Liliana D’Osio
RE Source
In 2016, Forklift Danceworks presented RE Source, a show for the people and machinery of Goodwill Central Texas’ 125,000 square foot recycling and redistribution center. Directed by Forklift’s Associate Artistic Director, Krissie Marty, RE Source was an immersive experience, leading audiences through and around the enormous warehouse, and was unlike any performance Forklift had done before.
At the time, Liliana D’Osio was working in the E-Commerce department at the warehouse and was one of the first people to get on board with Krissie’s “crazy” idea for the dance. Today, Liliana is a box truck driver for Goodwill’s Transportation department. Read or listen to Liliana and Krissie’s conversation to hear about how RE Source inspired Liliana to become a truck driver, what she loves about working in Transportation, and how the performance changed how she sees her Goodwill family.
Liliana: My name is Liliana D’Osio and I work for Goodwill and I was part of the RE Source project.
Krissie: Right, the show and installation we did at the recycling warehouse.
LDO: Yes.
KM: What are you doing on the job now? Because I know you used to do e-commerce. So what are you doing now?
LDO: I’m part of transportation. I’m actually a box truck driver. RE Source showed me the other part of the warehouse. And I saw the trucks and everything that the trucks did in the video, I wanted to be part of that. When I saw the dock workers and everything they did, I wanted to be part of that because it was a whole other world for me. So I went to my boss, James, and I told him, “My dream is to drive those trucks.” And he said, “Well, let’s make your dreams come true.” And here I am.
KM: That is awesome. That’s awesome. Well, Liliana, tell me, what do you love about your job?
LDO: I truly love my job. Why? Because it’s different now. I never thought that what I was doing was important until we had Covid-19. I really thought that it was just driving. It was just, you know, something that was nothing until I realized that there was something called “essential job.” And all of a sudden what I’m doing is important, you know, it’s called essential work. When other people — when thousands of people or maybe millions of peoples got furloughed, I didn’t because I was part of transportation, because I was part of something the city considered essential. The transportation team is what keeps things going. If we take material to the stores they’re able to sell stuff. When we bring what they don’t want no more, they’re able to clear the stores. So it’s like the stores are the part of the body, but we, transportation, we’re like the blood flowing. Now I see that what I do…it’s not just a driving job. It’s actually important.
KM: Wow.
LDO: And it’s exciting. It’s something that I love. Now when people see us, they see us in a different way. And what I believe that is most important is that we are able to see ourselves in a different way. Because it’s not just a Goodwill worker. Yes, we’re Goodwill workers and we are proud of it, but we are also essential workers.
KM: Awesome. Remember when I was first hanging out at the warehouse, and I first came up and talked to you and introduced myself and told you we were going to make a show. What did you think?
LDO: Well, the first thought it was like, “What is these woman thinking of?” You know, it was like, it was crazy, Krissie. I’m sorry. But it was crazy. It was like impossible. Like, I think this lady is wasting her time. Because I didn’t think that the…I mean…I didn’t see… I wasn’t able to see your vision.
KM: Well, Liliana, I thought…I didn’t know what was possible either. Like I was in that warehouse going like, “Oh my god, how are we going to, what are we going to do? How are we going to do this?” I mean, I definitely saw there was lots of movement and, of course, lots of heart in everyone but I didn’t know either. So I think we all figured it out together.
LDO: It was amazing. At first, I think I thought you were crazy. I thought it was impossible. But then I saw that your heart was there, that your heart was on every word that you was giving us. Because not just me..you came to everybody, talking to everybody. All those people, Krissie, a lot of them, they feel left out. They feel worthless. They feel like they’re nothing. You came and got them excited.
KM: That’s really cool to hear, Liliana, thanks.
LDO: You didn’t know that was the coolest part of what you did with us. RE Source helped us see ourselves as more than enough. Sometimes you see like us over here in the warehouse. A lot of people say that truck drivers, dock workers… That they’re the nobodies. They see us as the nobodies. We were able to see ourselves like movie stars, like rock stars. Like whenever Ernesto did the dance, he was so proud of himself because of what he did. And it was only a few seconds. But every time he sees a picture of the show or he sees the pictures that you post on social media and he sees himself there, or like the postcard that you made with his image there… He’s looking at himself now like he’s a movie star, like he’s a rock star, like he’s somebody that matters. And that’s what I see now. I see that what I do matters. And it was all because this white lady came with a crazy idea to this dusty warehouse. And now it’s crazy because I see what we do different. I see movie stars. I see rock stars. I see people that matter. I see essential workers. I see them, my little family, as bigger. As bigger than what I see.
On the Job: 20 Portraits from 20 Years highlights the work of twenty people who have collaborated and performed with Forklift Danceworks. Featuring new interviews between Forklift choreographers and our collaborators, the series shares the voices and experiences of people whose work sustains our communities.
New portraits will be released each month, so follow us on Facebook and Instagram to meet more Forklift performers throughout the year!
This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
