Bárbara Martínez

The mission of “TrashBata” is to use multi-media performance art to think about the problem of plastic in a new way. The “bata de cola” is a long train skirt traditionally used by the female flamenco dancer in flamenco/Spanish dance. In this piece, instead of the usual skirt made out of lively ruffles, bright colors or polka dots, a bata made out of trash follows the dancer with every movement. Will we ever escape plastic bottles, plastic bags, six-pack rings, plastic utensils, and other permutations of this toxic material that we humans blindly over-manufacture and overuse?

TrashBata was started in 2020 with a grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and was first performed via livestream on October 30, 2021 at the studios of Creative Cultural Center, NYC thanks to a grant from New York Foundation for the Arts City Artist Corps.

Visit the TrashBata YouTube channel to see highlights of past performances and learn more!

What is “TrashBata”? (for kids)

“TrashBata” is a dance theater performance that speaks to the environmental problem of plastic. The “bata de cola” is a long train skirt traditionally used by the female flamenco dancer in Spanish dance. In this piece, instead of the usual skirt made out of lively ruffles, bright colors or polka dots, a bata made out of trash follows the dancer with every movement. Will we ever escape plastic bottles, plastic bags, six-pack rings, plastic utensils, and other permutations of this toxic material that we humans blindly over-manufacture and overuse?

“Only mass social movements can save us now. If that happens, well, it changes everything.” -Naomi Klein

Highlights of Trashbata appeared with Sol y Sombra Flamenco Company on July 8, 2022 in Hecksher Park, Huntington, Long Island, NY

The second full public performance of TrashBata was presented at the Gardiner Library in Gardiner, NY as part of the Hudson Valley Flamenco Festival on August 7, 2022

“Madre Agua,” a collaboration between TrashBata and Afro-Cuban dancer/musician Goussy Célestin in Queensboro Dance Festival held on July 15, 2022 in Queens, NYC

“Earth Day on the Mile” on April 22, 2023 was a day of art and culture at Sparkle on Stage on the Nautical Mile in Freeport, Long Island. This was A first-time collaboration with painter Clemente Ettrick and Operation SPLASH.

Traditional dance with a ”bata de cola” is an intense play between the dancer and that which weighs her down, chases her and continually reappears in a never-ending love/hate dynamic. The art of dancing with the “bata de cola” is like a bullfight with oneself, an intense kind of internal struggle. Choreography, music and poetry in this piece explore the themes of cause/effect, vision/blindness, freedom/restraint.

Further development of “TrashBata” will include audience participation that invites the public is invited to join with their voices, body percussion sounds and recycled plastic noise-makers. The audience experiences a deep kind of listening, a feeling of group momentum and the power of collective intention. 

This project has a symbiotic relationship with the photography of the visionary, Alejandro Durán.