Fourth of July, 2011

Happy Birthday USA! Now let us point out some of the most incredible ironies: how do we celebrate the birth of nation that meant the death of so many others and the imprionment and enslavement of entire ethnic groups of people from the Western Coast of the Continent of Africa, large swaths of Scotland and all of Ireland? Imagine, if you will, a nation facing its history of conquest and crimes, seeking reconciliation and seeking a present, not only a future, but a present, a nownow, that was inclusive and dismissive of the amazing variety of people that we call "Americans." Would that not be one nation under a groove?

 

We Are Royalty

Another song to know! The Youth from Crenshaw area schools have learned this song. Put your ancestor into the mix at the call!

Learn this for Festival of The Mask

This Sunday, June 25, 2011 in Leimert Park in Los Angeles,CA the procession begins at 3pm. This event by Najité, who is leading the song in the video.

AFRO ALERT: Neighborhood Festivals For Family Fun This Morning!

It's Saturday, Afronauts! For those of you hardcore thespian, film mavens and performance artist types, I'll see you later on. You are probably just rolling over anyway at 10 AM after all the art-magic at DanceCamera West, Los Angeles Film Festival, Grand Performances, Hollywood Fringe Festival, RADAR Theater Festival, and TCG conference. If you want to see how the critics enjoyed some of the work, check out engine28.com for NONSTOP coverage. I kid you not. I went to the REDCAT Lounge after Sheetal Gahndi's "Human Nature" and engine28 was setting up at 9:30. Setting up! I love it. 

But right now, family fun for everyone! Yes! Hustle your bustle to any of these events today and you will be quite happy with yourself. I am headed to Baldwin Hills for the 2nd Annual Parade and festival. They kick off at 11 AM with a giant puppet march! Hope to see some of that. Waedao Sirisook & Michael Sakamoto will be performing, among others, beginning at noon. FREE. Wear your sneakers. It is really a HILL. No disposable water bottles. Bring a reusable bottle. Awesome. 6300 Hetzler Road, Culver City, CA

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/251687_10150334376274746...

<br /><small>View Larger Map</small>

In Leimert Park, the first of a two-day Juneteenth Celebration began at 10 AM. My money is on Noon. Their invite recommends you shop for your pop with their vendors and enjoy the music and performances. KJLH is the radio sponsor, so this will be a large event, and according to Leimert ParkBeat, Texan! Have a look at their coverage of last year's event. It will be a great time. Be prepared to walk a bit for this one, too since it is set up in the parking lot for the area, behind the Vision Theater. https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/195755_211294518893999_...

<br /><small>View Larger Map</small>

 

In Oxnard, CA (yeah, I said Oxnard) their 21st Annual Juneteenth Celebration kicks off at 11 with Ijoya Drum & Dance Ensemble performing at 1:30 

http://gallery.mailchimp.com/76359758f0ac5cc69d920d1ee/images/ROL3.1.jpg Juneteenth Festival

June 18th at 1:30pm
5th street /Plaza Park,  Oxnard

 

What is Juneteenth? Africans who were being held as slaves in the state of Texas did not find out that they had been declared free September 22, 1862 by Abraham Lincoln until June 18th & 19th, 1865. From the wikipedia entry: 

Though Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves’ day-to-day lives, particularly in the Confederate States of America. Texas, as a part of the Confederacy, was resistant to the Emancipation Proclamation, and though slavery was very prevalent in East Texas, it was not as common in the Western areas of Texas, particularly the Hill Country, where most German-Americans were opposed to the practice. Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1865. June 18 is the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. On June 19, 1865, legend has it while standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3”:

So it became quite the celebration, with a parade that always ended with those who had been enslaved closing the parade in a solemn walk. Today, it is a festival that celebrates the tenacity and creativity of people of African descent. 

 

Heading out west to the beach:

The Neptune Festival is being revived. Yo Venice is reporting the rules of engagement and the bar for the after party. This event was an annual parade waaay back in the day, rather segregated judging the photos from Venice Paparazzi's site (they appear to be the organizers), which is odd given who used to live in Venice--historically it had a  black core, though the "Negro beach" was Manhattan Beach. Nonetheless, this event has the modern Venice Vibe on it: free your mind and your backside will follow. Sounds invigorating in that Pacific-Ocean-without-a-wet-suit kind of way.

Venice High turns 100 next weekend! The movie Grease will be projected on the side of Venice High for free sing along. Venice High, on the corner of Venice & Walgrove, was the site for Rydell High in the movie! This will be a complete freakfest of a scene, so come early to stake out your patch of grass. I plan to dance along. Are you interested? http://theopendaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Screen-shot-2011-05-26-at-...

