Join us at BAX's Artist Services Weekend, February 10-11

(Brooklyn Arts Exchange) welcomes you to its annual Artists Services Weekend, Saturday, February 10 and Sunday, February 11. The entire weekend of events is free with reservations made here.

For complete details on the events listed below,  click here.

BAX Artists Services Weekend

Saturday 2/10

2:30

Maria Bauman | AIR Open Studio


2:30 – 4:00

PROCESS AS PRODUCT – hosted by Tanisha Christie: a conversation/presentation looking at work that is explicitly or implicitly "process based" whether that is defined as ritual, practice, or participatory; where the work is shown as generative, "raw,"  "unfinished," improvisational and/or in the moment.

Participants include: Nina Angela Mercer (playwright/performer), Aisha Bell (multidisciplinary artist and sculptor), NIC Kay (artist), and BJ Evans (Associate Producer, Performing Arts @ BRIC)


3:30 – 4:30

ORIENTATION AND INFORMATION SESSION FOR 2018/19 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AND SPACE GRANT APPLICATIONS


5:30

Mariana Valencia | AIR Open Studio


6:30

luciana achugar | AIR Open Studio

Sunday 2/11

11:00 - 12:00

ORIENTATION AND INFORMATION SESSION FOR 2018/19 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AND SPACE GRANT APPLICATIONS


11-12:30

REDEFINING POWER

A workshop created and facilitated by BAX's Youth Education Racial Equity Cohort: Angie Pittman, Donna Costello, Maira Duarte, Billy Schultz, Casey Hayes-Deats and Lucia Scheckner

BAX Youth Education invites you to join us for a conversation about ways in which we can dismantle white supremacist power structures while working with young artists (and beyond) in classrooms and studios.


12:00

Kat Galasso | AIR Open Studio


12:00 – 4:00

OPEN FORUM - Studio C will remain open and available throughout the day. Meet a friend for coffee. Lay down on a mat, or continue a conversation from a previous workshop. Light body work will be available at intervals on a first come, first serve basis.

1:30-3:3O

All Black: A Long Table on Stress and Self-Care

presented by
Dancing While Black and Eva Yaa Asantewaa /EYA Projects

Let's talk about the many sources of stress in the lives of Black and Brown artists. What approaches, resources and tools help us counteract the effects of stress on our physical health, psyches, interpersonal relationships and creativity?

Core participants: Rashida Bumbray, Charmaine Warren, Orlando Hunter and Paloma McGregor

Curated and facilitated by Eva Yaa Asantewaa/EYA Projects

Please note that we are holding this private space for Black and Brown artists and community members. We request that all respect this designation.


2:00

Aya Ogawa | AIR Open Studio


3:45-5:45

Space for Everyone: Different Approaches to Finding the Right Space for Your Project and Your Community.

Join Risa Shoup, ED Space works, Inc. as she explores with and brainstorms about developing your own space and the creating & managing of capital campaigns. What does it mean to advocate against cultural displacement and who are our allies in the business community?

With Stephanie Alvarado and Mara Kravitz from 596 Acres. Jimena Martinez from CUMBE, and Katy Rubin from Theater of the Oppressed NY

6:00

Tanisha Christie | AIR Open Studio


BAX
421 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn
(map/directions)

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BAM's Joseph V. Melillo to receive a Bessies honor

Joseph V. Melillo
(photo: Jesse Winter)

The NY Dance and Performance Awards (The Bessies) has announced the recipient of the 2018 Bessies Presenter Award for Outstanding Curating--Joseph V. Melillo, Executive Producer, since 1999, of Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Melillo will receive the award at the Bessies Presenters Gathering on Sunday, January 14 (5-7pm), at La MaMa's Downstairs Theater.

“The Bessie committees wanted to recognize Joe Melillo for his visionary curation for more than three decades,” said Bessies Executive Director Lucy Sexton. “Joe has made sure dance has a place on the stages of BAM—from the grand Howard Gilman Opera House to the adventurous Harvey Theater to the intimate space at the Fisher. He has brought so many international choreographers to New York City and lifted up generations of American dance artists on the world stage. We are thrilled to be honoring him with this award.”

The celebration of Melillo's award is free and open to all in the dance and performance community. Please click here to make your reservation.

La MaMa (Downstairs Theater)
66 East 4th Street (between Bowery and Second Avenue), Manhattan
(map/directions)

ABOUT THE BESSIES PRESENTER AWARD

Established in 2017, the Bessies Presenter Award for Outstanding Curating recognizes a presenter or curator of work performed in the New York City area. It is presented to an individual or curatorial team whose work has had a palpable impact on artists, audiences, or the dance and performance field in general. While the award can recognize sustained achievement in curating or presenting over time, it can equally recognize a particular project, festival, or season that occurred in the past year. Visiting or guest curators, as well as full-time curators and presenters are eligible. The first Presenter Award (in 2017) went to Judy Hussie-Taylor, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Danspace Project. 

