Futurity Script | Mariana Valencia
Star Baby roller skates near the windows that overlook
the Hudson River in the Whitney Museum Lobby.
The Greek etymology of fantasy is, to make visible.
As soon as I learned to walk, I put these skates on and they never came off. The skates never came off because as soon as I put them on, I discovered something. The skates helped me discover that traveling through space and time at a faster speed makes me catch Star signals ─ especially when I’ m near water. These signals are from the Star people.
When people are forced into invisibility it’ s important to say that they are here.
They are here, and they are here, and they are here.
The Greek etymology of fantasy is, to make visible.
She enters the rectangle of audience members who sit in chairs.
And you are here, you are here, you are here, you are here, you are here, you are here.
A tarot reader once told me that I have to let the architecture guide me.
I often make lists of things I might never do.
I’ ve made a list of courses I might teach if I ever become a professor.
If and when I become a professor,
My 100 COURSE is Choreographic Strategies
My 200 COURSE is Writing as Choreographic Company
My 300 COURSE is Praxis: Choreographic Futurity
She skates to a piece of writing that’ s on the floor and reads it out loud.
Cities can make people invisible.
By the 1960s, across the United States, The Relocation Program had moved thousands of Indigenous people into cities. The Relocation Program offered government subsidies and with these subsidies, Indigenous people were expected to assimilate through skill training and by obtaining jobs. Their children attended segregated schools and that damaged any understanding of their Indigenous heritage and history. Through a maze of urban struggles, the Relocation Program was an apparatus that dismantled Indigenous identity.
The American Indian Movement is founded in Minneapolis in 1968. Led by women, the American Indian Movement attempts to bring sovereignty back into Indigenous communities. Madonna Thunderhawk, a leader in the movement says, “Indigenous people have matriarchs, Warrior Women. This land is built on the bones of our people.” Cities can make people invisible. They are here, they are here, they are here.
She skates.
I had a best friend once, her name was Keely.
Keely and I did everything together.
We helped each other memorize our times tables,
We watched programs on television,
We sang and danced together.
Keely and I both agreed that Brown eyes could be the Bluest.
Keely skated with me.
We did so much of everything together that Keely even went on family vacations with us.
Now, imagine that the river out there is the frozen shore of Lake Michigan.
Imagine we’re in Chicago and imagine that it’s winter.
Keely and I fell into the frozen lake once.
As it went, we were on a family vacation in Chicago and we were playing on the shore’s
ice.
I fell in first and she tried pulling me out but then the ice beneath Keely broke so then she
fell in.
At first it was shocking but then our snowsuits started filling with ice water and they
started
getting heavier and more difficult to manage ─ we felt pins and needles ─ as if our entire
11-year-old bodies were being tattooed.
Somehow, like baby polar bears, we pulled each other out.
She whispers.
“Keely I’m so sorry”
“Star Baby I’m sorry”
“Keely I’m so sorry”
“Star Baby I’m sorry”
“Keely I’m so sorry”
“Star Baby I’m sorry”
“Keely I’m so sorry”
“Star Baby I’m sorry”
When I tell this story to Midwesterners, they often have similar stories to mine.
Realizing that helps us all feel like it may have just been a life experience, and not so much
a near death one.
Uncle Carl
When Uncle Carl first met me he said:
“Baby, why are you at the water?”
“Because this is where I can hear you…I hate to brag but…I’m also an Aquarian.”
“I’m going to call you Star Baby, look at those feet! You were meant to catch the wind!”
Uncle Carl was a writer but he made his money as a cab driver.
He lived a cash lifestyle, cash was easier to manage back then.
From the 60s until well into his life, Uncle Carl kept all of his money in a coffee can in the
freezer. He’d say: “If the government won’t grant me my civil rights, then why should I
trust them with my money?”
Repetition Fantasy Memory
Catch a signal,
Embolden the core.
Use the source of the sun for light.
Uncle Carl was a writer but he made his money as a cab driver.
He lived a cash lifestyle, cash was easier to manage back then.
From the 60s until well into his life, Uncle Carl kept all of his money in a coffee can in the
freezer. He’d say: “If the government won’t grant me my civil rights, then why should I
trust them with my money?”
