Milton Cardona, 69

Milton Cardona, Keeper of New York Salsa’s Beat, Dies at 69
by Jon Pareles, The New York Times, September 26, 2014

Moving with ancestral spirits: Dr. Marta Moreno Vega at NJPAC

Meet

Dr. Marta Moreno Vega

Saturday, May 4 (3-5pm)

Chase Room, New Jersey Performing Arts Center

screening of 

Let the Spirit Move You!  Espiritismo in Puerto Rico

Advance screening of Dr. Marta Moreno Vega's new film and research regarding ancestral Kongo-based sacred tradition of Espiritismo in Puerto Rico. Dr. Vega explores the divine knowledge of traditional elders and practitioners and expresses the concern that the tradition will not be passed on / transferred to younger generations because traditional practices are in danger of not continuing.

Also, learn more about Dr. Vega's life-long legacy and work in the following clips, including an excerpt from the HBO documentary: Latino List.

Baraka Sele

guest curator / moderator

information and tickets

NJPAC directions

    Latino List - Marta Moreno Vega Interview on Vimeo

    Latina Spotlight: Dr. Marta Moreno Vega on New Latina

Spirit in Afro-Atlantic culture

Que viva Chango!: West African deities in the Americas
by Denise Oliver Velez, Daily Kos, December 4, 2011

Congress on Research in Dance (CORD) 40th Anniversary Conference

November 8-11
Barnard College, New York City

An interdisciplinary gathering of scholars and artists to explore dance's past, present and future through the critical prism of migration

Keynote Address • José Moya, Professor of History and Director of the Forum on Migration, Barnard College , Columbia University

Awards Luncheon • Honoring 2007 CORD Awardees Robert Farris Thompson (Outstanding Contribution to Dance Research), Susan Leigh Foster (Outstanding Leadership in Dance Research), George Dorris (Outstanding Service to Dance Research), and Outstanding Graduate Student Research Awardee

Performance • Choreographies of Migration Dance Concert featuring the José Limón Dance Company; Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Co.'s Tracings , an homage to the first Korean Americans, commissioned by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and the Kennedy Center; and a performance by New York-based choreographer and performance artist Sita Frederick.

Plenary • Dancing Diaspora in Brooklyn: Folk Feet Traditional Dancers discuss and demonstrate transnational dance forms, presented by Brooklyn Arts Council, Folk Arts

Film Screenings • Including Meredith Monk's Ellis Island

Over 100 Presentations • Papers, workshops, and lecture-demonstrations focused on the relationship between dance and im/migration.

Membership Meeting

Book & Media Exhibit

Click here for complete information.

Max Pollak and RumbaTap in “Viis”

by Eva Yaa Asantewaa

You know the drill: Someone welcomes us, introduces the show, points out emergency exits and reminds us to stifle our cellphones. But I heard a new twist at Max Pollak’s Joyce SoHo gig: “No text messaging and no receiving of text messages during the performance.” Text messaging? Is there anyone left who still pays attention to the show?

Luckily there was not a single outbreak of high technology at RumbaTap’s performance of Viis, but the evening-length dramatic work, created by Pollak in collaboration with dancer Chikako Iwahori, could have benefitted from clearer correspondence--and I don’t mean email.

I came to Viis with some misgivings about its prospects; unfortunately, those feelings were not dispelled. Inspired by Pollak’s visit to Finland, Viis is set in an undefined place where the Santeria orishas of Cuba and Nordic characters from the ancient Kalevala epic are one and the same and sometimes find themselves tap dancing to jazz. But the Finnish characters and storyline get lost in performance, and the cursory explanation in the program notes don’t help us find them.

This conceptually ambitious gambit rides on Pollak’s world-class reputation. For years he’s been rightly lauded for soulful, seamless integration of tap dance with Afro-Cuban rhythms and chant, and for the extravagant way he gives his entire body over to the music, his dancing and the ground. He is truly a master performer who commands our attention in this work as in others.

In Viis, his hearty crew of musicians--Paul Carlon (tenor sax/flute), Andy Milne (keyboards), Dimitri Moderbacher (baritone sax, flute, clarinet), Alby Roblejo (percussion), Gottfried Stoger (alto sax, flute) and Ileana Santamaria (vocals)–arrive in full force, packing the expected pleasures. There are bright spots in the dancing: in particular, effervescent Lynn Schwab perfectly cast as the flirtatious, self-pleasuring Oshun/Louhi’s daughter character and DeWitt Fleming, Jr. as Oggun/Ilmarinen cutting loose in a tap challenge number with Pollak.

Instead of casting longtime dance partner and collaborator Iwahori as the angry, forbidding witch/Oya character, Pollak could have challenged her to loosen up her stony demeanor and body, and tune up those inexpressive feet. I keep wanting to see more of Iwahori than we usually do, hoping that it’s there.

Near the end, Pollak makes an attempt to render the Finnish aspects of the story more palpable, but by then it’s too late and too cartoonish. This work argues for separation of powers–tap over here, folklore over there–a shame because Pollak’s motivation was a longing for unity among diverse cultures, among all people. Unity is a fine goal, but first let us all be clear about who we are. Identity comes first.

Click here to visit RumbaTap.

(c)2007, Eva Yaa Asantewaa