ABOUT THE BESSIES

The NY Dance and Performance Awards have saluted outstanding and groundbreaking creative work in the dance field in New York City for 33 years. Known as “The Bessies” in honor of revered dance teacher Bessie Schönberg, the awards were established in 1984 by David R. White at Dance Theater Workshop. They recognize outstanding work in choreography, performance, music composition, and visual design. Nominees are chosen by a selection committee comprised of artists, presenters, producers, and writers. All those working in the dance field are invited to join the NY Dance and Performance League, as members participate in annual discussions on the direction of the awards and nominate members to serve on the selection committee. The Bessies are produced in partnership with Dance/NYC. For more information about the Bessies, visit www.bessies.org.

Follow the Bessies on Facebook / #theBessies / @bessieawards

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"Activate Equity": energy, fresh directions for equity in the arts

Rajeeyah Finnie-Myers,
Project Manager, Field Leadership Fund,
welcomes Activate Equity participants
at Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center
(photo: Eva Yaa Asantewaa) 

How are we? 
We are here! 
-- Goussy Célestin

Sarita Covington (above)
and members of B3W Performance Group (below)
 in Forgiveness Part 1: Forgiving the Personal
by Emily Berry
(photos: Kerville Jack)

This is New York City in 2017, and yet here we are still asking the question, How can we create a more equitable arts sector? And asking. And asking. And asking some more.

The latest inquiry was launched yesterday by The Field, a nonprofit organization that has served the performance and media arts for three decades.

The Field is committed to empowering artists and cultural workers of all identities to achieve their visions.  We provide strategic services to thousands of performing and media artists and companies in New York City and beyond. We foster creative exploration, steward innovative management strategies, and are delighted to help artists reach their fullest potential. Freedom of expression and the rights of all peoples will be honored and respected via our programs, services, staffing and policies.

-- from Mission & History, The Field

Activate Equity: Insights, Inspirations & Connections, hosted by Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, brought together artists, arts administrators, community-oriented arts activists, educators and many for whom those roles overlap. They gathered for a full day of activities addressing concerns that, while predating this time of white supremacist rule in our nation, have only grown in urgency.

Morning events offered inspiration from artists currently enrolled in the 16-month Field Leadership Fund Fellowship program--Haitian-American music and dance artist Goussy Célestin; B3W Performance Group with choreographer Emily Berry; and Eric Lockley, an actor, writer and producer with a strong focus on POC community health issues. A stirring keynote address was given by novelist Renée Watson (founder of I, Too, Arts Collective) who successfully campaigned to raise funds to lease Langston Hughes's Harlem brownstone for programs serving emerging writers. Watson reminded the audience of the risk of feeling isolated and hopeless at moments of crisis and struggle.

"We are not in this fight alone. Thinking you're alone in this work is self-destructive," she said and used the example of her #LangstonLegacy campaign which met its 30-day deadline, raising the necessary $150,000 to sign the lease. "Change," she told us, "is dirty, hard, grueling work. Still, we must plant. We must put in," and have the kind of faith in seeds that farmers have. She reminded us of Assata Shakur's charge:

It is our duty to fight. It is our duty to win. We must love and support one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.

The morning continued with a choice of workshops:

JACK Be Nimble: Choosing Collaborative Governance for Organizational Agility and Radical Process, facilitated by DeeArah Wright and Alec Duffy, examined their process of moving their Brooklyn arts venue JACK "from an organization with a strong hierarchy to one that strongly values collaboration and accountability."

I participated in Art Power: Owning our Capacity to Disrupt Racism, facilitated by Rachel DeGuzman, president and CEO of 21st Century Arts. Inspired by DeGuzman's study of D.W. Griffith's racist feature film The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Ava DuVernay's documentary 13th (2016), this workshop mobilized participants to identify cultural artifacts that stereotype and endanger people of color and, conversely, identify art that highlights the real truths and strengths of people and communities of color.

DeGuzman's workshop, though brief, was remarkably effective. It left me feeling exhilarated. The walls of our meeting room, decorated by colorful Post-it® notes with each of our contributions, gave visual evidence of the abundance of positive, progressive artistry originating in and available to communities of color. In contrast, the negative Post-its seemed puny. Reflecting on this difference, we then each declared and committed to personal strategies for disrupting racism and fostering more equity through our work. These were also abundant in number, specific and actionable.

For my part, I committed to continuing the work I'm already doing but with renewed drive for using opportunities in writing, editing, teaching, coaching, mentoring and curating to create new space and resources for artists of color and people dedicated to anti-racism and equity. DeGuzman encouraged us to find check-in buddies to act as sounding boards and keep us on track with these commitments. I hope, as you read this, you will also keep me posted with your suggestions.

