After being introduced to the work of Ajchowen, the all female theatre group within the wider Grupo Sotz'il, I was immediately interested in working with them further. Since that first encounter in 2014, I have met with their leader, Alicia Sen, several times and agreed to work together with Starfish in 2017. This partnership will (pending approval) be the focus of my doctoral studies. In this paper, written as a final research paper for Dr. Smithner's Physical Theatre Class, I have examined the role of Sotz'il Jay in their community, as well as their use of physical theatre and its relation to the broader field. I have included two versions to highlight my response to Dr. Smithner's notes asking me to focus more on the "affect" of the work. The earliest version is included first, with the edited version below.
