Cuentos de miedo y otras pendejadas
(Scary Stories and Other Stupid Things)
This page features information about this immersive dance-theater piece where childhood fears, myths, and laughter collide in a surreal, visually striking, darkly funny journey.
Cuentos de miedo turns childhood fears into a grotesque, darkly funny spectacle
of surreal and visual theater!!
Cuentos de Miedo transforma los temores de la infancia en un espectáculo grotesco, oscuramente divertido y lleno de teatro visual y surrealista.
Visionary choreographer and artistic director Elliott Ortiz invites audiences to confront the monsters that shaped their childhood fears. Cuentos de Miedo y Otras Pendejadas merges dance, theater, and dark humor into an immersive exploration of myth, memory, and manipulation. Through movement and surreal imagery, Ortiz reimagines three figures from Latino folklore—El Cuco, El Duende, and La Bruja—transforming satire into beauty and childhood lies into theatrical truth. He fearlessly smashes the old scare tactics once used by nannies, grandparents, and parents, unmasking childhood myths for what they truly were: manipulative lies disguised as bedtime stories. They were tools of control that left scars. With this dance-theatrical piece, we reclaim them — exposing the lies and transforming fear into a bold performance.
Premier Oct 17 ( 8:15 p.m.)
Oct 18 / 7 pm: This show is the kickoff to Frenzy Fest, a festival about the human mind. On October 18, stay after — we’ll talk about how scary stories once used to discipline children traumatized them, and how theater turns those lies into art. Performance is following with a post-show conversation with represents of Barrio Independent Productions ( BIP) and Frenzy Fest with cast members of Cuentos de miedo.
Oct. 19 / 5 pm : Closing
About Cuentos de miedo: The story follows Martha, a flamboyant nanny tasked with caring for two mischievous girls, Gaby (Yvanhova Figueroa) and Chela (Alessia Secli), over a weekend. As their behavior spirals, Martha (Maga Cedeno) resorts to the familiar parental tactic of telling frightening folk stories. But this time, the stories don’t remain tales—the mythical figures burst into reality, turning the children’s bedroom into a surreal battlefield between discipline, fear, and imagination.
More than spectators, audience members are drawn directly into the chaos. They respond to Martha’s desperate pleas for help, decide whether she should summon a creature, stop, or try another tactic, and may even be “traded” for a child onstage—placed in the clutches of El Duende (Jhonatan Zapata), el Cuco (Luis Vinoles) or La Bruja (Jose Gregorio Araujo).
Smashing some "stuff": Breaking with traditional theater, pure dance, and drag conventions, Elliott Ortiz creates a hybrid stage language where performers act, dance, sing, and tell stories. At moments, the piece flirts with café-cabaret, offering a playful yet biting manifesto against the scare tactics many experienced in childhood. By dismantling these inherited fears, the production sparks a bold cultural conversation through fearless performance. Ortiz’s work is unapologetic, provocative, and unafraid to risk discomfort in order to spark dialogue.
Cast & Creative Team
Cast: Maga Cedeño, Yvanhova Figueroa, Alessia Secli, Jhonatan Zapata García, Luis Viñoles, and José Gregorio Araujo (“El Gordo Bello”) as La Bruja.
Creative Team: John McGee (scenery and lighting design), Jonny Rueda (Scenic Builder & Visual Environment Designer), Percy Van Oordt (makeup + hair & costumes), Kim Sánchez (sound), Oswaldo Ortiz (sound design/editing), and Pilar Cordova (production & stage manager). Associated Choreographers: Yvanhova Figueroa & Alessia Secli. Created & directed by choreographer and artistic director Elliott Ortiz.
Presented in co-production with Dance 10 Project and El Barrio’s Artspace, with the support of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, and Artspace Projects.
Cast Members who “scare” you!!
The line between laughter and fear blurs tonight, as our daring cast conjures the childhood monsters that once haunted your dreams back to life.
