DISCLAIMER: This document does not meet current format guidelines Graduate School at the The University of Texas at Austin. of the It has been published for informational use only. Copyright by Beliza Torres Narváez 2015 The Dissertation Committee for Beliza Torres Narváez certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Gordas: Fat Latinas Taking the Stage Committee: Deborah Paredez, Supervisor Omi Osun Joni L. Jones, Co-Supervisor Charlotte Canning Jossianna Arroyo-Martínez Paul Bonin-Rodriguez Gordas: Fat Latinas Taking the Stage by Beliza Torres Narváez, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2015 Dedication To my nephews Andrés, Sebastián, Lucas, and Daniel, a pesar del tiempo y la distancia, jamás menguará el amor de Titi Lali por ustedes. And to the memory of Jennylin Duany gracias por encontrarme. Acknowledgements Writing a dissertation is the last stage of a longer journey, but it can be a lonely and painful phase. Thankfully, there are a number of people who held my hand and helped me find my path along the way. My dear compadre Roén Salinas has walked by my side since day one. He offered his support in numerous ways, from buying me coffee, fixing my computer, letting me crash on his sofa, to lending me books, hearing me whine about my progress, giving me feedback, rescuing me when my car broke, fixing my grammar…¡Gracias, hermano! My dearest Monica Chadha has also offered her support in more ways than I can count, and was always ready with a bag whenever we needed to get away and get some fresh air, or drive for 9 hours to NoLa to do an interview as part of my research. Mi amiga Andreia Lisboa de Sousa came to my rescue when it seemed that finishing this project was an impossible task. She gave me the guidance I needed to get through, reminded me to dance when I was ready to collapse from defeat, and made me believe that I can do brujería de la buena to make time expand (and I did!). I have been lucky to have the most generous and supportive committee members: Deborah Paredez, my supervisor who is an amazing teacher and who inspired me to explore the world of the diva in theory and practice; Omi Osun Joni Jones, my co- supervisor, who has not only been a mentor all these years, but also a source of inspiration with her work as a scholar/practitioner/activist. She did not hesitate to step in during the final stages of my dissertation writing, and took a leadership role in helping v me cross the finish line. Omi, I am forever indebted to you, and I’m proud to walk in your boots. Committee member Jossianna Arroyo Martínez, from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, who I first met as a friend and fellow Puerto Rican, then as a teacher and later as her T.A., besides supporting and enriching my scholarly work, offered a home away from home on many Thanksgivings. ¡Gracias! I owe a big thank you to my other two committee members, who besides supporting my scholarship and offering professional advice, ensured I had the financial support I needed to complete my doctoral degree: Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, who watched and checked on me all these years (and put me in contact with Elizabeth Doud!); and Charlotte Canning, Program Head of the Performance as Public Practice (PPP) department, who epitomizes a teacher who is dedicated to the students. Also thanks to the Theatre and Dance Department, The School of Fine Arts, the Warfield Center for African and African American Studies, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, who provided me with financial support. This achievement would not have been possible without your assistance. It is imperative to thank the artists whose work is the focus of this dissertation: Virginia Grise, Irma Mayorga, Nancy Millán, Jennylin Duany and Elizabeth Doud. I would especially like to thank Grise, Millán and Doud for making time to meet with me, respond to my emails, and providing me with the videos and scripts of their work. I also have to thank Amy Thompson, who heard me at a party talking about my dissertation proposal, and introduced me to Cabaret Unkempt, which she had seen in Honduras! For this project, I also had the help and support of a number of people who gave me feedback on my writing and thought processes at different stages, right from the proposal to the vi conclusion. Christelle Le Faucheur, who worked at UT-Austin’s Sanger Writing Center, coached me out of my writer’s block, gave me what I call dissertation therapy, and celebrated my progress even if all I managed to do in a given week was to open a document or write a couple