Jose Alvillar
Jose Alvillar is an Indigenous Mexica artist who has been practicing Danza since the age of 4. Part of his journey has involved regalia making, painting, beadwork, singing, and drumming. Jose studied Studio Arts, Philosophy, and Architecture at Augsburg University and graduated with his B.A. in 2013. He currently attends Hamline University for his M.A. degree in Education. His work in the arts and education sector revolves around his identity as a Mexica dancer and around honoring the presence of youth, so that he and others may leave behind a legacy, culture, and art form that has been forgotten. In his efforts to preserve his culture and art he is often found presenting workshops on dance, identity, culture, and painting with Kalpulli Ketzalcoatlicue (A community of indigenous Mexica dancers).
Jose has presented in Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Duluth MN, Nett Lake MN, among many other locations. His dance work with Kalpulli Ketzalcoatlicue has been broadcasted and published via local news outlets as well as StarTribune, KTVO, KBFT 89.9 and many more. Jose plans to continue his work with dance, paint, and arts by sharing with youth and continuing to learn and develop his artistry with his community.
Leila Awadallah
Leila Awadallah is a Twin Cities artist, born on Dakota and Sioux land with diasporic Palestinian roots. Her artistry is embedded with a commitment to deepening cultural and physical connections with the Levant, reflecting on the politics entangled with identity and investigating contemporary Arab performance located within an American context. Through choreography, improvisatory performance installations, and short films she begins with the body and explores outwards.
Leila graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Arabic Language and Literature. She is a cultural activist and performer with Ananya Dance Theatre; a space where her work in art + social justice is continuously explored and nurtured. Lamia Abukhadra and Leila collaborate on performance installation work that speaks to Palestinian identity. Leila is a co-creator of the local dance trio Kelvin Wailey.
Leila’s work has been presented at the RAWI Arab Literature Conference, Kennedy Center (Washington DC), BIPOD Festival (Lebanon), Prospect Park community garden, and TPT Studios (St. Paul). She received a SAGE Award for film (2016) and the Jerome Travel grant (2018) to travel to Palestine and research Arabic folk dance, embodied calligraphy, and restricted movement of bodies under occupation.
The 20/20 Artist Fellowship is supported in part by contributions from the Bush Foundation and the Surdna Foundation. The fellowship is a new part of Springboard's Artist Resource programs, which are supported by the Jerome Foundation*.
*Jerome funds are restricted to early career, generative artists, who are not students enrolled in a degree program and who demonstrate strong artistic merit.