“Many of us like to ask ourselves, “What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?”

The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.”

-Aaron Bushnell

Liz Duran Boubion, MFA, RSMT is a dance maker, presenter, instructor and Registered Somatic Movement Therapist exploring the impermanent nature of the body and the sustainability of temporal art forms through deconstructed Piñata rituals, site-specific movement installations, multimedia dance theater productions and somatic practice since 2011.  Though her recent work has departed from the Piñata concept in Cuatro Vientos: Middle of Nowhere(2023),  June Bug Rolls Toward the Sun Like a Scarab(2019)  and Bridges & Bones (2019), Liz created over 15 Piñata Breakthrough Performances in the US and Mexico from in 2011-2018 starting with a personally pivotal production based off of the humble artwork and spiritual poetry of her grandmother titled: Maclovias Birds: Inspirados por el Arte de Mi Abuelita at Dance Mission Theater.  The piece was further developed in a multimedia film and performance, Choreographed Disasters and Natural Events at THEOFFCENTER, Temporario Contemporanea in Guadalajara Mexico, and culminated in her epic 2018 production: Piñata 45: The End of Her Rope Boubion’s retaliative response to the 2016 presidential election which included 9 performers, her aerial bungee solo, “Piñata Humana” dramatized by a trio of blindfolded men (Scott Wells, Kyle Her and Cesar Soto) swinging her through space while candy flew in all directions, an inverted Miss Universe Contest and #DontGrab danced by her Grotesque-Burlesque PussyFleet ensemble (Ronja Ver, Dominique Nigro, Kristen Rulifson, Valerie Mendez, Andreina Maldonado and Issachar Curbeon) in collaboration with composer, David Molina. Her research on the historical roots of La Piñata served as a metaphorical container for performative themes relating to the internal/external landscape of the female body politic, gender-based violence, mixed race heritage, creation, destruction, consumption and resilience. 

As a Chicana and queer choreographer, the Founder of Piñata Dance Collective and Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers Ms. Boubion is making a bridge between several communities by placing value on identity, ecology and social activism. Since, 2014-present, FLACC has created a platform of visibility and inclusion that has amplified the radical aesthetics of over 100 Latinx and Indigenous Choreographers from the Americas.

Liz received her BA in Dance from CSU Long Beach in 2000 and her MFA in Creative Inquiry from California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco in 2011. Liz is also an associate teacher of the Tamalpa Institute, founded by dance pioneer, Anna Halprin and is registered with the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). She is a regular guest teacher in local universities, Contact Improv jams and national dance festivals.   With her technical practice rooted in contemporary dance, improvisation, video installation and theater production, her deep dive into somatic therapies and her social justice work, Boubion maintains a commitment to the coalescence of rigor, innovation and healing through the arts.

Boubion has had several artist residencies in the US, Mexico and Germany, was published in InDance Magazine, Stance on Dance, Life of a Modern Dancer, Conscious Dancer Magazine, and her image was featured on the cover of SF Arts Monthly in 2015. She recently appeared on major TV and Radio networks in celebration of FLACC’s 10 year Anniversary and her latest choreography about the somatics of fear, was mentioned in the June edition of Dance Magazine. See full cv here.

“My sessions with Liz are so magical. I am learning so much about myself and my abilities that would be impossible without her guidance.” – Nirmala Nataraj, writer-San Francisco Chronicle
“Liz is a riveting dancer.  Her voice is articulate and relevant with the themes and cultural metaphors she is exploring.”  -Daria Halprin, Co-Founder of the Tamalpa Institute
“Elizabeth Boubion is a beautiful dancer and performer.  Her work is strongly influenced by her desire to put a spotlight on what is beautiful in the world as well as what needs to be changed or made fair.”     -Jeff Slayton, Master Teacher/1st generation Merce Cunningham Company
“Liz is an amazing dancer, performer, choreographer and teacher. I have had the pleasure of working with her in the capacity as a teacher, co-performer, fellow choreographer and feel she would bring a high level of expertise and creativity to your organization or institution.”  Artisitic Director, LIZZ ROMAN & DANCERS
“Elizabeth is skilled in the technical side of dance and performance- as well as in therapeutic methodologies for personal growth, health and well-being, and community building. Elizabeth works with all ages and abilities. She is a wonderful performer and dancer, who genuinely enjoys teaching, serving others, and collaborating.”   -Taira Restar, Expressive Arts Educator