Kachkaniraqmi multicultural fashion show 'Existence as Resistance' set for Saturday

Natalia Armaconki’s Kallpa House of Spirit Dances will host the Kachkaniraqmi multicultural fashion show themed "Existence as Resistance" on Saturday at The Crossing in Madison, featuring fashion, performance, and storytelling and raising funds for participating artists and Armaconki's ancestral village of Laramarca.

A Madison-based artist and educator is presenting a community-centered event that blends fashion, performance, and storytelling. The initiative, Kallpa House of Spirit Dances, was founded in late 2023 and is described by founder Natalia Armaconki as a home for cultural and knowledge sharing. The project centers dance, music, poetry, and storytelling and operates as both an educational space and a gathering hub. This year’s show uses a Quichua-rooted idea often summarized as "We continue existing," which Armaconki calls "existence as resistance." Key details: - Event: Kachkaniraqmi multicultural fashion show, themed "Existence as Resistance." - Organizer: Natalia Armaconki and Kallpa House of Spirit Dances, founded in late 2023. - Format: Participants share the cultural and personal meaning of their attire, with spoken word, music, and dance woven throughout rather than a traditional runway. - Guest artists include Menominee cultural practitioner and dancer Marla Mahkimetas, Black queer trans poet and teaching artist Ti S Banks, and Palestinian dancer Amelia Bader. - Proceeds will support participating artists and Armaconki's ancestral village of Laramarca in the south-central Andes, which the article reports faces ongoing threats from mining interests. Summary: The event is scheduled for Saturday at The Crossing, 1127 University Avenue, starting at 4:00 p.m., and is presented as both a fundraiser and a space for shared storytelling and cultural exchange. Organizers frame the theme as affirming presence and endurance amid wider social challenges. The fundraiser aims to channel support to artists and to community efforts in Laramarca. Undetermined at this time.