 

And finally, let's go east to Atwater Village, where an up and coming arts colony has taken root along the river. The second Artist Bailout begins today at 3 PM. The Bailout is part of an internaitonal movement of "Soup Kitchens" where artists come together to support ech other's work through an instant micro-grant. The grant is generated by charging a small amount for a bowl of soup $5. The purchaser is then given a ticket to use as a secret ballot for the anonymous project s/he likes the most, which are circulated in advance or posted at the dinner site. I helped itch dance journal's Sarah Wolf run a soup kitchen which was hosted by Nehara Kalev back in 2009. We had  great time. The twist on the Artist Bailout at Atwater Village is that there are only two projects up, and you will know who they are, plus, there are donors for things beyond the soup. This creates a large possibility for the artists who have their work up! Head over to the event today at 3PM. $10 to eat, $5 to vote only. Or, start your own! Atwater Crossing 3191 Casitas Avenues, L.A. CA 90039

<br /><small>View Larger Map</small>

Well, my family has voted down a run to Baldwin Park, so I hope to make it to Leimert Park! Have a wonderful Emancipation Day!

Leimert Park ArtWalk, May 2011

See the full gallery on Posterous

AFRO ALERT:Gil Scott-Heron Walks On

Reports are flowing in that seminal poet, Gil Scott-Heron has passed away. At least he gave us one last sinewy album to rock our consciousness before he made his departure. The revolution will not be televised, it will be passed via hugs, earphones, and messages in the night.

VISCERA lands the N2 B.O.O.G.I.E. mission at the Van Nuys FlyAway

The ori.Xas find themselves outside the jump station...again. 'Bout To Get On, Artistic Directon by Anna B Scott, Photo by Andy Holtzman http://www.dailynews.com/ci_18124749?source=rss_viewed

WHAT A BLAST!

A huge thank you to my cast >>Pat Payne, Judith Scott, Staci Mitchell, d.Sabela Grimes, Paul Outlaw, Alexandria Yalje, Amy Shinson-Santo, Shelby Williams-Gonzalez, Anindo Marshal, Jahanna Blunt, Adanna Jones, and Baker Scott de Almeida

Thank you to staff of Department of Cultural Affairs and LAX World Airports, and especially the staff of the FlyAway itself for their willingness to play along, eventually ;->

We just completed 'Bout To Get On, an installation at the Van Nuys FlyAway and now I turn to getting involved with the politics around the FlyAway system that our work sought to highlight.

 

Did you know that you can only buy passage with a credit card on the FlyAway system?

Did you know that just last week, a report was released from their offices stating that it continues to run in the red at a tune of several million dollars a year?  Worst example: the bus that departs Westwood (serving the campus of UCLA) has an average of 7 passengers for each trip.  SEVEN.

Some of the things I discovered while preparing the piece would point to missed ridership and an overly narrow focus on service delivery. For example, each time I was there,  at least 2 individuals required assistance from fellow travelers to get their ticket since they either did not have a major credit card (meaning they had Green Dot or some other pre-paid card service), or had insufficient funds (the last actually happened during the show while I was in negotiations with him to show me his ticket).  Another thing we discovered during the show, the "tickets" expire in one hour and are mere flimsy fax paper receipts, very easily smudged!

With a series of performances and opportunities for audience feedback, even changing the ending of the show in real time, for example, 'Bout To Get On could help the FlyAway project managers and users work together to design a better system more friendly to multiple types of riders.

'Bout to Get On is absolutely fabulous, and now I am ready to go deeper with the work. So pelase, contribute, sign up for our shortcode messages, cause we just got the refractor beam harmonized: it's time to discover the rhythm of seamless transportation in LA.

Make a donation today!  A fun inversion of the show might appear at an ArtWalk near you...

 

This installation was made possible by the generous support and/or assistance of Earnestine & William D. Scott; Mary Trautwein of reDiscover Center; Cooper Bates Photography; Stephanie Sills of Ingenuity on Call; Baba Thiam, Tailor; Baba Fasegun; Keisha Davis of Community Build, Leimert Park; Fractured Atlas; Lucy Florence; Lula Washington Dance Theater; Anindo Marshall, and Pat Payne.

'Bout To Get On is the inaugural installation of the Ephemeral Art Program of the Public Art Division of the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs in Association with The Los Angeles World Airports.

AFRO ALERT: or cp-timed listings 5/23/2011

AFRONAUTS!

