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, Silvita, is still in development. 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 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 the solo piece you will see tonight which will be part of a bigger ensemble piece that will be presented this November 14 and 15 as part of my Body Passages Residency at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble. The full Ellas y Yo Mexicanas triptych work will premiere in 2026.

Silvita Diaz Brown is a Mexican-American choreographer, dancer, and movement educator based in Chicago since 2008. She founded Sildance/AcroDanza, blending contemporary dance, acrobatics, and physical theater. Her work has been supported and or presented by DCASE, Chicago Dancemakers Forum, See Chicago Dance, Ragdale, Ballet 5:8, Momenta Dance, the National Museum of Mexican Art, Links Hall, the Chicago Cultural Center among many other organizations. Internationally, she has performed in Cuba, Spain, India, Canada, Mexico, and across the U.S. A three-time 3Arts Award nominee in Dance, and a Platform Award nominee in 2024. Silvita is a 2025 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Finalist. She holds a BFA in Dance from UDLAP (Mexico) and an MFA in Theatre/Movement from York University (Canada). Silvita is very excited to be an artist in residency at Chicago Danztheater Ensemble for the Body Passages program this fall and a Scratch Night artist.

Lani Montreal
Lani T. Montreal writes to create her home in the diaspora. She is a queer feminist Filipina educator, writer, performer, and community activist based in Chicago, whose works have been published/produced in North America, Asia, and in cyberspace. Lani has worked as a playwright and resident artist with CIRCA-Pintig, Chicago Danztheatre, and Free Street Theatre. Her play Panther in the Sky, which premiered May 2024 at Chicago Danztheatre was described by Buzz Stage critic Wesley David as “a testament to the power of empathy, compassion, and solidarity in the face of unspeakable tragedy. It is a play that challenges us to confront the harsh realities of gun violence while inspiring us to act and make a difference in the world.” Montreal is a 2-time 3Arts Residency Awardee (2009 and 2016), 2017 alumna of the VONA Writers of Color Workshop, and 2024 Links Hall Co-MISSION Artist Fellow.