The Gathering 2015 meets at Gibney 280

The Gathering, as described by founder Camille A. Brown, is "an open forum for intergenerational black female artists to support one another and to advocate for greater cultural equity and acknowledgement in the contemporary dance world."

Following Winter 2014's successful launch, Brown brought The Gathering back last night in a new format guided by Onye Ozuzu (chair, Dance Department, Columbia College Chicago) at Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, 280 Broadway.

Camille A. Brown
(photo: Ra-Re Valverde)

Dancer-journalist A Nia Austin-Edwards
tweets The Gathering.
(c)2015, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Left-to right: Choreographers Cynthia Oliver,
Edisa Weeks and Paloma McGregor
(c)2015, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Guests mingle before the evening's exercises begin.
(c)2015, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Facilitator Onye Ozuzu leads participants in improvisatory exercises,
sparked by our questions and stories, keeping bodies in near continual flow.
(c)2015, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

The Gathering 2015 was more of a creative game than a discussion of issues, more of an intimate dance of immediacy than a verbal forum. Bodies, questions, tears and testimony filled the theater in shifting, fluid configurations with space for the invisible.

"How are you doing the work?" "What are you excited about?" "How do you know when you're working too hard?" "What is your joy right now?" "Do you ever dance because you hurt?" "I deserve the best. I am the best. I have allies." "Asking for help, connecting with other people, helps you to move from the I to the We."

Participants encircle dance artist Nia Love (seated) and Paloma McGregor.
(c)2015, Eva Yaa Asantewaa)

Dancemaker Christal Brown (right)
answers a few questions.
(c)2015, Eva Yaa Asantewaa 

These first steps are power-packed beginnings from which any number of useful new steps may develop for individuals, organizations and potential collaborators within the Black female dance diaspora. Periodic mini-gatherings during the year--to address specific needs, goals and actions--would be a most welcome addition to this inspiring annual event.

Once again, congratulations to Brown, and to all who worked to produce The Gathering 2015.

As Ozuzu would say, "Rest and hold.... Continue."

To connect with The Gathering, please visit this site.

Exploring the African diaspora of Argentina

Argentina Rediscovers Its African Roots
by Michael T. Luongo, The New York Times, September 12, 2014

Dance it out at BAAD!

BAAD! (Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance), in its brand new home at Westchester Square, invites you to dance your hearts out this month with two new class series:

CAPOEIRA: Moses "Bronx" McCarter

Moses "Bronx" McCarter leads a class for dancers of all levels in capoeira, an amazing and energetic folk dance from Brazil that ritualizes movement from martial arts, African dance and acrobatics.

Fridays, February 7, 14, 21 and 28 (6-7pm)
$5 (special rate)

BOMBA: Milteri Tucker

Milteri Tucker, director of the Bronx-based Bombazo Dance Company, leads the all level class through the basics of Bomba, a joyous Afro-Puerto Rican dance and music style that is a communal activity celebrating the relationship between the dancer and the drummer. Class includes her skirt technique open to women and men. Bring your practice skirt and practice skirts will also be provided.

Sundays, February 9, 16, 23 (4-5pm)
$5 (special rate)

Get information on all BAAD! programming here.

BAAD! 
2474 Westchester Avenue, Bronx
(map/directions)

New York Live Arts presents world premieres from niv Acosta and Tess Dworman

Tess Dworman's new trio, macromen--opening last night at New York Live Arts on a program with niv Acosta's i shot denzel--had a quirky-fresh way of turning everything, from potted trees to flesh-and-blood dancers, into flat, malleable, playfully disappearing items. But what Acosta dropped into that familiar space felt a whole lot more radical and compelled the whole of my attention.

niv Acosta
(photo by Nicole Whelan)

denzel, I hear, has had five previous lives in the imagination and developing work of Acosta, a Black-Dominican, transgender-identified performer. This was my first encounter with Acosta's attempts to extract himself from the archetypal Denzel Washington and common notions of what it means to be a Black man. What got me is how uncool it all is.

I like several things about that. Going on a stage and singing when you're Black and your voice is adequate but not remarkable is uncool, and that's great. Bringing your gorgeous, singing mother onstage with you and dancing near her in a way that foregrounds all the tender vulnerability within your Black masculinity is uncool, and that's great. Reciting too-revealing, over-the-top text when people might expect Strong Silent Type or Angry Black Male is uncool, and that's great. Doing all of this in a body that defies both dance aesthetic expectations and gender conformity may not be all that uncool, or uncommon, especially at New York Live Arts, but it's still great. Repeatedly taking aim and smacking that body against a big ol' white wall might be painfully obvious and kind of futile and therefore uncool, but that's great.

niv Acosta and Yessenia Acosta in i shot denzel
(photo courtesy of New York Live Arts)

Sort of mixing up where audience should go and live musicians should go is kind of wacky, though not original, and that's not bad if not truly great. The only thing I thought was the exact opposite of great was how I couldn't make out the emotional Spanish lyrics Yessenia Acosta sang to, and apparently about, her son. The higher sound level for the band muffled her voice, and they were positioned closer to the audience. I hope that will be corrected for tonight and tomorrow's shows.

"No one has died inside of me," Acosta says at one point in his forceful monologue atop the white wall. Everyone and everything is there, and that's great.

Acosta's performance in i shot denzel makes me sorry that I'm just now catching up with this series, which has possibly reached its end. I enjoyed his dancing--his voguing and scrupulously clean inscriptions against space--but even more, I enjoyed all the uncool.

Performed by niv Acosta, Yessenia Acosta, Lee Free, Amy Gall, Lydia Berg-Hammond, Caitlin Marz, Jo Pang, Julia Read, Aleksei Wagner and Gary Zema. Music by niv Acosta and Jo Pang.

niv Acosta/Tess Dworman runs through Saturday, February 1 with performances at 7:30pm. For information and tickets, click here.

Come Early Video Installation created by Anna Pinkas and Lani Rodriguez
(on view Thursday, January 30-Saturday, February 1)

Friday, January 31 - Stay Late Discussion: none-other: regarding the alien and the uncanny in the work of niv Acosta and Tess Dworman, moderated by Marissa Perel

New York Live Arts

219 West 19th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues), Manhattan

(map/directions)

Break the bounds: trans performance artist niv Acosta

niv Acosta: Dance Influenced Performance Artist
by Annie Malamet, Posture, August 13, 2013

Asuka!

So, tell me, how does this sound?

• live music by Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra...
• a dance homage to salsa legend Celia Cruz...
• and more dances to the music of the Buena Vista Social Club and Tito Puente

Ballet Hispanico 

at The Apollo Theater

December 17 (2pm and 8pm)

Catch the world premiere of Asuka, Eduardo Vilaro's first work for Ballet Hispanico since becoming Artistic Director.

Get all the details--and tickets, too--right here.

Roots and future at Hostos Center

Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture proudly announces its new music and dance program, The Young Roots Performance Series, designed to "showcase emerging artists experimenting with the artistic roots of Afro-Latino traditions to create new branches that reach into the future."

Check out Young Roots' first event: a collaborative exploration between dancer-choreographer Noemi Segarra and percussionist Henry Cole, "in which the artists loosely work on the edges of Cuban rumba and jazz improvisation." The audience will be seated on the stage!

Thursday-Friday, April 7-8 (7:30pm)

Also: Cultural Trolley preview, Wednesday, April 6 (6pm)

For further information about Young Roots and a conversation with Noemi Segarra, click here. 

Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture
450 Grand Concourse (at 149th Street), Bronx
(directions)