Victoria Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz was born eighth of ten children in Lima, Peru. Her younger brother Nicomedes Santa Cruz became a famous poet who she often performed with. At an early age, Victoria Santa Cruz was introduced to the fine arts, having come from a household full of black artists and musicians. One of her earliest influences were her parents whom she first learned about Afro-Peruvian dance (marinera and other criollo dances) as well as poetry and music. This early on exposure to the fine arts led Victoria Santa Cruz to create and participate in musicals like Malató, which would later on embody one of her lifelong goals of "self-discovery and recuperation of culture based on internal rhythm and what she called ancestral memory." Through this goal, Victoria sought to "awaken black consciousness and pride" in the Afro-Peruvian culture. In this scene, she describes how her friends rejected her because of her African features. At the age of five when she was with her group of friends, a new blonde and white girl in her neighborhood told them: “If the black girl wants to play with us, I’ll go”. She makes a direct reference to this in her famous poem, Me gritaron negra. Out of this experience, the artist begins her long-lived exploration of self and recuperation. In this same interview, the artist demonstrates some of the internal dialogue that prompts her desire for self-discovery from a very young age, asking "What am I doing? What is to be black? What is to be white?" In addition to this, Santa Cruz was quoted as saying "obstacles play an important role" in regards to the racism she experienced in her lifetime. == Career ==

Santa Cruz founded Cumanana, a theater company, Nicomedes in 1958 and co-managed it until 1961. which were group performances led by Cruz and other prominent Afro-Peruvian dancers that played a role in reclaiming lost heritages. Traditional, cultural, music played in the background as the dancers performed their pieces individually and as a group. The importance of these performances highlights the "recovery, creation, and recreation" of dying rhythms such as "the zamacueca, the landau and the alcatraz". Her artistic career as a performer, choreographer, and composer took her to new heights like being televised on Peruvian Television and being visited on her international tours. But the biggest international milestone was perhaps the group's performance at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. She continued touring with the group through big nations like the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. and her position as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University (1982-1999). == Education ==

Victoria Santa Cruz first attended the Université du Théâtre des Nations École Supérieur des Études Chorégraphiques at the age of 42 (1961-1965), where she studied theater and choreography "with such distinguished professors as the actor Jean-Louis Barrault, the playwright Eugène Ionesco, and the choreographer Maurice Béjart." == Artworks and performances ==

Malato (1961) - Musical/Play Malato is a three act musical which showcased the relationship between the enslaved and their oppressor that was removed from the Peruvian history of slavery. The play was written, choreographed, and staged by Santa Cruz. Cumanana (1970) - song Cumanana (Kumanana) [1970] is the name of one of her more prominent songs because it evokes her past in the band with her brother Nicomedes. The term, as described by Victoria Santa Cruz, means "mix of Spanish and black things," which makes reference to her identity. Me gritaron negra (1978) - poem/spoken word She is known for her visual, lyrical poem Me gritaron negra (They Shouted Black At Me), show cased in the exhibition Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960-1985 and at the Brooklyn Museum. '''Pa' Goza Con el Ritmo del Tambo (2014) - song''' Pa' Goza Con el Ritmo del Tambo is another rhythmic, cultural song by the artist that highlights the pride of being Afro-Peruvian while showing appreciation towards el Tambo. This song is from her album Somos de Ébano y No de Marfíl published in 2014. Las Lavanderas (2015) - song Las Lavanderas is rhythmic and cultural song from her album Victoria Santa Cruz y Gente Morena released in 2015 as part of a collective. This song reveals some of the social commentaries around Afro-Peruvians that Victoria recognizes as struggles for many Afro-Latinos. In the song, dialogue includes an exchange between two individuals pointing out the neighborhood's Afro-Peruvian woman, calling her “Negra sucia” and “Negra idiota” which translates into dirty and idiot. La Buñolera (2016) - song La Buñolera is another example of the artist's taken pride for her identity as an Afro-Peruvian woman. This song is specifically geared towards "Afro Peruvanas," Afro-Peruvian women == Exhibitions ==

• Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960-1985 • Brooklyn Museum: Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960-1985 • Primer Festival y Seminario Latinoamericano de Televisión in 1970 • Cali Festival, 1971 == Collections ==

Many of the artist's pieces were original or remade songs that now live as collections in CD's or online-accessible music. Access to her musical collections can be streamed through major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. Her collections include: - Poemas y Pregones Afro Peruanos (released) April 2, 2013) and includes her famous poem Me Gritaron Negra. - Con Victoria Santa Cruz y Gente Morena (released October 2, 2015), includes her song Las Lavanderas. - Victoria Santa Cruz: Orgullosa Afro Peruana (released May 11, 2016) and includes her biggest hits like Cumanana, La Buñolera, and Pa' Goza Con el Ritmo del Tambo. == Awards and honors ==

• She received a scholarship by the French government and traveled to Paris to study choreography. Here, she succeeded as the creator and designer of the wardrobe for the play El Retablo de Don Cristóbal by Federico García Lorca. • Best Folklorist, 1970 • Appointed Director of the National Folklore Ensemble of the National Institute of Culture in 1973 == Death ==

In her last interview, Victoria Santa Cruz responds to the question "what has racism taught you?" by stating "in a little while, I will leave this life... and I want to leave in peace, with my conscience clean, and we'll see what happens here. But everything is weakened, dislocated in the entire world. And everyone is losing because really, this is not how you fight." She died on August 30, 2014, in Lima, Peru. == References ==