After lunch break, the group reconvened for interactive movement exercises facilitated by Wilfredo Hernandez, Program Manager for The Field. The group then collaborated on data and ideas to contribute to the city's CreateNYC cultural plan which examines issues of access and inclusion; social and economic impact of the arts; affordability of living, working and presentation space for artists; educational strategies and neighborhood development issues. The day ended with a networking reception.

Many, if not all, of the people who attended Activate Equity are already deep into the work of anti-racism, equity and social justice in the arts and society. Someday, I want to walk into one of these events and be blown away to see people from a much wider range of the dance and arts communities of my city, resourceful people who are curious, interested, ready to learn, ready to contribute whatever they can. If you're reading this, know that you're an essential part of our city and of the world we're trying to shape. Each of you have something special to share in this work. We all need one another.

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The Fierce Urgency of Now: A Space to Process the Election

The Fierce Urgency of Now: 

A Space to Process the Election

Tuesday, November 29

7pm to 9pm

FREE/OPEN TO ALL

Initiated by Jill Sigman and Co-Facilitated by Marguerite Hemmings, Joshua Hall, Mary Suk, David King, and other artists and thinkers 

Hosted by Gibney Dance

FREE and open to people of all races, ethnicities, ages, and nationalities, artists and non-artists

The Fierce Urgency of Now is a public dialogue event for artists, activists, friends, colleagues, and affiliates. Many of us are still feeling the need for space and community in which to process the election and its ramifications. Artists and activists are simultaneously part of multiple vulnerable populations; now more than ever, we are concerned about racism, sexism, visas and immigration, access to healthcare, rights and safety for queer and trans people, disability access, affordable housing, financial stability, and so much more. This loosely structured public event creates a “temporary commons” in which to think, talk, wonder, question, imagine, and brainstorm. It is conceived as an open dialogue (not a strategy meeting or a place to determine actionable steps, although if those emerge, we’ll welcome them too). One event can’t do everything. The Fierce Urgency of Now is intended to be part of a collective beginning, which hopefully leads to future dialogues, more focused groups, strategy building, task forces, etc.

For more information, click here.

Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center

280 Broadway (enter at 53A Chambers Street), Manhattan

(map/directions)

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April memorial for performer, visual artist Fred Holland [UPDATED]

Dance, theater and visual artist Fred Holland, who died of cancer on March 5 at 65, will be remembered at a public memorial at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, April 10, 3:30pm. Doors open at 3pm.

And there's still time to catch Tilton Gallery's witty and moving exhibition, Fred Holland: SSAPMOC, just extended now through April 23.

******

Middle Collegiate Church
112 2nd Avenue (between 1st and 2nd Avenues), Manhattan
212-477-0666
(map/directions)

Tilton Gallery
8 East 76th Street (between 5th and Madison Avenues), Manhattan
212-737-2221
info@jacktiltongallery.com
(map/directions)

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We're livestreaming "Dance Criticism in New York"

Above, l-r: Charmaine Warren, A Nia Austin-Edwards, Marissa Perel
Below, l-r: Rose Anne Thom, Jaime Shearn Coan, Siobhan Burke

Eva Yaa Asantewaa
(photo: D. Feller)

If you can't make it to our Dance Criticism in New York panel at Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center tomorrow at 6pm, catch the livestream at:

http://www.danceandnewmedia.org/live

Also, we'll be taking questions for the panel via Twitter! All you have to do is tweet @GibneyDance with #AsktheCritics.

Don't curb your dance enthusiasm! Join Christine Jowers, April 7!

The Dance Enthusiast

invites you to

Dance As Empowerment

Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center

Tuesday, April 7, 6:15pm

Christine Jowers
(photo: Jordan Matter)

Join Christine Jowers (Editor-in-Chief, The Dance Enthusiast) in welcoming Lucija Stojevic, (director-producer of La Chana) and David Leventhal (founding teacher/Program Director for Dance for PD®, a collaborative program of the Mark Morris Dance Group and Brooklyn Parkinson Group) for an intimate discussion about dance as a force for empowerment.

See film clips from Stojevic's upcoming documentary, La Chana, which tells the story of Antonia Santiago Amador (La Chana), a brilliant, self-taught flamenco dancer who, after thirty years, resumed her career in triumph over victimization and physical limitation.

The evening includes a performance by flamenco dancers Sonia Olla and Ismael de la Ros Fernandez and food by Chef Babo.

6:15pm -- first course of food, drinks, socializing

7pm -- flamenco performance and conversation 

followed by second course of food and mingling

PURCHASE TICKETS
 HERE

The Dance Enthusiast, now in its 8th year, is a NYC-based dance news website, that brings the best of NYC dance writing, reporting, and communications to national and international audiences--boasting over 200,000 avid readers a year.

Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center
280 Broadway (entrance at 53A Chambers Street), Manhattan
(map/directions)

Free screening: Dee Rees's acclaimed "Pariah" at BAAD!

Friday, February 6

at BAAD!

5pm -- screening of Pariah

6:30pm -- open mic

8:30 -- dance contest

This free event begins with the powerful coming out/coming-of-age film about a 17-year-old African-American woman quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian and living with her parents and younger sister in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood. She strives to love, be loved and get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity. Directed by Dee Rees and executive produced by Spike Lee.

The screening will be followed by an open mic/open stage for youth and all to express themselves and a dance contest with a $50 cash prize.

Click here to view Pariah's trailer.

BAAD!
2474 Westchester Avenue, Bronx (map/directions)
718-918-2110
BAADBronx@gmail.com

Artists, learn how to navigate Obamacare

EVERY ARTIST INSURED: 

NAVIGATING HEALTH CARE REFORM

Free Actors Fund Workshop

CO-SPONSORED BY 

HOWL ARTS, LA MAMA AND COMMUNITY BOARD 3 

Tuesday, January 13, 6:30-8:30pm

Saturday, January 17, 3-5pm

HOWL HAPPENING GALLERY

6 East First Street, Manhattan

(between Bowery and 2nd Avenue)

(map/directions)

This free workshop will help you understand the Affordable Care Act and provide you with clear guidance on what your options are.  It’s an excellent opportunity for unbiased counseling on an important topic, and includes a Q&A session. RENATA MARINARO, Exchange Navigator and Eastern Region Health Services Director of THE ACTORS FUND, will answer questions like:

What do the "Obamacare" plans cover?
What are the penalties if I don't have insurance?
My income is low – can I get a break on insurance premiums? (Yes!)
Who is eligible for free insurance?  How do I apply?
I don't like the plan I was on – how do I pick a new one?
I'm uninsured; where can I go for discounted care?

For further information, questions and more workshop times (including the Affordable Housing series) and locations please visit actorsfund.org.

Celebrate Kwanzaa at NYC's African Burial Ground

African Burial Ground National Monument

celebrates Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday observed from December 26 through January 1, which focuses on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce and self improvement. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase, “matunda ya kwanza” which means, “first fruits” in Swahili.

    Friday, December 26

        10-10:30am: Libation ceremony and introduction

        10:30-12pm: Drum and dance performance by Fusha Dance

        12pm-1pm: West African drumming class by Cumbe Dance

        1-2:30pm: The Works of Langston Hughes: Dramatic performance by David Mills

        2:30-3:30pm: The Cultural Philosophy of Kwanzaa: Celebrating the Rich Cultural Roots of Americans of African Descent: Dr. Patricia Leonard

    Saturday, December 27

        11am-12:40pm: Film Screening of Tula: The Revolt

        1pm-2:40pm: Film Screening of Tula: The Revolt

All events and activities are free and open to the public but on a first come first serve basis. Schedule is subject to change, please see our website or Facebook page for up-to-date information.

For questions regarding our event please do not hesitate to contact us at african_burial_ground@nps.gov or 212-238-4367.

African Burial Ground National Monument
290 Broadway, 1st Floor, Manhattan (directions)
(212) 238-4367

Maria Bauman says: Come together to grieve and breathe.

photo by Whitney Browne
graphic design by Ashley Phillips

Dance artist, educator and activist Maria Bauman has created an event to support us in self- and community-care as we struggle in the movement for a just society. Please join us on the afternoon of December 31, 1-4pm, for Grieve & Breathe (followed by Solidarity Write-in) at Downtown Art. This is a free event. 

Bauman writes:

Just as pressuring our systems and institutions is key, our self-care and community-care must be part of this movement for justice and liberation. MBDance is offering an afternoon self- and community-care on December 31: 

1:00-2:00 MBDance starts the afternoon with a community-care circle of venting and discussion. The collective stress of navigating oppression and of holding grief creates high levels of cortisol in our bodies and can have us act out in ways that are unhealthy for ourselves and for our communities. We will take dedicated time to talk through our anger, sadness, action, and inaction around the two non-indictments and their larger context. A social worker who has a race analysis will be present to offer resources to anyone who feels he/she/they needs more than the community circle may be able to offer that day.

2:00-3:00 Then we will relieve tension, safely ease and lengthen our muscles, release stashed energy in the body, and take in the caring energy of the group through Partner Stretch & Tension Release. This is free of charge, all gender-inclusive, gender presentation-inclusive, age-inclusive, and body positive; people of all body types and levels of experience are welcome.

3:00-4:00 Afterward, we focus on community care by writing letters of condolence, support, and solidarity to Eric Garner's family: Mrs. Esaw Garner, five children, and three grandchildren. We have been in touch with Emerald Garner, one of the (adult) children; she has provided a mailing address for this purpose and the family welcomes this communication. Families can bring children to this last hour of the afternoon, as well. Crayons and paper will be provided in case children want to draw pictures to send to the Garner family, and MBDance will also provide letter-writing materials including addressed envelopes and stamps.

For updates and further information on Grieve & Breathe (followed by Solidarity Write-In), visit the event page on Facebook. Click here.

Downtown Art
61 East 4th Street (between 2nd Avenue and Bowery), Manhattan
(map/directions)

Thanks so much, Maria Bauman!

Maria Bauman
(photo: Lucilene Barbosa)

Last evening, dancer and community organizer Maria Bauman led a rousing community movement workshop ("Amplification and Scale"), an event of the Community Action Hub at Gibney Dance Center. Alas, the ninety minutes flew by, certainly not time enough to deeply explore Bauman's resourceful tools for engaging diverse communities around racism and other social justice issues. However, a roomful of people, who either did or did not identify as professional dancers, got completely caught up in the joy of our bodies' expressiveness, interacting with one another in an atmosphere of trust, permission and play. Wouldn't it be cool for Bauman to come back and launch an ongoing group that could bond and expand on this promising beginning?

Interested in future Community Action Hub workshops? Keep posted on all events at Gibney Dance Center here.

STooPS: a Bed-Stuy arts and neighborhood event, June 14

STooPS is a community-building event that uses the arts to bring people outside and promotes social interaction among artists, homeowners, residents, and businesses of Bed-Stuy. Bed-Stuy homeowners collaborate with local artists to host mini performances and art showcases on their stoops, yards, or sidewalks. At the same time, various local businesses and organizations will bring folks together at the event’s main space, the Freebrook Mansion at 375 Stuyvesant Avenue. STooPS culminates with performances by several renowned Brooklyn based artists.
Recent changes in demographics and economics have evolved the fabric of Bed-Stuy. STooPS builds on the unmistakable Bed-Stuy identity and bridges the gap between Bed-Stuy “then” and “now.” It is a tangible way to unite artists, new residents, businesses, and those deeply invested in the neighborhood such as homeowners and community organizations. STooPS supports members of the neighborhood in discovering and sharing the multitude of resources that exist within Bed-Stuy.

In 2013, STooPS attracted 200 SightSeers (ticket buyers) along with countless passersby of all ages. The event was featured in the BedStuy Patch, Brokelyn, A.R.T.S.Y. Magazine, and covered by News12 Brooklyn. The STooPS team is ecstatic about engaging the Bed-Stuy community for another year. 
STooPS is just one way to engage, support, and develop Bed-Stuy, and as STooPS expands, the entire Brooklyn community grows stronger.

Keep up with STooPS here.

Camille A. Brown's The Gathering, a rousing success

The visionary Camille A. Brown
who created and convened The Gathering
(c)2014, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

With Baraka Sele (left), discussion moderator
for Brown's historic event
(photo by Cynthia Oliver)

Just do what you do.

-- Katherine Dunham

The Gathering--a special event conceived and convened by Camille A. Brown to offer safe space to discuss issues of concern to Black women choreographers--drew a huge, delighted response and support from all sectors of the field, including men, last evening. Brown--most recently hailed for her powerful evening-length work, Mr. TOL E. RAncE--realized her goal, not only drawing from her own peer group but an inter-generational, intercultural community including arts administrators, educators, journalists, presenters and supporters. Looking around the room, one could spot dance notables such as Dianne McIntyre, Sylvia Waters, Brenda Dixon Gottschild, Ronald K. Brown, Nathan Trice, Elka Samuels Smith, Cynthia Oliver, Edisa Weeks, Paloma McGregor, Matthew Rushing, Renee Robinson, Theresa Howard and many more from New York and beyond. Frankly, the vibes in that City Center studio were mind-blowing!

Moderator Baraka Sele set a respectful, positive and productive tone, creating an atmosphere for deep listening and the discovery of resources we can share. She urged us to focus not on problems but on facts, solutions and our individual and collective responsibilities.

We spoke of numerous issues--from the prevalence of racism throughout the arts system and the need to "de-center" whiteness to a call for adequate resources for physical and emotional wellness for the dancer. Participants cited interests in securing more time and affordable space to develop work, meaningful collaboration, community building and, of course, more funding for our projects. We called for better feedback on creative work, both artist-to-artist and via published critiques. Of course, I mentioned the need for more writers of color in dance journalism and sustainability for all writers on dance.

Time was short but, while we could not address in depth every item on our list, we felt confident that The Gathering will generate future activity and exciting collaborations.

Congratulations and deepest thanks to Camille A. Brown and Baraka Sele!

Write to company_manager@camilleabrown.org to get on the mailing list for The Gathering.

Artists, realize your abundance!

New York Live Arts' Associate Artist Program, OurGoods and Brooklyn Commune Project team up for the next in a series of free events on Operating From a Place of Abundance: Community Asset Mapping, and you're invited.

How do we operate from a place of abundance rather than scarcity? Can we utilize the skills, strengths, and resources that already exist in our communities to bolster and support each other’s work? Could this process of exchange lead to a more vibrant cultural ecology, the realization of each other’s intrinsic and expansive value, and strategies that result in everyone ending up with more than they started with?

