Halo Movement Collective’s ‘Savage Beauty’ addresses social and political issues

Halo Movement Collective, a local dance company, brings “Savage Beauty” to the Unexpected Gallery to tackle political and social issues through different artistic means.

Artistic Director and dancer Angel Castro found the company in 2012 with the mission to combine dance, fashion and other art forms while addressing issues and reaching broad audiences.  Castro grew up with an artistic family, both of his parents being singers. He joined dance in high school. and says he immediately fell in love with movement.

“Savage Beauty” is comprised  of a few pieces including “Without a Border” and “Red Light District.” The former addresses the challenge of fitting in when you’re multicultural. The latter spotlights the fact that human trafficking is still a relevant issue even in the 21st century.

“I always struggled to fit in,” the Sonora-native says. “Now as a 27-year-old man who is not forgetting Spanish, but my Spanish is kind of broken up in some aspects, I’m not enough of either side. I kind of find myself in limbo, and that projects a lot in my work as well.”

One of the objectives of the Halo Movement Collective is to keep local talent in the state. Castro says he found himself hitting a wall and was considering moving until he founded the dance company. Now he wants to show dancers that they can showcase their art in Arizona.

“Savage Beauty” will take place at the Unexpected Gallery in Phoenix on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. For more information, including where to buy tickets, go to halomovementcollective.com.