Director and artist Steven J. Yazzie (Diné/Laguna Pueblo/Anglo) and renowned dancer Jock Soto (Navajo/Puerto Rican) discuss their short film: Following Enchantment’s Line. The film draws inspiration from the lines, shadows, and light seen across the northern New Mexico landscape which has influenced many artists throughout time. Premiers June 24, 2021, during an online event which will include an artist panel discussion.
Jock Soto is Navajo and Puerto Rican, born in Gallup, New Mexico. At the age of five, he began studying ballet and continued his studies at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet. While at the School, Mr. Soto danced the role of "Luke" in Peter Martins' The Magic Flute in 1981. That same year, Georges Balanchine invited him to become a member of the Company's corps de ballet. In 1984 he was promoted to the rank of soloist, and one year later, he was elevated to principal dancer. Mr. Soto's extensive repertory includes featured roles in many of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Peter Martins. Mr. Soto appeared as a guest artist with the Kirov Ballet and at the Bolshoi Theatre with stars from New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre in 2003. Mr. Soto's television appearances with New York City Ballet include PBS’s five Live from Lincoln Center. The Guggenheim Museum's Works in Process series on PBS. He has appeared on seven episodes of Sesame Street. In addition to his performing career, Mr. Soto served as a member of SAB's permanent faculty from 1996 to 2015 and teaches at numerous dance departments around the country. During the 2017 New Mexico State legislative session, Mr. Soto received the State’s Certificate of Appreciation from Senator John Pinto for his contribution to the arts. Water Flowing Together, a feature documentary on Mr. Soto was aired on PBS in 2006. Our Meals, Making a Home for Family and Friends, written by Mr. Soto and Heather Watts, was published by Penguin Publishing in 1998. Every Step You Take, Mr. Soto’s critically acclaimed memoir, was published by Harper Collins in 2011.
Steven J. Yazzie is a multidisciplinary artist working in video, painting, and installation environments. He residencies include the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine, and the Santa Fe Art Institute. He is the co-founder of Digital Preserve LLC, a video production company that produces stories and content that highlight indigenous issues. Numerous solo and survey exhibitions, Yazzie has shown his work in a long list of national and international institutions, most notably at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada; Crystal Bridges, and the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, NM. To name a few. Last year alone he was featured in the following exhibitions, Laughter and Resilience: Humor in Native American Art, at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, the New Mexico Museum of Art: The Great Unknown, Art for New Understanding: Native Voices, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and Tucson Museum of Art: The Western Sublime. Steve has won several prestigious art awards in his career including most recently, the Eiteljorg Museum’s Contemporary Art Fellowship, Creative Capital and the Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant.