SC Connecticut News

Earlier this month, Alexandra T. Vazquez moved into her new office at Yale and discovered a poster from an event she organized as a postdoctoral associate in Yale’s Program in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration between 2006 and 2008.

“We did a showing of this major documentary about the Cuban performer La Lupe with the filmmaker Ela Troyano,” Vazquez said. “It was so touching to be reminded of something I programmed as a young scholar. And here I am almost 20 years later at a very different point in my career still returning to performers such as La Lupe in my research and teaching, and still receiving the vital support to do so. It’s a real pleasure and privilege to have made this boomerang return back to Yale.”

Vazquez has recently been appointed professor of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Previously teaching at New York University, her interests include performance theory, U.S. Latina/x and Latin American studies, and Caribbean aesthetics. Her latest book, “The Florida Room” (Duke University Press), was named one of the best books of 2022 by Pitchfork.

In an interview for Office Hours, a Q&A series that introduces new Yale faculty members to the community, Vazquez discussed her Miami roots, exploring New Haven’s musical history, and her appreciation for live events.

When asked about her connection to Miami's musical history explored in “The Florida Room,” Vazquez stated: “I was born and raised in Miami. Born and raised in the music that surrounded me there, and I think that was why I became an academic. It took going to college to learn that I could think about those sounds in deep, philosophical ways; that music wasn’t just a given phenomenon but came from people and places.” She added that Miami represents various cultures for her: “Miami means the Caribbean; it means Western Africa and Latin America; it means islands everywhere.”

Vazquez describes herself as a performance studies theorist with a broad interpretation of "performance," encompassing music, theater, visual arts, dance, or everyday actions. She believes separating arts into different fields undermines their interdisciplinary nature.

An example she shared is from her first-year seminar called “Worlds in Performance.” In one class session on The Monterey Club—a historic Black-owned venue in New Haven—students listened to an album recorded live there by Johnny “Hammond” Smith in 1962. For students, imagining past performances helps them understand New Haven's cultural legacy.

Regarding her current book project titled “Performance on Performance,” Vazquez explained: “I want to hold people’s hands through this thrilling activity we call performance studies.” The book will explore performances across various cities like Havana, Palermo, Miami among others—all linked by Spanish colonization histories—to demonstrate how performance defies fixed locations.

Outside work hours, Vazquez enjoys live music events: “I am a strong believer in the live event.” She also keeps active by lifting weights and walking near Connecticut's marshes which she calls "Everglades North." Traveling frequently with her daughters who assist with research activities is another pastime she cherishes.

When asked about her favorite food from Miami? Without hesitation: "Cuban food... ham croquettes—it’s like our Cuban penicillin."