Working in small groups, we will each name a challenge we are working on, discover what resources exist within the room to meet that challenge, and then brainstorm additional resources outside the room. As we do so we will visualize all of these resources, creating a map of abundance within our community.

Tuesday, December 17
6:30-8:30pm

(Can't make it? The next one will convene on Wednesday, January 22.)

FREE! All are welcome! (RSVP here)

New York Live Arts

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

(map/directions)

Gibney Dance Center takes action for domestic violence awareness

GIBNEY DANCE COMMUNITY ACTION

OCTOBER IS 
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH!

In observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Gibney Dance Community Action will host a roster of public events throughout this month, beginning next Monday, October 7. See the schedule at the bottom of this post.

Amy Miller

Yasemin Ozumerzifon

Amy Miller (Gibney Dance Associate Artistic Director and company member) and Yasemin Ozumerzifon (Gibney Dance Community Action Manager) recently chatted with me about the Gibney Dance Community Action, a program initiated in 1999 by Executive/Artistic Director and choreographer Gina Gibney. Miller and Ozumerzifon spoke about the program's mission and methods as well as sharing their personal experiences of working with women and children survivors in New York City’s domestic violence shelters.

*****

Yaa Asantewaa: Why does a dance organization care about domestic violence and domestic violence awareness?

Miller: Gina talks a lot about what domestic violence survivors need. They've had their sense of choice robbed from them. Oftentimes, a sense of self-expression has been buried away. Dancers and dancing bring that all together: it's all about self-expression, creativity, working with others and making choices. The two fit together very beautifully. We're bringing tools and prompts and asking them to creatively problem-solve--which is how a lot of choreographers work these days, with physical tasks, using more creative input as a way of developing movement. That's very similar to the model that we're using with the women, where they have a sense of ownership. Everyone is facilitating the workshop. It's not a leader and followers.

Yaa Asantewaa: Before self-expression, there must be self-knowledge. How does dance help restore a healthy sense of self?

Ozumerzifon: One of the reasons that Gina started this program is that dancers have been trained for a long time to listen to the body-mind connection. They have skills and techniques that they have practiced that should be shared with others to help everyone. Dance is a truly different outlet and leads to self-knowledge. You might be tense and not know that you are; you're not aware of it. But then you breathe and relax.

Yaa Asantewaa: That tension can be held or stored information about experiences and feelings. Do you, workshop facilitators, work with anyone with extensive knowledge about issues that can arise when a person begins to work with the body?

Miller: Yes. Each of the dancers goes through a training session brought together from the Gibney Dance model but also spearheaded by Beth Silverman-Yam, Clinical Director of Sanctuary for Families [a non-profit agency serving survivors of domestic violence]. What is domestic violence? What have the women experienced? What will their reactions be? How can we try to circumvent those reactions through various exercises? What to be aware of. Certain things to steer away from. Certain areas to stay sensitive with, and other areas where we can push forward.

We're not counselors. We're not trained to be therapists or dance therapists in any way. We're given a framework where we can use what we already know, which asks the women to look inside and take a second to focus on how they really feel, and then find ways to express that outward working together in groups. And then we always finish each workshop with a Take Care Card with exercises that the women can take away.

Yaa Asantewaa: Are these one-off workshops? Do you ever do a series with the same group of people?

Miller: We’ve started to work with the women in two-month segments so we would have them over a period of time. But women in the shelters are always shifting. Sometimes the turnover of clients will affect how long we get to work with them. Each workshop lives independently but can also live in an arc of diving in deeper if you have the same women.

Ozumerzifon: We’re currently doing 500 workshops a year. We usually go to each shelter once a week. It gives us an opportunity to build on things.

Yaa Asantewaa: Have you seen women experience breakthroughs as a result of your work?

Miller: I know that when I walk into a workshop, there are usually arms crossed. The body language is definitely slightly closed. They have no idea of what to expect or what's expected of them. Many times, they don't know the other women in the shelter. There's a sense of resistance in the beginning but, by the end of it, there's a lot of laughter and eye contact. They've opened themselves up a little bit, and there's a huge shift in the dynamic feeling of the group. They're in these shelters trying to find a job, find housing, trying to figure out what's next, and there's a lot of stress around that. This is an hour to do a little yoga, laugh, find out the name of the person who lives besides you.

Yaa Asantewaa: In a time when dance artists are struggling just to survive and make work, how does the Gibney organization--which is engaged in making and presenting dance, maintaining a large rehearsal and education center, and doing serious, sustained community work--juggle the formidable demands of each of its various components?

Ozumerzifon: All the three components of Gibney Dance--community work, space, the company--are all strongly bound together. It's bringing the possibility of movement to where it doesn't exist. Having a very strong mission makes it easier, because there's a cohesiveness about it. It comes together very organically.

