Fundraising Article: “Las INNOMBRABLES” By Deny Ruge
- Irie Dance Theatre
- 4 minutes ago
- 2 min read
My name is Deny Ruge, and I am a Colombian dancer, creator, and researcher currently based in London. As a third-year student in the BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles at IRIE! Dance theatre and director of Somos Chibchas Arts dance company I founded in Madrid in 2010 to preserve Colombian heritage through dance, theater, and other artistic expressions, my work focuses on memory, identity, and cultural resilience.
Today I am fundraising to bring my research project, “Las Innombrables” (The Unnameed), to Colombia. This creative and decolonial journey seeks to recover the erased memory of Indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and mestizo women from southern Colombia, especially the Ñapangas. These women played crucial roles in community life, cultural creation, and historical resistance; however, their stories were silenced by colonisation and patriarchy.
This project uses dance, oral narratives, historical research, and community participation to honor their legacy and reconnect their stories with the territory that gave them birth. Through movement and memory, “Las INNOMBRABLES” becomes both a tribute and an act of symbolic reparation.
I recently received the 2026 Anna Carlisle Award for Dance Training, granted by the Lisa Ullmann Travel Grant Fund (UK), which is funding part of my research trip to Ipiales, Nariño. However, the total cost of travel, accommodation, and work is still insufficient. The cost of the fieldwork exceeds the amount covered by the grant, so I am now seeking additional support to make this trip possible.
Your contribution, large or small, will help me work directly with local artists, tradition bearers, and communities that keep the memory of La Guaneña alive. By supporting this project, you are helping to recover the voices of the women who forged our cultural memory but were never recognized.
💛Support the campaign:
Thank you for believing in art, research, and collective memory. Together, we can help ensure that “Las INNOMBRABLES” are finally remembered as a fundamental part of our history.