 

If you are in Los Angeles area, I would like to cordially invite you to dance theater installation by my pick-up performance instigation troupe, VISCERA. The show is called 'Bout To Get On and happens today, Monday May 23 at 2 PM then again at 4 PM. It is free! Commissioned by The Los Angeles World Airports and the division of Public Art in The Department of Cultural Affairs, 'Bout To Get It On asks the question: what happens when the signs in the airport turn out to be extraterrestial beings on mission to find their team leader?

 

Make a donation to the project! We have some fancy t-shirts for everyone donation over $75. New gift ;-> And the QR-Codes will make an appearance at the Leimert Park Art Walk, so get on the bus!

AFRODESIAC

STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING, AFRONAUT, AND RELISH IN THIS GIFT.

Give thanks for the Afrosphere!

More on Kevin K.O. Olusola can be found on his website.

DANCE ARTS BREAKING INTERNATIONAL NEWS: SAND to screen at Cannes

Los Angeles screen dance and dance filmmakers should be absolutely beside themselves with joy at the announcement that Cari Ann Shim Sham• is headed to Cannes. Her moving short film, SAND, has been invited to screen in The American Pavillion on May 18th, 10:30 AM. What does it take to get into the final 16 at the Pavilion? Clearly, a whole lot of shim sham verve and class.

Kyle Ruddick & Cari Ann Shim Sham* at The Idea Project Dinner Series, AD, speaking about Ruddick's project, One Day On Earth.

The American Pavilion hosts young and emerging filmmakers, giving them an opportunity to meet industry insiders while having their work showcased. The 16 films are gleaned from a nationwide call to ALL film schools. It is out of this rather competitive and large pool that SAND emerged as a singular work. In addition to being hosted at the American Pavilion, SAND will screen in the out-of-competition segment of Court Métrage. Directed by Cari Ann Shim Sham* and co-produced with Kyle Ruddick, SAND is at once a dance film and an archival document.

<p>Sand Trailer from Cari Ann Shim Sham* on Vimeo.</p>

LA was quite fortunate to see SAND first, at the 2010 installment of DanceCamera West, where many thought it deserved top prize. Your writer here, though, was among a group of 50 who saw it at UCLA, the crowning jewel in an exquisite MFA reel by Ms. Shim Sham. After the re-edit of Bleu into the even more incredible Are You For Real, the audience could not imagine anything better. After the first 60 seconds of SAND, we were quite clear that a) Shim Sham is an incredible story teller; b) this was no simple documentary, no class screen dance post modern pastiche, clearly not an elegiac biopic. No, SAND is something rare, incredible, precious: it is a gift to all involved, given by all involved, including the audience.

 

If you are now slapping yourself for having missed SAND last year, you can at least get to meet Ms. Shim Sham* herself at DanceCamera West in 2011. She is also on the screening committee for the festival and serves as the curator of short films at the Topanga Film Festival (a very sweet festival if you have never been. Still looking for other ways to connect with the Cari Ann Shim Sham* magic? Sign up at One Day on Earth and she is likely to see your footage. She serves as the educational tool kits core writer and facilitator for the project and constantly digs through the ever-expanding group-sourced archive looking for wonderful surprises to share with the One Day On Earth Community.

So join in a toast and click those heels for Cari Ann Shim Sham*!

Ogum has no clothes

Ogum Ko aso.amr Listen on Posterous

Vania Amaral

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Ogum Onire.amr Listen on Posterous

AFRO ALERT: Pentacle Dance Break NOW

Pentacle'’s Help Desk/L.A. and Bootleg Theater

 Pentacle’s Help Desk/L.A. and Bootleg Theater
in association with Dance Resources Center, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles Stage Alliance and Show Box LA 

invite you to join us at the Second Los Angeles Dance Community Meet and Greet

Want to meet others in the L.A. Dance community and see old friends?  Looking for partners for collaboration, opportunities for performance or for resources to help you build your dance company?  Join us for an evening of music, socializing and fun for L.A.’s dance makers.  All are welcome! 

When:            Monday April 25, 2011, 7pm

Where:           Bootleg Theater

2220 Beverly Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90>
View Larger Map

 

 

Earth Day Anyway

Funny thing about LA and its enclaves: you can get the same celebration with different inflection for about 2 months from the actual day. Though today was Earth Day, be aware that you have not missed all the festivities.  In fact, Santa Monica, known for its festival on the Promenade, did not through an event this year, thei blog asks you to wait until June. South LA did theirs last week. Wishire Corrider had a Car Free Day Across the City starting at 6 PM, but I was definitely in my car at that time, hustling costuming...in Lemiert Park which did not have an event (maybe they are firmly South LA). Saturday, April 23, however, Topanga Canyon rolls out the green carpet for us all. This Earth Day Event is rumored to be EPIC. If only there were shuttles up the hill so you did not have to drive...In any event, it is Earth Day everyday; this is the only mothership we got y'all. I continue to read Bridge at the Edge of the World by James Gustav Speth and wonder if we are goign to own that fact sooner rather than later. 

