at the Fine Arts Gallery this week, are all free and open to the public with no pre-booking required.