“Ramificando” [Branching Out] celebrates the El Yunque watershed through Branch Dance, an aesthetic-somatic practice with branches developed by Merián Soto in 2005. Directed by Soto, in collaboration with Marion Ramírez, this commission has a powerful intergenerational cast of dancers and performers from the Island and the diaspora. This event takes place on Sunday, June 14, 2026, at 3:00pm, at El Portal de El Yunque (El Yunque National Forest). It is free and open to the public; to participate, register HERE. See more information below.
Branch dances (dancing with branches) bring together awareness and action. They are based on a meditative practice that focuses on the detailed sequencing of movement through internal pathways and the exploration of gravity through the dynamic shifting of balance and alignment. Similar to the principles of branching and fractal geometry observed in trees, plants, rivers, watersheds, and human bodies, the practice arises spontaneously, seeking to optimize the flow of energy and following the principle of minimal action.
Merián Soto is a dance, improvisation, video, and film artist, and the creator of the aesthetic-somatic dance practices and methodologies Branch Dance and Modal Practice, which she taught at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she was a professor from 1999 to 2024. She is known for works that explore Puerto Rican history and culture, the legacy of colonialism, experiments with salsa, and the Branch Dance Series, which includes dozens of performances in stages, galleries, nature, video installations, and durational projects. Among her many awards are the New York Dance and Performance Award “BESSIE” (2000), the Greater Philadelphia Dance and Physical Theater Award “ROCKY” (2008), a Pew Fellowship in the Arts (2015), the United States Artists Doris Duke Fellowship in Dance (2019), and a Guggenheim Fellowship (2025).
Concept and Direction: Merián Soto (@meriansoto)
Associate Director: Marion Ramírez (@marionramirezcaracola)
Music: Mayte Olmedilla
Dance and Performance: Ángel Blanco, Javier Cardona, Jaime Maldonado, Marion Ramírez, Awilda Rodríguez Lora, Merián Soto
Costume Design: María de Azúa
To register, go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1n1Srp9869HrbXB09VYFBC9uQ51Pny__gbk8DdxGVbGA/viewform?edit_requested=true
For more information or reservations, visit Instagram @arteyunque or @theartwalkpr. Contact us: (787) 635-6006, info@theartwalkpr.com or laurariverayala@gmail.com
“Ramificando” [Branching Out] celebrates the El Yunque watershed through Branch Dance, an aesthetic-somatic practice with branches developed by Merián Soto in 2005. Directed by Soto, in collaboration with Marion Ramírez, this commission has a powerful intergenerational cast of dancers and performers from the Island and the diaspora. This event takes place on Sunday, June 14,