Maga Cedeño was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and discovered her artistic calling at an early age under the guidance of her grandmother, a cultural icon of the region. This early influence instilled in her a deep connection with poetry, theater, music, and painting—laying the foundation for her career as an actress, writer, and journalist.
She is a distinguished member of the Teatro Itinerante de Venezuela, one of Latin America’s most prestigious theater companies. Her multifaceted career also includes writing literary works, directing documentaries, and contributing technical expertise to theater institutions in New York City.
For over a decade, she has performed on renowned stages across Spain, the United States, and Venezuela. Her work has earned her multiple honors, including the Premio Primavera for Best Theater Actress (2023), the Premios Talia for Best Actress in Short Theater and Best Supporting Actress, and several Latin Alternative Theater Awards (L.A.T.A.) for Best Actress, Best Character Actress, Best Short Theater Actress, and Best Solo Performance.
Alessia Secli, she is an Italian performer (singer + dancer + actress) and choreographer based in New York City. After finishing her training in Milan, Italy. Alessia moved to New York City in order to pursue her dream to work professionally in the performing arts. Alessia starred in the role of Clarisse in the show 5 Paths to Uptown Stories, Mariana in Arepa Coalition and more recently as The Death in Babel Movements of Contradiction all directed by Elliott Ortiz.
Alessia was also recently associate choreographer in the musical Xanadu at The Heights player in Brooklyn. Theatre credits include: Hair, Pippin, A chorus line, Evelyn Evelyn, The Taming of Kate, Someone in the crowd and Yes! Alessia was awarded with L.A.T.A. as Best Dance-theater Performer for her work in Babel in 2025.
Yvanhova Figueroa: She holds a degree from Taller de Danza Caracas as a Modern Dance Performer in 2004. She also holds a BA in Business Administration from Universidad Central de Venezuela. Because she grew up between dancers and in a dance community, she has explored other disciplines such as ballet, tango show (acro-tango), improvisation, modern dance, and dance theater incorporating video art, photography and music.
She had the pleasure to work with Ballet Teresa Carreno, TangoXTango, Sinergia Tango, The National Dance Company of Venezuela, Taller Experimental Pisorrojo, Mixed Movement, Palissimo and The Ballet of Connecticut. She has formed a collaboration with independent choreographers like Annette Herwander, Scott Lyon, Lindsey Dietz Marchant, Oliver Steele, Roberto Villanueva and Elliot Ortiz. She owns YvaYoga (YvaYoga.com). She has performed at the Alvin Ailey Theater, Dance New Amsterdam, New York Live Arts, Movement Research, and The Tank among others. She has toured with dance troupes as guest dancer in Chile, Argentina, Canada, Venezuela and The United States. Yva won a L.A.T.A. as Outstanding Dance Performer for Babel in 2025.
José Gregorio Araujo is a renowned Venezuelan actor and television host with a solid academic background and an accomplished career in both theater and broadcasting. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Theater with a specialization in Theater Management and began his artistic journey with the Teatro Nacional Juvenil de Valera, where he participated in several stage productions that cemented his passion for the performing arts.
He later transitioned into television, first working as a casting director at Venevisión and then as talent manager at Televen. His charisma and natural connection with audiences soon led him to become the host and entertainment reporter for the news segment Lo Actual (Televen). His popularity soared as the host of the morning magazine show La Bomba, where his beloved character “El Gordo Bello” became a Venezuelan television icon. He also hosted the lifestyle program Mamma Mia, further showcasing his versatility and on-screen presence.
With Cuentos de Miedo y Otras Pendejadas, José Gregorio Araujo makes a celebrated return to the stage—exploring new creative dimensions and reaffirming his enduring commitment to the performing arts.
LUIS VIÑOLES: He is an actor, host, and model who studied Acting for Theater, Film, and Television at Bellas Artes in Caracas, Venezuela. He has appeared in commercials and independent films such as Locas por Amor (winner of the Mara de Oro for Best Regional Feature), La Posesión de Sara, and Tú y Yo en Queens.
