Dancing Around White Fragility: El Vez 4 Prez in the Time of Trump

Authors

  • Karen Jean Martinson Chicago State University

Abstract

This article initially analyzes the 2016 political landscape to pinpoint the forces that fueled Donald J. Trump’s campaign and election. Turning to artist Robert Lopez’s performance as El Vez at San Diego’s Taco Fest, I discuss how his performance conjoins Chicanidad with popular entertainment, using humour, spectacle, and music to forestall the defensive moves of white fragility, allowing him to speak across divisive lines. Lopez-as-El-Vez deftly sidesteps defensive reactions as he asserts uncomfortable racial truths. By grounding this show in the shared culture of popular entertainment, he uses performance to make a pointed political, cultural, and racialized intervention. In performance, El Vez not only outmaneuvers white fragility, but also constructs a contact-zone audiotopia that allows for the practice of a fun, messy, raucous collectivity. His performances lay bare the structures of racism as they simultaneously envision a more equitable future, accessible through El Vez himself. Karen Jean Martinson is an Assistant Professor in the Communications, Media Arts and Theatre programme. She also works professionally as a dramaturg and director.

Author Biography

Karen Jean Martinson, Chicago State University

Karen Jean Martinson is an Assistant Professor in the program of Communications, Media Arts, and Theatre at Chicago State University. In her scholarly and creative work, she explores the intersection of contemporary USAmerican performance, consumer culture, neoliberalism, and the processes of identification, interrogating issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Her work on El Vez, The Mexican Elvis/Robert Lopez was published in the Palgrave anthology Performing Objects and Theatrical Things. Articles and reviews focusing on devised work appear in Theatre Topics, Theatre Journal, Cultural Studies ó Critical Methodologies, and Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal. She also works professionally as a dramaturg and director. She has served the Dramaturgy Focus Group of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) for many years, and currently serves as the Secretary of the organization. She is also active in several other organizations, including ASTR, MATC, LMDA, and ATDS. 

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Published

2017-09-25

How to Cite

Martinson, K. J. (2017). Dancing Around White Fragility: El Vez 4 Prez in the Time of Trump. Popular Entertainment Studies, 8(2), 6–19. Retrieved from https://novaojs.newcastle.edu.au/kulumun/index.php/pes/article/view/205

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2017)

Section

Articles

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