Resident artist Crystal Penalosa discusses her upcoming performance and the importance of breath.
On January 26, 2021, as part of her Roulette residency, interdisciplinary artist Crystal Penalosa presents Breath Cycles. This evening-length durational performance will engage audience members from the safety of their homes to participate in a mindfulness practice called breathwork. This practice can be helpful in lowering blood pressure, tension and physical pain, as well as provide psychological benefits such as dealing with anxiety, stress, and trauma.
Penalosa notes that this performance serves as “a way to take a collective deep breath. To take a moment to get in touch with something that is so essential—something that keeps us alive.”
The basic right to breathe has been under threat in the U.S through ongoing police brutality and the current public health crisis. This performance invites the audience to consider or build upon their own relationship to their breath, as well as provide a reflective space through music and text. Audience members viewing from home will be guided through the simple practice of breathing with intention.
Crystal Penalosa (she/they) is an artist and interdisciplinary designer based in New York. Their work focuses on self-compassion practices while engaging with authenticity and personal safety. She has performed collaboratively and presented solo works in New York at The New School, MoMA PS1, Roulette, Issue Project Room, SPEKTRUM in Berlin, and at the Golden Pudel in Hamburg. She currently works with the veteran underground record label Generations Unlimited, Voluminous Arts record label, and with the New Jersey Governor’s Office of Innovation.