Sept 2026: A reflection on Rogelio Lopez and Dancers’ Entre Mucho Machismo Hay Pocos Machos

That Skirt : A Reflection on Rogelio Lopez and Dancers’ Entre Mucho Machismo Hay Pocos Machos
Dance Mission Theater, Sept 18-20, 2026
by Melissa Hudson Bell

9/24/26

This morning I saw a post on IG talking about a study conducted on the brain activity of audience members watching a contemporary dance performance. The claim (the study was not cited so I cannot verify this research) was that the audience members’ brain activity started to align as they watched the dance unfold. In other words, the dancer/audience connection that many a performer and dance scholar have written about is not mere metaphor, but rather a physiological entrainment that occurs, the post asserted, most strongly when folks gather in the room together to witness a well-executed performance.

This neurological tuning is related to affective alignment, or the ways we emotionally, physiologically, and psychologically shift in relationship to others. It is something I researched and wrote about as a graduate student and have chased much of my professional life. I am deeply interested in performance practices that engage the audience and, in particular, in dances that “move” people. You know, the ones that make you feel something. Sometimes they make a laugh gurgle up out of you unexpectedly. Sometimes they make your heart ache a little. Some are so exquisite you find yourself holding your breath, perched on the edge of your seat. These are, I imagine, the same moments alluded to in this study. They are the moments, I’d guess, when the literal vibe in the room offers a literal chance to attune.

This is quite a bit of preamble before I say that I had the pleasure, last weekend, of being moved by Rogelio Lopez and Dancers’ latest full-length offering Entre Mucho Machismo Hay Pocos Machos at Dance Mission Theater. The work is a polished, engaging, hour-long romp presenting complicated and expansive expressions of queer Mexican masculinity. The dance was inspired by Lopez’s personal history of training in and falling in love with folklorico dance, despite it being a space where normative masculinity is performed and policed. He brings the full force of his talent to the work, not only as choreographer and principal dancer, but also as costume and lighting designer and film maker.

The work takes the viewer on a journey that winds through scenes of queer romance, coquettish courtship and lustful merging, glorious assertions of queer habitude in contrast to the aforementioned confines of normative masculinity, and ultimately, into a resplendent display of integrated, embodied freedom. Cleverly blending telenovela level characterization and drama into a ballet-like unfolding of lyrical, narrative-oriented dance, Lopez and his four dancers lead viewers through a story of self-actualization. The climax of this self-actualization is dramatized in a gorgeous final solo skirt dance performed by Lopez, who is encouraged by a Tinkerbell-like filmed and projected version of himself to step into his power. Ultimately, he is joined by the company of dancers who have played a vast array of characters, now all wearing rainbow ribboned folklorico skirts. It’s a dance of defiance, of celebration, and of communion, integrating personal and cultural histories with flourish.

I was struck by how the work affected me. It’s not my story, nor directly my struggle (though, I’d argue we should all be actively in the struggle for the freedom of all beings). I felt a physical lightening in my countenance – a lightness of being, if you will – while watching Lopez step forward, skirt in hands, to perform the role that the traditional form does not, at least historically, allow. Is this an indication of my brain waves being attuned to his? To others’? Maybe. Whatever it is physiologically that happens, I’m here for it.

When I reflect back on the how and why this moment moved me, there are a few things that come to mind, each connecting like puzzle pieces to create a comprehensive whole. I’ll name just a few, as I reckon that each viewer’s puzzle might fit together differently.

Firstly, craftsmanship – Lopez obviously gave thought to each and every detail of the evening. From an initial voiceover calling for his fellow queer folks and Mexican-American familia to stay strong in light of the horrors imparted by the current administration, to the final resting tableau of the company in straw hats and rainbow-ribboned folklorico skirts, the piece felt comprehensive, thoughtful, and well-rehearsed.

Secondly, the universe contained multitudes – stories of gender identity can sometimes reinforce binary thinking even as they renounce it. Not so here. There were so very many nuanced expressions of gender embedded in the dances. The dancing utilized shifts in comportment, dress, and focused energy to reveal the breadth of possible ways to inhabit manhood, and to address and redress masculine tropes. A type of embodied code-switching was undertaken by the full-company as they played different characters in different situations (beer guzzling bros, coquettish “bitches,” earnest lovers, ancestral guides, burlesque queens, and more, oh my). The dancers were all skilled movers, the editing and timing of scenes was impeccable, the unfolding portrayals of Lopez’ world of players layered and unexpected.

Thirdly, unabashedly queer – this was not a show where queerness was in question. The queerness of the characters took center stage and the rest of the narrative existed in response, rather than vice versa. Centralizing queerness meant we got to peek behind the curtain of a fresh infatuation during a solo set to “I Feel Pretty,” swoon at the romantic embraces and kisses of lovers enjoying time together, and experience the playful and at times aggressive gestures of licking, sucking, humping, crotch grabbing, and ass-slapping that are elsewhere alluded to but often kept from view. There was productive tension in the characters’ encounters that was complicated but not muddled. It was bold and unwavering.

Finally, that skirt – in the uplifting moment I mentioned, where we get to see our protagonist integrate various versions of himself, Lopez is wearing and waving the folklorico skirt he has designed. The movement of the skirt is mesmerizing, creating a water-like ripple in the air surrounding him. It takes effort but looks effortless. It amplifies the movement, dramatically calls forth the traditions of hundreds of years of folklorico dances and dancers while also being of the moment, personal. Lopez appears exalted. Completely at home in the movement. Fully himself.

If you get a chance to see the show in the future, seize it. I’m eager to see what the company churns out next.