Syncopate Collective Dances From the Zeitgeist to the Psyche

Syncopate Collective dancers Luiza Lamoglia (in green), Victoria Mora (in blue), and Maria Burt (in orange) interconnect through immigration issues in Cecilia Benitez’s “Asimilado” to be performed at the Moss Center’s Salon Series in three performances beginning Friday, Aug. 14.  (Photo by Julieta Rakover, courtesy of Syncopate Collective)

It sometimes takes, if not a village, a collective to nurture art. And that’s what South Florida’s Syncopate Collective has been doing for dance since 2021, with its presence growing more vigorous and visible in recent years.

Now Syncopate members Cecilia Benitez and Deja Darbonne, two very different yet equally engaging artists who take up themes ranging from the zeitgeist to the psyche, will present new works — “Asimilado” and “Metamorphosis,” respectively — as part of the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center’s Salon Series Friday, Aug. 14, through Sunday, Aug. 16.

Rehearsing Cecilia Benitez’s “Asimilado” to be performed at the Moss Center. (Photo courtesy of Syncopate Collective)

“Syncopate Collective functions as an incubator for both dancers and choreographers,” says Benitez, a 28-year-old Miami native who earned a BFA in Dance from Point Park University in Pittsburgh and studied at Madrid’s Conservatorio de Danza Superior María de Ávila. Like Darbonne, she has been part of the group since its inception. “It’s been incredible to witness how much we’ve evolved.”

Benitez emphasizes the importance of artists supporting one another. “The collective provides a place where we experiment, take risks, and build community while navigating the complexities and joys of making art. This uplifts the next generation of movers and makers. As a choreographer, it has allowed me to develop my voice, openly and judgement-free.”

Syncopate Collective member and “Metamorphosis” choreographer Deja Darbonne (Photo by Mateo Seza, courtesy of Syncopate Collective)

Darbonne agrees. Born in Fairfield, California, and trained early in her mother’s ballet studio, Darbonne is a longtime South Florida resident and New World School of the Arts (NWSA) graduate. She had been living in New York City for a couple of years when she returned to Miami at a personally trying time.

“Like many artists during the COVID pandemic,” she says, “I was searching for community and opportunities to dance. I found that through the collective. Over time, I stepped into more of a leadership role, helping the organization become more grounded while staying true to its collaborative spirit.”

Springing out of its first incarnation, called Miami Movement Collective, Syncopate found a surer stride thanks in part to Darbonne, a 31-year-old ballerina with far-ranging artistic tastes. “Ingrained in my body, ballet has given me a deep appreciation for elegance, softness, musicality,” she says. “But I also love challenging its expectations, executing a clean pirouette then collapsing to the floor—a contrast between refinement and release which feels deeply human.”

Her stance aligns with the multifaceted initiatives of other Syncopate co-founders Enrique Villacreses, Rafael Ruiz-Del-Vizo, Brooke Logan and Maya Billig. “We envisioned a space where Miami dance artists could train in contemporary dance, collaborate, and create performance opportunities for emerging professionals,” says Darbonne.

Syncopate Collective member and “Asimilado” choreographer Cecilia Benitez. (Photo by Julieta Rakover, courtesy of Syncopate Collective)

Benitez explains how duties are distributed among Syncopate’s current 11 members. “Nicole Pedraza and I handle grant writing, Enrique does videography and archiving, Estefania Delgado takes care of social media and marketing, and so forth. We all use our various skills to bring organization and functionality to the collective.” Another significant step forward this year, Benitez says, was receiving 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, with the tax-exemption and tax-deductible donation advantages that come with it.

The environment already built by Syncopate has fostered an eclectic set of arresting works presented at individual concerts, often as part of yearly dance-anthology shows such as Miami Dances. A residency at Coral Gables’ Sanctuary of the Arts has facilitated the group’s teaching, rehearsals and performances there. And the upcoming engagement at the Moss Center continues to elevate Syncopate’s profile.

“This is a unique opportunity where we as a collective — entrusted with full artistic freedom — have been commissioned for an original program,” says Benitez, who is presenting work on a split bill with Darbonne for the first time. “Within Syncopate, programming is typically decided through voting. Deja and I expressed interest in the current project, and the collective supported us. She and I have distinct voices, but our choreography works well together creating varied perspectives and styles.”

Nicole Pedraza and Cecilia Benitez in rehearsal for Deja Darbonne’s exploration of mindset transformation “Metamorphosis” (Photo courtesy of Syncopate Collective)

“Asimilado”—which Benitez calls “deeply rooted in the community that shaped me”—arose from this Cuban-American’s disquiet. “I am interested in the emotional and cultural costs of assimilation—what’s sacrificed in order to belong,” she says. “This work was sparked by an accumulation of experiences and conversations over many years, alongside broader social and political shifts taking hold in Miami. I’m compelled to ask how a community with the highest percentage of immigrants in the country has come to support rhetoric and policies at odds with its history and capacity to thrive. This led me into the themes of belonging, identity, and collective responsibility.”

Benitez underscores how much care was required to do her subject justice. She has relied on a diligent creative process and a close-knit cast. Victoria Mora, her former Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre colleague, danced in an earlier Benitez duet; Luiza Lamoglia’s friendship with the choreographer dates back to their NWSA High School days; and Maria Burt, another NWSA graduate, has recently performed with Benitez in Adele Myers and Dancers.

“They never shy away from a challenge,” emphasizes the choreographer, identifying motifs—U.S. border issues, labor, ancestral storytelling—which arose in solidarity. “Because each dancer comes from a different cultural background, I give them space to connect with the material in a way that feels authentic.” For that, Benitez also singles out costume co-designer Jorge Fernandez and composer/music director Dylan Kersten.

Whereas “Asimilado” interrogates humanity with an approach akin to social science, “Metamorphosis” plugs into psychology.

“Both as a curse and a gift, I’ve always been an over-thinker,” says Darbonne. “Yoga introduced me to philosophies of mind and the possibility of finding peace amid the constant fluctuations of thought. I became fascinated by how experiences remain with us physically, how our bodies carry not only our own emotions but also those imprinted from the people around us.”

Syncopate Collective dancer Jesus Sandoval opens his body driven by mental energy in Deja Darbonne’s “Metamorphosis” (Photo courtesy of Syncopate Collective)

That laid the foundation for “Metamorphosis,” with its choreography, Darbonne says, serving as “a way of making inner experiences visible.” The work probes how mental energy undulates through the spine, precipitating “unpredictable shifts of weight, sudden changes in direction, and emotional currents that ripple from one dancer to another.”

Spurred by music and deliberate about structure, Darbonne traces “a journey of transformation,” with each section of her dance representing psychological stages—the onset of consciousness, memory, fear, resilience, and equanimity through self-acceptance and love. Solos, duets and ensembles crop up among five dancers (Benitez among them) responding to an equal number of musical selections.

She says her final section is set to “Agape” by Nicholas Britell, the ethereal song from the award-winning composer’s “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

“To me, this feels like a phoenix rising from the ashes,” says Darbonne.

In resonance with their shared artistic journey, here Syncopate dancers connect through movement that’s softer yet more expansive. For the choreographer, it’s a projection—relevant to the whole collective—of how “transformation isn’t about erasing pain but allowing it to become a source of growth.”

WHAT: Syncopate Collective

WHERE: The Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211 St., Miami

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, and Saturday, Aug. 15; 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16

COST: $35

INFORMATION: 786-573-5300 or www.mosscenter.org

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