In New York, he has performed in numerous stage productions, including Las Mil y Un Noches (Anacaona Theater), La Lechuga, Yo Soy el Hombre, La Reina Virgen, Muerte en el Nilo, Te Sigo Esperando, Dominique, La Casa de Bernarda Alba XXI (all with Coquí Theater), and Historias de Mi Gente (TEBA).
He is also one of the hosts of Los Todólogos, a podcast/show dedicated to Latin art. His work extends to short films, series, and digital shows featured on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
He has been recognized with several awards, including LATA, TALIA, ACE, FTHC, and ATI.
📸 IG: @luisvinoles
Jhonatan Zapata is a Colombian actor born in Cali. He trained with renowned teachers such as América Barrera, Alfonso Ortiz, Bernardo García, Clark Middleton, Alejandro Aguilar, Catherine French, and Juan Pablo Félix. He also studied at Mas Latinos Academy in New York City.
Among his most recent projects are Esto se puso color de hormiga (directed by Jorge Pérez, 2020) and the short film Ruleta Rusa (2021), directed by Catherine French and produced by Yennifer Córdoba and John Rengifo, which was selected as one of the winners at the Latino Film Market Festival NY.
In 2022, he performed in the improvisation shows Improshot and Latinos Night Live under the direction of Fabián Valbuena at Teatro LATEA. He is also an accomplished dancer and was part of the play Diles que no le maten, directed by the master Germán Jaramillo at ID Studio Theater in 2023.
Recently, Jhonatan received the LATA Award for Best New Actor 2024 for his role in Perdona Bonita, Pero Lucas Me Quería a Mí by Félix Sabroso, and Best Character Actor 2025 for his work in Lorca Last Night. He also starred in Alucinaciones, a short film directed by Rigoberto Mendoza in collaboration with El Vicio Producciones. Currently, he is working on Modo Avión: Impro On, a new improvisation format soon to take over New York City.
Tech & Creative Crew who “scare” you!! ...too
Tonight, our creative and technical team weaves light, sound, makeup, and costume into a theatrical spell—transforming the stage into a world where beauty meets fear, and every shadow breathes with imagination. Step carefully… the atmosphere itself might be watching you.
Jonny Rueda / Scenic Builder & Visual Environment Designer:
He born in Venezuela and now Point-au-Pic, Québec -based multidisciplinary artist whose work blends printmaking, photography, sculpture, and audiovisual media to explore perception, gravity, and the hidden systems that connect nature and human experience. His ongoing series, Entanglement and Plurification of the Individual, translate organic patterns into symbolic structures where concept and material experimentation meet. Since 2007, he has collaborated with the New York–based Director Elliot Ortiz, and dance-theatre company D10 Project as photographer ane contributing to stage design, lighting, and scenography—an experience that deepens his sensitivity to movement and spatial composition. A long-time member of Atelier Circulaire, where he has served as treasurer, gallery technician, and event collaborator, Rueda is actively involved in the local and international printmaking community. His multidisciplinary approach—shaped by years in cultural and hospitality event production—seeks to create immersive encounters where art, technology, and collective experience intertwine.
Percy Van Ooordt / MUA + Hair + Costumes:
This Peruvian born American artist is licensed and experienced in hairstyling and make up artistry working in different salons, special events, Performing Arts shows and photography projects , he got certificates in make-up and hair styling, by different seminars and schools such as Capri cosmetology school, Mac Cosmetics, Tigi, Wella, Redken, and Vidal Sassoon. His passion for his work makes him very happy to enhance the natural beauty of each individual. He has collaborated and worked for D10 Project’s productions since 2007 and he is happy to work for this production as MUA, Hair stylist and making also some costumes for several productions.
