AFROLOGICAL NEWSLETTER: pas de cat

AFRONAUTS! First off, PAPA DOC?!?! I had to say that, just like that. Yes, Papa Doc Duvalier got somebody in France to let him on a plane so he could rush home to his, ahem, beloved Haiti and do...what exactly? Who had the brilliant idea to let this man back on the island? And during the one year anniversary of the earthquake no less. Makin my heart hurt. He is allegedly under arrest for some money thang, but Aristide remains in exile in South Africa which kinda makes you wonder if some bureaucrat somewhere has a formula to determine when a former exiled ruler gets to go home and under what circumstances. I know many of you have been working to help out Haiti through your art. I especially want to give a More Cow Bell Award to Maia and Congo Square West for their innovative use of their artistic gifts to assist in the recovery of Haiti. It is disheartening to see so little progress in clearing the ruble, and alarming that UN aid workers brought cholera onto the island. Please don't give up hope. This is one of those moments where we cannot let talk radio feedback loops distract us from true progress and healing. Yeah, Tea Bagging Republicans voted to roll back the Health Care Reform, but what a symbolic waste of time while our pledged aid dollars and people power are not getting to Haiti, while our own schools are shortening the instructional year and using consumeristic hoarding tendencies to raise funds. I could go on and on about the fact that the Tea Party is a DISTRACTION and a FABRICATION of the Koch Brothers. But since the brothers Koch have a very strong mesmer and a few Supreme Court Justices partying with them out in the desert while they establish "think tanks" to force the rest of us to do things like compete for every little thing, including surgery apparently, they cannot be ignored any more than a Duvalier in a motorcade in Port-au-Prince. Instead, I want to cajole, instigate, badger,okay, I'll even ask those of you who are convinced you can't make that new piece cause you didn't get that grant, or didn't get into the show, or can't make your art because you have no space, those of you who reside, either occasionally or permanently in the land of Yeahbut to rehearse in parking lots and parks, make work for intersections, corners, roundabouts, and bus stops. Please do this to reclaim the Commons. When asked what you are doing feel free to talk about just about anything at all, but talk, engage. Be prepared! Have your facts straight, but make that art, make that connection, generate some public space.

BLOWIN BACK DA FRO are calls for security in the schools when what we need is humanity and last time I heard, that is generated by belonging to something greater than one's self, like, say, a dance company, a theater club, a woodworking crew. You get my drift. This week we got some surprises headed our way and a few repeat

 FELA! continues to screen live from London in movie theaters near you! For only $20!

International Association of Blacks in Dance come to LA for their annual meeting, hosted by Lula Washington Dance Theater. A la carte tickets are available for master classes at $20 each; conference day rate is $150. There are likely some spaces left!

Check for AFRO ALERTS since there are many things just popping up left and right. Not worth it to aggregate in one big list, Gotta pick out da 'Fro each time! Got an alert? Send a notice to [editor] at afrological dot com.

ONGOING  CLASSES & WORKSHOP

Drum and Dance report: well, my preliminry findings suggest that racism can be a mutha when you're trying to make money giving a traditional dance class! So can faux authenticity. Bottom line, it is time to innovate! So far, innovation is being expressed in classes like Katí Hernandez's Afro-Cuban (Universal Dance Design in Mid City) by combining special workshops on focused repertoire and bringing in master teachers to share her class while offering opportunity to top students to gig with her. Oh, and it helps that she is a loving fireball on the floor.  In Venice, Dani Lunn gives you a chance to dance to a live band that is playing with you in her 7:30 PM samba funk class (Electric Lodge). Viver Brasil is turing up the heat for all of February to get you ready for Big Fatty, a Santa Monica based Mardi Gras/Carnaval. Go to their Tuesday night, 8 PM,  class (Dance Arts Academy) with Badaró and you will learn a Muzenza choreography for performance! I am in talks with Barron Lightner and Fatou Diouf to celebrate the Year of People of African Descent in high style, but until then, you can check out Barron's Monday 8 PM night Guinea  class in Torrance (Hype Studios) and get yourself a drum over at DEUNEU, Fatou's new spot in Leimert Park. Or, if you are in the mood to connect in a Senegalese funk, take my Monday night class in Venice (Studio Moon).

 

LOVELY!

So this is a post from my personal wayback machine ;->  Definitely keep your eyes open for AFRO ALERTS. And look forward to a few series on arts and politics. I hope to read your comments soon.

in love, 

-Anna