During the 60s, Uncle Carl lived in a handful of apartments scattered along the West Side –
between Christopher St. and 14th. He liked living near the water. He organized for Gay and
Lesbian rights. Uncle Carl refused to stay invisible. In the late 60s, Uncle Carl joined the
West Side Discussion Group. The West Side Discussion Group ended up finding a
permanent
home not too far from the museum here on 14th St. It’s the same building where
Merce Cunningham had his first dance studio. The West Side Discussion Group’s
weekly discussions covered a wide range of issues, including ways to meet people, the
question of monogamy, and gay humor.
“Uncle Carl what’s Gay Humor?”
“Gay Humor Star Baby, is finding fantastic joys within our ruptures. Like this: The
young look beautiful when they’re asleep. The old, such as myself, just look dead.”
Gay Humor.
The West Side Discussion Group had a unique escort service for Lesbians and Gays where
they would match you with a person of the opposite sex to be your escort – a service
specifi cally made for tricky work events, when queers had to remain closeted. Uncle
Carl was matched with Marla. Marla worked in publishing and Uncle Carl was a
writer – a great match. As it went, Marla and Uncle Carl got to talking and after fi nding
out some general details about each other they found out they were both into astrology.
I mean, they shared a true love for all things astrological. They were also both Aquarians!
Not only that but Marla’ s rising sign was Virgo and her moon sign was Leo – Uncle Carl’ s
rising sign was Leo and his moon sign was Virgo!
She sings “The Age of Aquarius” between the following sections.
And love will steer the stars.
Uncle Carl and Marla called each other Stars. It was a private nomenclature that they used
for themselves and all queers. It was important for Uncle Carl and Marla to give themselves
the role of Stars. You see, the way they saw it is: the stars are always out – You
just have to be able to see them, in the right light, in the right way and in constellation
with each other.
She skates to a piece of writing that’s on the floor and reads it out loud.
STAR is also an acronym.
In New York City, in 1970, two trans women, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson,
founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, STAR. Through STAR, Sylvia
and Marsha housed queer youth who were unhoused or lived on the piers. Sylvia and
Marsha were the mothers of the house and they funded the operation largely through
sex work. Queers create kinships families for survival – these are networks that create constellations of care.
When people are forced into invisibility it’ s important to say that they are here.
Sylvia is here Marsha is here the queer youth from the piers are here.
And they are here, and they are here, and they are here.
She skates.
Keely and I had a second water experience.
Four years after falling into frozen Lake Michigan, we almost drowned in the Pacifi c
Ocean.
As it went, were on a family vacation, in Guatemala.
And Keely and I were playing in the water and we got caught in some riptide.
We didn’ t know how to ride ocean waves.
Keely was rescued fi rst, then I was rescued second by the same person.
After we were rescued we coughed up snot, salt water and black sand for some minutes.
When we calmed down, the man who rescued us asked for cash to compensate for his good deed.
“ Señor, pero que descarado, como se le ocurre pedirnos dinero?! Muchas gracias pero
déjenos en paz… Sinvergüenza! Come on Keely, let’ s go!”
Right after – we encountered a couple of beers and drank them to take the edge off…
She speaks in a “drunken” voice.
“ Keely I’ m so sorry”
“ Star Baby I’ m sorry”
“ Keely I’ m so sorry”
“ Star Baby I’ m sorry”
“ Keely I’ m so sorry”
“ Star Baby I’ m sorry”
“ Keely I’ m so sorry”
When I tell this story to other Guatemalans they often say,
“ That exact thing happened to me!”
“ NO way! You’ re saying that you almost drown with your best friend and a man saved
you and asked for money and you called him a sinvergüenza and then got drunk?”
“ Yes, exactly…”
Realizing that helps us all feel like it may have just been a life experience, and not so much
a near death one.
Marla
In the 60s, Marla joined the Daughters of Bilitis, a Lesbian organization that worked to
protect and make visible the lives and rights of Lesbians. The Daughters of Bilitis met
behind closed doors, in private homes – protected from the bar raids that threatened Lesbians and all Queers.
At the meetings, they danced together and held each other safely.
Marla worked in publishing and she loved music.
Marla taught me how to sing and she taught me how to listen.
“ Star Baby, when you catch the wind – remember to listen for Star signals, so that you
can keep our stories.”
