Nathanael Santiago

Dancer

Artist statement

“Quarentena is a black and white art film seeking to examine the chronophophia of COVID-19 quarantine in all its forms. The etymology word “quarantine” is Quarentena, meaning "forty days", in the Venetian language and used in the 14th– 15th centuries. The choreographic improvisation in the art film is used as a visceral tool to construct and project the universal and age-old feeling of despair entwined with hope. The minimalist music by the Philip Glass Ensemble [USA] and Michael Riesman [USA], “In the Upper Room: Dance IX,” provides a neurological effect of change and continuity to the piece. Quarentena has elements of surrealism, modernism, minimalism in what is, at its core, a raw photographic exploration of gender roles and immasculation inherent Bio in the concept of a quarantine. Applying artistic inspiration from Helena Almeida [Portugal], Yves Klein [France], Louise Bourgeois [France,USA] , and Claude Cahun [France], it takes inspiration from an international tradition of self- portraiture.”

How does Art Save You?

“I think that as an artist we can not keep anything to ourselves and we have to share and spread to the world our gifts, specially in days like this. Art is primitive and art is very important to the society to reconsider that all art form can save us through all this pandemic. Art is a guaranty of sanity taken from the words of Louise Bourgeois. Henri Matisse said that “creativity takes courage.” I would like to thanks to Art Saves Me for giving me the wonderful opportunity to express my voice during COVID-19 and allow me and other artists to expand our creativity. Projecting art is what really saves me and makes me feel alive.”

Nathanael Santiago

Meet the Artist, Nathanael Santiago

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the age of 10, began his ballet studies at Ballets de San Juan. Later, in 2006 he received a scholarship to study at the Orlando Ballet School Summer Intensive, where he had the opportunity to train with Peter Stark. In 2008, he obtained another scholarship to attend Miami City Ballet School, where he trained with Edward Villella. From 2009 to 2012, he danced professionally as a Corp Member with Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, allowing him to dance an extensive classical and neoclassical repertoire.

In 2013 joined Andanza Contemporary Dance Company until 2016, were he danced a vast contemporary repertoire, from choreographers of Puerto Rico, Spain and Brazil. In 2015, he received training from Emio Greco, director of the Ballet National de Marseille, and he was invited to dance at the Edanco Contemporary Dance Festival in Santo Domingo.

In 2016 until 2018, he joined Cleveland’s Verb Ballets Company in Ohio where he had the opportunity to represent the company at the NEXT Martha Graham Project in New York City and as well toured internationally in Taipei, Taiwan dancing with the BodyEDT Dance Company and at La Habana, Cuba with the Laura Alonso’s Pro-Danza Company. Latest he performed with Visceral Dance Chicago in the Summer Dance Celebration 2018 at Millennium Park and he worked as a Guest Artist with the renowned Ballet Memphis under the direction of Dorothy Gunther Pugh and Steven McMahon from fall 2018 until spring 2019. His currently dancing for Spectrum Dance Theatre in Seattle, Washington under the direction of Donald Byrd. He have a BA in Modern Languages from the University of Puerto Rico and the University of Coimbra, Portugal.