Yaa Asantewaa: How does it work for you as individuals--as instructors, not just administrators?

Ozumerzifon: For my first experience, I went with Sandra, a survivor and mentor at Sanctuary for Families, who had taken our workshops. She really enjoyed movement and created a dance piece, under Gina's direction, called Here to Tell. We did a workshop in a shelter, and she performed it there. That was my introduction, and it was incredible.

Going into a shelter is interesting. Everything is confidential, anonymous. You have to sign things. It's not like going to a dance studios. But the women loved what we did. We giggled and laughed a lot--not what you would picture. Sandra performed, and the women talked with her about her experience. Very different from any workshop that I've taught in my life. [The methodology] is very firm but flexible and relies on your skills. There's room for growth. Actually doing the workshops complements what I do as an administrator. I should know what it is, particularly when I have to write about it.

Miller: In one workhop, I gave a yoga lunge: front leg bent, the other straight, the Warrior II pose. [She demonstrates this lunging pose with hands strongly jutting out in opposing directions as if pushing things away from the body.] The first time I did it, a few women sat back down: "I don't want to do this!" And they say that, too: "I'm not doing that. It looks too hard." The second time I did it, I said, "Well, why don't we, when we push away, think about something we don't want in our lives anymore?" And this woman jumped up and said, "I'm in this!" And she went into the biggest lunge I've ever seen! Pushed her arms really, really tight and had this awesome look on her face. And I said, "And now, let's come back and pull something toward us that we really want in our lives." In every one of them, you could see that the imagery of it became meaningful. That encapsulates the great part of this work.

One of my favorite parts about it is how grounding this work is for me as an artist. It gets me out of the mirror. It gets me to appreciate embodiment of movement, putting imagery to things, creating a narrative for myself in Gina's work. Even that story I just told--incorporating that idea into my own dancing. That's huge. The focus of this is helping me to direct my own choreography away from aesthetics and towards embodiment and meaning in real ways.

I also enjoy how it brings the Gibney company members together in a real way, too.

Yaa Asantewaa: How so?

I think, in the studio, ego becomes much more a facet of what's happening than we want it to, for different reasons, technical reasons, and to think out of the box in a certain way. This focus helps to let some of that settle down, and we can just see one another as people with different backgrounds and aesthetics--and all the differences are great! All of the different layers are accepted, and you don't have to keep pushing against them as much.

Ozumerzifon: I love the advocacy of this work. One in four women in the US experiences domestic violence. The other day, I was having a conversation with a friend, and I told him the statistics. He said, "That cannot be right," and we looked up a lot of the research. It's interesting how little we talk about it as a society, and how it's seen as more of a personal issue or that it's not our problem. So, I love going out there, doing advocacy and educational events.

We did a Bridal March where we walked from the Bronx to Manhattan [with Sanctuary for Families and various organizations]. People shout back at you: "Oh, yeah!" And you can see something changes. I really enjoy that part of it.

Yaa Asantewaa: In addition to your new workshops for children, how is the program growing?

Ozumerzifon: We have started to train others--dancers, social service providers--in the Gibney model. Last year, we started the intensive Institute for Community Action Training where you bring your own skills and learn about how getting them to where you want to take it next. Also, we're going global. We've done a residency in Montreal, but now we've also done a residency in Istanbul.

Yaa Asantewaa: What message does your special week of wellness events--the yoga and meditation sessions--have for the dance community?

Ozumerzifon: It's important to stop and take care of yourself, take that time for yourself. As dancers, we go, go, go, go, go all the time.

Miller: Taking care of yourself has repercussions for how you treat other people. Valuing your health and your well-being translates to how you interact in the world. We're reminded that, yes, taking care of yourself is not extravagant. It's necessary--for you and for everyone you touch in your life.

Ozumerzifon: A lot of what we do is in the shelters, out of the public eye. So I would encourage anyone who's interested and would like to see a little more of the work to attend one of the Open Studios we have on October 16 and October 21 (see schedule below) where we talk about our program, its history, and hear from a clinical staff member from Sanctuary for Families. We do a demonstration of our workshop. It's all open to the public and free.

Miller: And I'd just add that we're taking it out to Union Square Park with Joe Mangrum, the fabulous artist who does sand mandala installations there. We approached him, and he's going to make one with statistics about domestic violence. We're asking the public to join us, doing a brief call-and-response, improvised activity around that. So, if you're in Union Square Park on October 24, feel free to join in!

OCTOBER EVENTS

All Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities are free and open to the public. All--except the October 24 Union Square event--will take place at:

Gibney Dance Center
890 Broadway, Fifth Floor (between 19th and 20th Streets), Manhattan
(map/directions)

Participants can register for and learn more about October’s events by emailing community@gibneydance.org.

