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October 2024: Marco Esccer

Who is Marco Esccer in a sentence?

I am an interdisciplinary queer Mexican artist and Dance Movement Therapist with work rooted in migration, healing, and hope.

Tell us a bit about your work and practice.

My heart is interdisciplinary, a mix of mediums where metaphors thrive. Often, my creative process begins with an idea or writing, which then unfolds into movement. My work is deeply emotional. It tends to lean into nostalgic, more abstract storytelling that invites reflection. Through movement, I’ve found healing —every movement is a prayer that brings us closer to our core.

Philosophy and questioning drive my creativity— conversations are the fertile ground from which my art grows.

Lately, I’ve been focused on integrating my Latin roots into my work here in Vancouver, where embracing “Latinidad” can feel at odds with a culture that tends to shy away from physical connection. The themes of migration and hope, queerness and acceptance have shaped my recent work; and I’ve had the opportunities to keep extending my practice into becoming an emerging playwright.

How long have you been dancing?

I started ballet at 16, thanks to a scholarship that allowed me to practice daily for two years. Although art as a career wasn’t initially an option in my family, my sister and I eventually pursued our passion and broke the spell. By the time I was 18, I enrolled in the Bachelor’s program at the National Ballet & Contemporary School of Mexico City.

Though I was often told I had started too late to ever become a principal ballet dancer, I found liberation through a two-year certification in Research, Exploration, and Contemporary Artistic Production. It was there I discovered that art is evergreen and can emerge from every corner of life. The myth of dance being bound by age began to fade, and I realized that I wasn’t too late—my timing was just right.

In 2016, I studied Dance Movement Therapy, which gave me a new perspective on movement as a healing process, showing how movement and the psyche influence each other. Despite years of professional dance training, I realized I wasn’t fully “embodied,” as I had been suppressing emotions and damaging my self-image. This realization transformed my practice, leading me to focus on creating spaces where embodiment is embraced, prioritizing connection, growth, and healing over the pressure to perform.

How does dance fit into your life currently? Any upcoming projects?

I’m currently a freelance dance artist with projects on the go for STAND festival (Nov 2024), VLACC (May 2025), Liberated Planet Studio (2024/25), current conversations with Rice & Beans Theatre, among others. Vancouver has taught me to bring art to the community and I’m an embodiment facilitator at Roundhouse Community Centre alongside Luciana D’Anunciação, City of Port Coquitlam, BC Art Therapist Conference (October 18-19, 2024. Invited to share for the second time now!), Day of Dead with Carla Alcántara VLACC (Nov 2), among others. And I’m Communications & Program Coordinator at New Works where I support other artists and build relationships among organizations.

Next exciting show: Camino y Despedida (Walking Farewells), an interdisciplinary piece about migration and hope, set to premiere at the STAND Festival at The Dance Centre on November 3. This project is a dream come true, evolving from smaller excerpts since 2022 into a full-length work. The process is deeply collaborative among 6 Latin American artists. Can’t wait! (Get your tickets before they are gone!)

How would you describe dance’s impact on your life?

“El arte me acerca a la vida y la vida me acerca al arte.” Viewing life through a poetic lens keeps me inspired. While my heart is a full-time artist, my wallet is not. At the moment I can’t do dance training every day, but my heart beats its rhythm, and my mind is always creating new projects.

What three core values drive your engagement with dance?

1. Dance is everywhere. The poetics of movement intertwined with life within art practices.
2. Inspiration and collaboration. By sharing our dreams and struggles, we become interdependent artists.
3. Dance as a process that enhances well-being.

 
Do you have a particular daily practice, or have you implemented new ones in recent years?

• Writing & Morning Pages: Inspired by Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, I write three pages of stream-of-consciousness every morning, allowing space for new ideas to emerge.
• Order & Disorder: I embrace my disorganized creativity, learning to organize my scattered ideas through to-do lists and calendars—tools I’ve honed during my time at New Works.
• Mindfulness & Somatic Experiencing: Impostor syndrome often haunts me, but I’ve learned to befriend my anxious states through meditation & mindfulness.

 
What are the most significant benefits of being a Dance Centre member?

The Dance Centre gave me my first opportunity to research dance in Vancouver through their 12 Minutes Max program. I met key collaborators/friends through this platform, and it’s been a gateway to fostering lasting relationships and as an emerging artist in a new city.

Whenever I’m at the building, it feels like home. It’s a place where I can catch up with other artists, dream, and dance. The Dance Centre staff are incredibly supportive and genuinely care about each member. Their trust in my works has been a cornerstone in helping me navigate my artistic journey in Vancouver.

Marco Esccer’s Member Profile
Instagram
YouTube
Screams at Home (2022)

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Photos by David Flores Rubio and David Cooper