John McGee / Tech Director & Lights Designer:
He is an American Tech Director & Lights Designer who made his theater debut at Equity Library Theater. John has worked for Ensemble Studio Theater, Nat Horn Musical Theater, All Starts Project, Inc –Times Square as technical director and for John Lane at Ogunquit Playhouse as master carpenter.
He also has collaborated for Fresh Fruit Performing Arts Festival as Light Designer and Tech Director in NYC; and more recently with Barrio Independent Productions (BIP), El Barrio's Artspace, and other independent productions.
While Mr. McGee enjoys designing and building sets and lights, his “true love” is photography (AA from FIT), and he also participated in different exhibitions as photographer. He has collaborated for Dance 10 Project and Elliott since 2005 as Tech Director, Lights Designer and Photographer being one of the key crew members in all productions.
Kim Sanchez / Sound Tech: She is a dynamic Lighting Designer and A/V Technician who brings stories to life through bold visuals and intentional design. With a sharp eye for detail and a passion for collaborative storytelling, she has been illuminating stages since 2017.
In 2023, she served as Technical Director for Broadway For All’s new lab production house The House, supporting Greg T. Nanni’s Love (amongst) Dreamers. In 2024, she was hired as the lighting designer for six productions in Barrio Independent Productions’ Frenzy Fest, with an additional callback for the winner’s extended run of Fragmentos de Silencio. Her lighting design for A Midsummer Night’s Dream earned a 2024 BroadwayWorld Off-Off Broadway nomination—one of 14 shared nominations across that production and Julius Harlem’s Caesar.
Kim is also the founder of Illustrious Events, an event firm offering production, design, and A/V services across NYC.
Pilar Codova / Production Manager: She has participated in the Arts Management Laboratory at D.T.W. (Dance Theater Workshop). Her production work includes: Don Pedro Vive, Madre Selva, Un Canto a la verdad Sencilla: Poetry in Concert, Intimate Voices, Rehearsal Space, and short films, in Puerto Rico and New York City. She has worked for several Non-profit institutions as producer and administrator. She founded MEDLAM (Movimiento Escenico para Las Americas) with Elliott and Dance 10 Project in 2007 a performing art festival for Latino artists, and she is President of Wonder Moments (her production company).
She has worked for D.10 Project since 2005 as Production Manager and Associated Producer for festivals with Dance 10 Project.
Elliott Ortiz / Creator + Director & Producer: This multi-awarded artistic director and choreographer, whose four-decade career has redefined independent Latino dance-theater in NYC. Known for his pioneering concept of “dramaturgy in dance,” Ortiz fuses movement and narrative into bold, immersive works that challenge tradition and captivate audiences.
Trained in ballet, jazz, modern dance, and drama (1986–1992), he later earned a degree in Theater Production Management from IUDET in Caracas (1998). This unique blend of artistic rigor and production expertise gave him the tools to merge creativity with resource management, laying the foundation for a career that bridges artistry and strategy. As founder and artistic director of the Dance10 Project for over thirty years, Ortiz has produced cutting-edge works that dismantle old scare tactics and cultural myths, often drawing on his Venezuelan-Indigenous, Spanish, and African roots. His work emphasizes the sociology of the body, collective vulnerability, and the interplay of class, memory, and identity. Through dance, theater, and music, he constructs a hybrid language that is simultaneously grotesque, poetic, and deeply human.
Ortiz has collaborated with universities, theaters, and festivals across South America, Europe, Canada, and the U.S., extending his reach beyond choreography into theater productions, fashion shows, and multimedia projects. His artistry has been recognized with numerous awards, including Premio Arte Internacional for lifetime achievement, Latin Alternative Theater Awards for Best Dance-Theatrical Production (5 Paths to Uptown Stories, 2021), and the Talia Award for Best Musical Production (Arepa Coalition, 2023). In 2025, he was honored again with Best Director awards at both LATA and the Talia Awards, cementing his reputation as a visionary force in contemporary dance-theater.