October 7-11: Body & Wellness Week

6pm-7pm (Gibney Dance Center, Studio 2)

A series of free wellness activities 

including yoga, meditation and conditioning

October 8: Guess Who's in the Greenroom

11am-2pm (Gibney Dance Center Greenroom)

Maria Bauman, Urban Bush Women

Art, Action, and Equity

Sign up for a 30-minute advice session*

October 16: Open Studio/Community Action

6:30-8:30pm (Gibney Dance Studio 5-2)

Open Studio highlighting 

GDC's ground-breaking Community Action program

October 21: Open Studio/Community Action

6:30-8:30pm (Gibney Dance Studio 5-2)

Open Studio highlighting 

GDC's ground-breaking Community Action program

October 22: Guess Who's in the Greenroom

11am-2pm (Gibney Dance Center Greenroom)

Adrienne Glasser, Experience Wellness Group

Understanding Trauma and the Body 

through Neuroscience, Movement, and Role Play

Sign up for a 30-minute advice session*

October 24: Union Square Advocacy Campaign

2pm-6pm in Union Square Park

Gibney Dance Company interactive public dance

in collaboration with artist Joe Mangrum

*To reserve Greenroom sessions or for further information on these and other Gibney Dance Center programs and resources, click here.

*****

Interviewee bios

Yasemin Ozumerzifon

After completing her primary education at the Royal Academy of Ballet, Yasemin moved to the US where she studied Dance and Psychology at Connecticut College. In order to combine her two passions, she pursued an M.A. at Columbia University in Developmental Psychology with focuses in creativity and human development. Yasemin was a research assistant for a study that evaluated the Guggenheim Museum’s “Learning Through Art” program and apprenticed at the New Victory Theater, where she created School Tool™. Yasemin is proud to be part of Community Action.

Amy Miller

Amy Miller, originally from Ohio, is thrilled to step into her new role as the associate artistic director of Gibney Dance. She is a former member of Heinz Poll’s Ohio Ballet, where she had the privilege of dancing leading roles in works by José Limón, Paul Taylor, Kurt Jooss, Antony Tudor, as well as Lucinda Childs, Laura Dean, Donald Byrd and Alonzo King among many others. She is a founding member and guest choreographer of Cleveland-based GroundWorks DanceTheater. Miller holds a BFA in dance and is also the recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for her choreography. In addition to numerous university residencies, her creative work has been seen at Judson Church, Triskelion Arts, Mark Morris Dance Center, and Scandinavia House and has been produced at Spoke the Hub, West Fest Dance Festival, the West End Theater’s Soaking WET series, and Women in Motion. In keeping with her artistic priority of constantly developing new collaborations, such composers as the genre-defying Ryan Lott (aka Son Lux), guitarist James Marron, Oberlin College graduate Alex Christie, and Oberlin College professor Peter Swendsen have all worked with Miller on a wide range of musical scoring for dance. An avid teacher as well, Miller has been involved in integrated educational residencies within the Cleveland Public Schools sponsored by Young Audiences, an NEA sponsored intergenerational residency at Cleveland’s Fairhill Center for Aging, as well as summer residencies at Cleveland State University and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Recent performance credits include David Parker and The Bang Group, Collective Body Dance Lab, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.

Dance Dr. King's dream on August 28

Let freedom ring!

Take part in the global celebration of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech.

Dance the Dream is a global flash-mob dance on August 28. Find out how you can participate: Click here.

Bold move for Aviva Davidson's Dancing in the Streets

I have an article in the Winter 2013 issue of Seattle-based Grantmakers in the Arts Reader (GIAreader) on New York's Dancing in the Streets organization and its initiatives in the South Bronx.

Click here to read "Dancing in the Streets Busts a South Bronx Move."

The Reader is also now available as an ePub for Apple devices in the iTunes store, for Kindle on Amazon.com, and for Nook tablets on Barnesandnoble.com.

Movement Research: Moving right along...but carefully!

Post-Sandy, the intrepid Movement Research folks have postponed their Studies Project event, Jill Johnston and the Critic as Subject, originally scheduled for this afternoon at The New Museum. However, the following events are still on:

• Studies Projects
  November 5, 6:30 pm
  Movement Research Town Hall Meeting
• Studies Projects
  November 6, 6:45 pm
  JUDSON THROUGH THE EYES OF FILMMAKERS
  $10; $8 students/seniors/Friends of MR; $6 Anthology Members
  MR in Partnership with Anthology Film Archives

For complete details on these and other Movement Research programs, click here.

Dance New Amsterdam update

Get an update on the situation at Dance New Amsterdam at a special town hall meeting this Friday at 4:30pm, just announced:

We know you all have had questions, comments and concerns. So here is your opportunity to talk about it. Come join us to ask your questions and get some answers regarding DNA's progress in our fundraising and our turnaround plans. For more information, please contact Mari Meade Montoya at mmontoya@dnadance.org

Dance New Amsterdam
280 Broadway (entrance at 53 Chambers St.), Manhattan
(map/directions)