Gina Chavez, who just received her first-ever Latin Grammy Awards nomination for her 2020 release La Que Manda, releases new music video “Ella” today. Featuring an international array of dancers filmed in their own homes, the music video honors survivors of domestic abuse by reclaiming domestic spaces through dance.
In April of 2020 Austin musician Gina Chavez began to see reports of spikes in domestic abuse incidents across the globe– according to a report from the UN that month, cases were believed to have risen by 20%. Inspired by an interview between Tarana Burke, founder of the Me Too movement, and bestselling author and researcher Dr. Brené Brown (whose podcast Gina Chavez has guested on herself), Chavez sought to make a music video featuring dancers from all over the world bringing attention to this issue. But with the world on lockdown, that was an even more difficult proposition than ever before.
Director Lisa Donato was thrilled to work with Chavez and was more than up to the task of creating an effective concept that also kept the cast and crew safe. “The actors were given a choice to either film a self-portrait or creatively portray an internal emotion from the perspective of a domestic abuse survivor living in an unsafe home,” Donato stated. “I worked with each participant to ensure their iPhone and DSLR settings were consistent across the board, and created visual style guides for the dancers and actors that streamlined the vision of the music video.”
Ultimately, “Ella” brought together an international team of 26 strangers, all working together to create a music video that shines a light on survivors of domestic abuse, which has skyrocketed in the time of quarantine. “Ella” features 11 actors and 7 dancers of varying styles from numerous countries, each filmed in their own quarantine spaces. Donato said “Ella” represents “the indomitable spirit and resilience of domestic abuse survivors,” showing that “in the face of adversity and struggle we will rise up and be stronger than we were before– nothing can take away our voice or undeniable light.”
The spirit of that sentiment is especially clear in Donato’s casting. The dancers Donato collaborated with are all either survivors themselves and/or activists working to stop the spread of domestic abuse and violence. They include artists like Anuradha Naimpally, who works with Austin Dance India, and specializes in the classical Indian dance style Bharata Natyam; Irene Rodríguez, who specializes in Flamenco; NYC-based contemporary dancer MJ Markowitz of the queer ballet company Ballez; Toronto hip hop dancer Jendayi “Jiggz” Dayer; Chicago/Austin-based aerial performer Jade White, subject of the documentary High Flying Jade; Agostina Tarchini of Paris, whose focus is the Tango; and Austin spiritual dancer Azia.
“Ella” also directly benefits Survive2Thrive, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded by Courtney Santana that provides life-changing resources and support to displaced victims of domestic violence and abuse, assisting them in creating their own sustainable path to recovery, self-sufficiency and success. Survive2Thrive has served nearly 5,200 survivors since 2006.
“Music and dance have always been important to global culture, not just as an artform but also as a form of empowerment and healing,” Chavez said, “With ‘Ella,’ I wanted to emphasize those qualities of my art and use that power to not only call attention to the disturbing rise of domestic abuse during these unprecedented times but to also celebrate the strength and perseverance of survivors. The pandemic limited our options for filming but I think seeing these dancers perform in their own homes connects the choreography and visuals even more to that perseverance I sought to honor, as these survivors reclaim and rebuild their homes.”
For the production of “Ella,” Chavez was similarly aspirational, collaborating with Linda Briceno, the Venezuelan songwriter and producer who made history at the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, as she became the first woman to ever win Producer of the Year. Impeccably arranged and rhythmically propulsive, “Ella” is a vocal tour de force that showcases the emotional power of Chavez’s songwriting and singing.
The official music video for “Ella” drops in early October to align with the intersection of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Hispanic Heritage Month.
NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts confidently raved “if you don’t know her already, I dare you to walk away and not become a fan.”
The Boston Globe lauded Gina Chavez’s ease of moving “between social and love songs, between North American and Latin genres…the most natural thing in the world.”
Austin Monthly spotlighted Chavez at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, saying “While so many of the lineups for major music festivals bounce between trendy acts, nostalgia bands and industry staples, Gina Chavez is a breath of fresh air.”
VIDEO CREDITS
Director: Lisa Donato (Austin, TX)
Editor: Cristyna Rhoads (Brooklyn, NY)
Colorist: Angela Herr (Austin, TX)
Dancers:
Jade White (aerialist, authentic movement) – (Chicago, IL/Austin, TX)
Anuradha Naimpally (classic Indian dance) – (Austin, TX)
Agostina Tarchini (Tango) – (Paris, FR)
MJ Markovitz (contemporary, modern) – (New York, NY)
Irene Rodríguez (Flamenco Contemporáneo) – (Miami, FL)
Jendayi “Jiggz” Dyer (Hip Hop, Locking) – (Los Angeles, LA)
Azia (spiritual/contemporary) – (Austin, TX)
Actors:
Melissa Bellis Chávez (Costa Rica)
Andrea Knufken (Airstream)
Fernanda Ureña Castro and Franco Badilla Ureña (Costa Rica)
Mary Paz Solano Vega (Costa Rica)
Laura Zak (Independence, CA)
Quána Madison (Denver, CO)
Fawzia Mirza (Toronto, Canada)
Dalila Ali Rajah (Los Angeles, CA)
Brittany Ingram (Los Angeles, CA)
Vanessa Leigh (Los Angeles, CA)
Videographers:
Seth K. Hughes (Airstream)
Alexandra K. Dietz (Costa Rica)
Connie Kurtew (Los Angeles)
Bongani Mlambo (Los Angeles)
Additional Videography *special thanks*:
Emily Joyner (Independence, CA)
Andria Wilson (Toronto, Canada)
Zachariah White (Denver, CO)
Chris Bond (Los Angeles)
More about Gina Chavez
Growing up in Austin, TX, Gina Chavez didn’t pick up a guitar until she was in college. The instrument proved to be her ticket around the world. Since then, she has traveled to Japan as a cultural ambassador for the city of Austin. She also toured the world as a cultural ambassador with the US State Dept, performing to international audiences in 10 countries. Chavez has won multiple awards, including a 2020 Latin Grammy nomination for her first all-Spanish language album, La Que Manda, 12 Austin Music Awards and the Grand Prize for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. She topped the iTunes and Amazon Latin charts with her second album, Up.Rooted.
Chavez’s multi-ethnic folk-pop sound also won her spotlights on national TV and radio shows in the US. She has been featured on NPR’s three nationally broadcast shows: First Listen, All Things Considered, and Tiny Desk Concerts. Her performances garnered more than 1.2 million views on YouTube and earned her a spot on NPR’s Top 15 Tiny Desk Concerts. She also was chosen to perform at The Kate on a nationally televised hour-long episode on PBS.
To date, the artist has released three award-winning albums that showcase Chavez’s versatility as a songwriter and performer: her Latin Grammy Nominated all-Spanish album La Que Manda (2020), her award-winning bilingual album Up.Rooted (2014), and her soul/R&B EP LIGHTBEAM (2018).
Currently, Chavez lives in Austin with her wife, Jodi Granado. Together, they co-founded Niñas Arriba, a college fund that offers full scholarships to a private, Catholic university for young girls in Soyapango, El Salvador.