Premiered at Coaxial Arts Foundation in 2021. Made possible by a generous grant from the Mike Kelley Foundation. Bespoke costumes designed and constructed by Jac de Vaca for all performers using secondhand, pre-existing, and deadstock material, accounting for all fabric waste within the project.

The 5th World, a Southwest Indigenous American belief referring to the rebirth of a better planet as the fifth iteration, traverses a breadth of human emotions, societal restrictions, and deep subconscious yearnings as corporeal expressions. The piece follows the root structure of ancient African cypher practices while also honoring worldwide indigenous traditions of sharing prayers, testaments, and stories in circles. The 5th World is also deeply influenced by House and Hip Hop street dance culture, incorporating classic cypher games and social dance practices.

Sung through an eclectic soundtrack pulling from the artist’s personal taste and vinyl collection, The 5th World unearths the freedom of bliss that remains an underlying current in life, unveiling harmonious surroundings and a true feeling of belonging and purpose. In the artist’s view, tomorrow’s eyes are wide open today.

Photos captured during a tech run through before the premiere on 24 September 2021. Jac de Vaca, Koren Porras and Aziza Barnes pictured. Images by Noah Hoffman

Listen to the canvas mix pulled from her collection of vinyl below. Tracklist available.

Created in October 2020 under the stay-at-home order issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Butoh has added dimension and shadow exploration to Jac’s style, and she find profound inspiration behind the philosophies and perspectives of the practice. Solo performance piece.

Made in collaboration with Intel Studio’s 360° volumetric capture stage and the Sundance New Frontiers program, Wajatta (Reggie Watts x John Tejada) along with choreographers Amy O’Neal and Ani Taj fused to reconfigure an interactive VR experience inside a music video directed by Kiira Benzing. This video segment talks about inspiration straight from the creators, sheds further insight into the program at Sundance Institute where the piece premiered, as well as some of the world-creating technology using Unity. Runnin’ also took home Best Interactive at SXSW 2019.

Amy O’Neal and Ani Taj’s signature immersive club dance performance piece featuring an eclectic cast of dancers and performance by Wajatta. The multidisciplinary work included choreographed and improvised movement, spoken word, rap, electronic music performance, and most importantly: audience activation.