HeadRush Throws Down A Political Gauntlet

Justin Hughes, Jan 24, 2008

Bay Area group Headrush combines Chicano culture, hip-hop, progressive politics and spoken-word poetry to create an explosive live experience.

Comprised of three Oakland-based educators and extremely versatile performers, Rosa Esperanza González, Simón Adinia Hanukai, and Luis “Xago” Juarez, Headrush strives to challenge assumptions and present complex issues in a way that is “relevant and accessible.”

 “We have seen our performances generate a lot of energy and inspiration,” said Juarez, whose preferred form of expression is theater.

“Teatro / performance art can help reveal the humanity behind the complicated clutter of our society and world,” added Hanukai. “It taps into a powerful potential within the artist and the audience and feeling that energy exchange can motivate real action.”

The Throwdown

 Headrush recently gave a series of performances of their epic performance art piece The Throwdown that packed Galeria de la Raza on 24th Street. This extremely clever and precisely choreographed “rush of psycho-politico satire and popular education” was over four years in the making.

 In The Throwdown, Headrush illuminates the close correlation between American militarism and consumerism. This is symbolized in the marriage of two eccentric main characters, the high-strung and aggressive Federal Chop-Shop and the superficially seductive Madame Capital.

 “I turn consciousness into contradictions,” sneered the bestial Madame Capital in The Throwdown. “Not one thing is sacred in my ever-growing empire of influence. I make you believe freedom is fifty kinds of laundry soap and democracy is the free flow of cell phones!”

 The American military’s protection of capitalist interests is a pattern that has occurred for generations, explained the members of Headrush. The dual nature of these powerful cultural forces inspired them to create the characters Chop-Shop and Capital, “these clownish mutations audiences could easily recognize as enemies of humanity,” said González.

 Darkly humorous, The Throwdown approaches concepts of imperialism and terrorism from a sharply critical perspective to expose the irony beneath common assumptions.

 “In this time of hysteria around ‘terrorism’ we wanted to flip that script and show who’s really wreaking terror on the planet,” said Hanukai.

 The group performs widely in San Francisco and Oakland, but has ambitions that reach far beyond the Bay Area. Headrush intends to embarkon a nationwide tour for The Throwdown leading up to the 2008 elections, “hitting up as many places as possible” including schools, reservations, and small towns across the country.

 “We are taking this show on the road,” declared Juarez. “Why? Because this is what participation looks like to us: creative, outspoken expression and dialogue on the need for a real participatory democracy.”

 No matter how people outside of the Bay Area react to The Throwdown, Headrush hopes that it will challenge people to question their assumptions and think more critically about the world.

 “We’re hoping that whether people like it or not, it sparks a much needed dialogue on how people perceive our current political climate and how people envision a democracy that is truly for the people and by the people,” said Hanukai.  

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