June 13 4:00 pm
Atlas Arts Lab presents Angel Ramirez: Vamos a bailar?
Vamos a bailar? is a dance work that investigates nightlife as a site of community, resilience, and collective release. Translating to “Shall we dance?”, the title invites audiences into a shared space where movement becomes both celebration and refuge. In the midst of ongoing social and administrative shifts that continue to affect many of our communities, this work seeks to uplift, energize, and reaffirm the power of coming together. Dance has long served as a home—a place where we can gather, breathe, and be held—and Vamos a bailar? aims to embody that sense of belonging with both joy and narrative depth.
Join us for a exploration of friendship, queerness exploration, and community uplifting.
Ages: 18 and Older (Adults Only)
Run Time: 1 hour
Content Advisory: Frequent use of flashing or strobing lights and mild use use of swearing. Mild references to sexual content, drug use, violence and grief, and mild depictions of smoking.
Angel Ramirez is a queer Latino dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist originally from El Salvador and now based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, whose work is deeply rooted in community, cultural identity, and care. The founder and artistic director of Angel Ram Dance, Ramirez trained at CityDance Conservatory and earned a professional choreographic diploma from the ICONS Choreographic Dance Institute, where his one-act contemporary ballet Renacimiento premiered. His performance and choreographic work has been presented at major regional venues including the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, Dance Place, Joe’s Movement Emporium, and Atlas Performing Arts Center, and he has collaborated with leading artists and companies nationally and internationally. As a bilingual teaching artist at Dance Loft on 14 and through partnerships with DC Public Schools, Ramirez is committed to accessibility, regularly creating free and low-cost programs that remove financial and institutional barriers to dance.
During his Atlas Arts Lab Residency, Ramirez plans to develop Vamos a bailar?, an evening-length contemporary dance work that blends contemporary technique with salsa, bachata, and Latin social dance to explore nightlife as a site of resilience, healing, and collective joy for Latinx and immigrant communities. The residency will support his goal of expanding a large, collaborative cast, deepening interdisciplinary partnerships with visual and dramaturgical collaborators, and advancing a community-centered creative process that uplifts Latinx and queer narratives while strengthening meaningful connections between artists and audiences. www.angelramdance.com | @Angelramdance