Marla sang just to know she was alive she danced just to know she had survived.
Repetition Fantasy Memory
Catch a signal,
Embolden the core.
Use the source of the sun for light.
Marla worked in publishing and she loved music.
Marla taught me how to sing and she taught me how to listen.
“ Star Baby, when you catch the wind – remember to listen for Star signals, so that you
can keep our stories.”
Marla sang just to know she was alive she danced just to know she had survived.
“ Uncle Carl, what’ s GAY HUMOR?”
“ Gay Humor, Star Baby is finding fantastic joys within our ruptures. Like a really good
Jeopardy question”
“ Ok… The Arts for 500 please…”
“ The Arts for 500… Ok… here’ s one…‘To Remain on the Fringes Until Death’”
“‘To Remain on the Fringes Until Death…’, ‘ What is, A CHOREOGRAPHER!’”
“ Ha-Ha! That’ s right Star Baby. A choreographer remains on the fringes until death.
Gay Humor is fi nding fantastic joys within our ruptures.”
Gay Humor
Time doesn’ t work in hard decades but examining history in decade-time brings order to our chaos. Whatever happened in the 50s affected the 60s and whatever happened in the 60s affected the 70s. In the 60s, people believed that the revolution was about to materialize. Revolutions amass the past and the future. Revolutions are ruptures that propose a movement toward change. Futurity forecasts Revolution. From the 50s to the 70s, the FBI created the Counterintelligence Program. COINTELPRO. COINTELPRO disrupted any organization that was considered a threat to the United States’ political stability.
COINTELPRO disrupted:
The Communist Party
Anti-Vietnam War Organizers
The Civil Rights Movement
The Black Power Movement
The Nation of Islam
The Black Panther Party
Environmentalists
Animal Rights Organizations
Feminist Organizations
The American Indian Movement
The Young Lords
The disruption of political fear domestically was one thing, but the United States also disrupted other governments during this time. The following governments were overthrown by the CIA because of political fear:
The Chilean Government in 1973
The Brazilian Government in 1964
The South Vietnamese Government in 1963
The Government of the Dominican Republic in 1961
The Congolese Government in 1960
The Iranian Government in 1953
The Guatemalan Government in 1954
After the Guatemalan president was ousted by the CIA in 1954, political unrest surged in
Guatemala. From 1962– 1996, Civil War torments the Guatemalan people.
Guatemalans begin to migrate into the United States in search for peace.
One of these people is Marina, my grandmother.
Marina leaves her children behind and crosses into the United States in 1969.
Marina doesn’ t know this then, but the war will cause well over 200,000 deaths – Indigenous people will disproportionately die in the genocide.
Marina doesn’ t know this then, but the Guatemalan people will continue to cross the
border.
The people will be dehumanized and held at the border the women will be raped on the way
and their children will be taken away.
Safariland tear gas will be thrown at them.
Marina doesn’ t know then but I will tell this to you this here where a current trustee of this
Museum, owns the company that makes the Safariland tear gas…
This is Marina –
She points to her grandmother who sits in the audience.
A Queen of Many
A Queen of many arrives in New York City it’ s the seventies.
The Queen makes eye contact with strangers.
New York has a unique way of making eye contact feel like the deepest encounter.
The Queen knows Marsha, Rollerena and the Viking from 6th Avenue.
The Queen drinks alone at Julius.
A Queen of many arrives in New York City it’ s still the seventies.
A cousin has “fished her here.”
They both agree that New York is a safer place for her to live an OUT lifestyle –
New York has a beautiful way of making the Queen visible and invisible.
The Queen walks around playing the visible/invisible game.
A Queen of many arrives in New York City it’ s the late seventies
She doesn’ t know this now, but her lover will die of AIDS in 15 years.
She has 10 friends who will also die of AIDS in 15 years.
And those friends have 10 other friends who will die of AIDS in 15 years.
When it happens, she learns how to embody the memory of the lost.
She has lost them and she is lost without them.
A Queen of many arrives in New York City it’ s the late 80s
She walks along the water.
There’ s darkness and waiving walls of iron,
Rusting sounds painful.
Crashing sounds of glass
And no sign of people.
And no sign of people.
And no sign of people.
She skates by the windows.
And you were there, you were there, you were there, you were there, you were there…
She then exits.