pages. A mis amigas Marcela Fuentes, Lindsey Mantoan, and Isel Rodríguez, and to PPP faculty member Laura Gutierrez who read the first drafts, for their generosity with their time and encouragement, ¡Mil gracias! Carrie Kaplan, M’bewe Escobar, Katlyn Wood and Chuyun Oh are friends, colleagues and members of past writing groups whose feedback, and support along the road were necessary and essential to help me move forward. Thanks to Sam Blake, who besides other support during our semester T.A.ing together, helped me recall the nuance and details of Fat: The Play when I was writing my conclusions. Thanks to my can-you-drop-everything-and- proofread-this-for-me team: my father Wency Torres Rivera and my friend-sister Katira Álvarez La Torre, who have offered this “service” since I started my Ph.D. Program. Also gracias to my last-stage proofreading team Migdalia Loyola, Yadilette Rivera Colón, and Jeca Rodríguez. Special thanks to my friend-sister Myrna Cuevas Santana, who stayed up with me the last week of writing, doing real time proofreading, and supporting me with her cyber presence and encouraging words. I also want to thank my friend, colleague and editor Nicole Gurgel, who was generous with her time, and made my sentences sound even better! The PPP program stands out for its collegiality among faculty and students, and I want to give a shout out to us (past and present PPPers) for that! When I started my Ph.D., I had the good fortune of having the most loving and supportive cohort-sisters: vii MA PPP alumni Lindsey Mantoan, Mary Katherine Stickel and Jill Inderstrodt. I missed having them around after they graduated, but luckily, they have remained present, and continued to be a source of inspiration and motivation. My other PPP sister Bukola Aluko-Kpotie has also has been an amazing friend, andprovided me with clarity and perspective when I had a blurry vision of where I was headed with my doctoral education. Cassidy Browning, Rudy Ramírez, Nikiko Masumuto, Claire Canavan, Claire Croft, Heather Barfield, Dotun Ayobade, and Scott Blackshire, it has been a pleasure sharing parts of this journey with you! Thanks for your support along the way! Special thanks to those who subbed my teaching lectures those lasts days, among them Spring Snyder, who I still have to meet in person. My most sincere gratitude to my fantastic ACC students, the ACC Drama Department chair (and PPP alumni!) Marcus McQuirtter, and to PPP faculty Andrew Carlson (I was his TA during my final semester in graduate school): I could not have completed my dissertation without your generosity and support towards my endeavor. I also have other communities past and present, close and afar, who have sustained me with their love and good energy. I have to thanks the good owners and baristas of Flightpath Coffehouse and Monkeys Nest Coffee (especially Ben and Eric!!!), for providing a working space, good coffee, tasty sweets and friendly faces! My Austin- Puerto Rican community (many of whom are not in Austin anymore) Enrique González Conti, Juan Carlos López, Lorna Torrado, Joel Maysonet, Bárbara Abadía Rexach, and Jason (Primo) Torres, life is better when you are around. My Austin friends Michelle Dahlenburg, Julie Nathanielsz and the Potter-Abreu sisters, Jennifer and Susan: spending viii time with you is a balm that has kept me sane! My longtime friends-sisters Mayda Grano De Oro (who photo shopped everything that was needed), Mariely López Santana, Sylmarie Quiñonez Sureda, Mary Iris Vargas have cheered me, checked on me, and sent their prayers and good energy to keep me going. Gracias to my media naranja teatral and friend-brother Heriberto Ramírez, who helped me theorize the practice and apply it to theory. Finally, I owe most gratitude to my familia TorresNarváez: my mother Judith Narváez Marrero who was my first performance and arts teacher, costume designer and who taught me about community building; my father Wency Torres Rivera who gave me the love for history and nurtured me to be a critical thinker; my sisters-friends, Mónica and Verónica, my first students who have become my teachers; my brother Iván, I miss you; my nephews Andrés, Sebastián, Lucas and Daniel, I love you de aquí hasta la luna; and Abuela Mary, mis tías y tíos (especialmente a Tío Toño a.k.a. Profesor Narváez, who offered constant encouragement and pride), primos y primas, who always wait for me at home, and receive me with love and joy!!! ¡Gracias! ix Gordas: Fat Latinas Taking the Stage Beliza Torres Narváez, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisor: Deborah Paredez Co-Supervisor: Omi Osun Joni L.