 

honestly, this image does not soothe me one bit. The world is turly in our hands, but we keep mistaking it for an orange ready to juice.

Obama fans wait on Motor

waiting on Obama1.amr Listen on Posterous

Afropos #1; Gas and Go No More

Are your show tickets swirling in your gas tank? Afrologica editor Anna B Scott, the Doctoradancer, has spent the last week in think tanks considering the impact of the arts on the environment. It ain't always pretty.

Appearances
With gasoline now "cheap" at $3.99 in LA, and actually averaging $4.17 for gas that does not make my car go "are you crazy!" I find myself self-sidelining. I was not really aware why I kept missing shows, or just ignoring certain invites where normally I would make a way to show up for at least a bit of it. You know how your subconscious always shows your behind? Well, as a mother of two, mine went into survival mode, which for me translates as, almost all art consumption has to either serve the three of us, or save their little lives once a week. We are down to community arts experiences and two weekly master dance classes that I take, and one dance class that I give.

Weird.

I am astonished at the number of magnificent things I just decided I would not see. But yesterday, when I went to put that gas in my tank and realized that since I was waiting for some payments to come through on Monday, I would need to only pt in a 1/4 of a tank, everything slid into place. Awareness found me: I am not going because going costs me before I even buy the ticket. Obviously this has always been the case, but now, it is exceptionally clear. After sitting with this realization, other connections made themselves known.

<insert personal art infographic here>
I am reading The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, The Environment and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability. This was an assignment given to participants of "Arts and Environmental Dialogue" sponsored by the California Lawyers for the Arts. The event was on April 17. I was added to the guest list on the 16th, so I only deeply read chapter 1 and skimmed the rest. I am now going back over it. I want to invite those of you so moved, to read this with me. Here's why: according to Debra Deets, landscape architect with LA City Dept. of Public Works, there are 400 SQUARE MILES of city here and 8,000 SQUARE MILES of street. If you go and check out the Dance Ninja's interactive map of just dance studios and then the recently released SpaceFinderLa interactive map of performance-centered space, you'll notice that "space" is flung across various locales in LA, with normally significant distance between your audience and your stage or you and your rehearsal space or you and the cool community art event or...We are very quickly about to experience an oil-fueled crisis in the arts.

Each time we crank up our gas-fueled car or truck we had some carbon to the air. once we get on the freeway, driving at a clip, we add particulate in the air. When you get close to all the amazing art places downtown and begin to idle your car while you impatiently wait to make the transition from the 10 to the 110, you really dump a lot of carbon on the heads of folks who live in Adams. Are we asking certain neighborhoods to bear the health cost of our art making/consumption?

Last night I announced to the kids that they were going to give up chips, beef and juice. These foods are too expensive in more ways than one. I was listening to a radio interview on Pacifica where the speaker talked about water getting exported int he form of grain. Something like every ton of grain has at least 100,000 gallons of water in it?!? What this comes down to is that my kids' diet contributes to water crises in other parts of the state and the nation, but also to the oil crisis, which means it creates an art crisis.

Our food consumption creates an art crisis?

Our desire to drive to go and see more than one event in a day creates a health crisis?

Kicking the Habit or the Can Down the Road?
I am very excited about the new train lines. I do not think they are coming fast enough, but I want them to be safe and well built, so I work on my patience. But when you check out a Metro map of Los Angeles, you'll see that the trains are not really going to do all that much for most of us living here. Trains at grade should go in on Venice, Pico, and Santa Monica Blvds. for their entire lengths. Perhaps we'll see that in the next en years. But right now, we are going to need to make a way to get the art adventurer mobile without feeling like an ecoterrorist (and yeah, that term has been used against people who are working to save the planet, but I think it should be applied to people who keep doing the same ol' thing with their oil, water and food consumption).

• SuperShuttle for the Arts?
• Dance Van?
• ARtBUS?
• Can we buy carbon offsets along with season tickets?

At that meeting sponsored by CA Lawyers, I asked Council member Jan Perry if there had been any consideration of applying a car surcharge to all ticket sales for art events downtown with the money pooled as a way to sustain improvements that are being made with redevelopment money which is now 'disappeared' by Gov. Jerry Brown. She gave me one of those looks, did some talking, and we had a bit of a back and forth about license plate lotteries, economic development, the shows starting on a bus, etc. She gave me her card afterward. In the Bridge at the Edge of the World, James Speth outlines the ways that change towards saving the planet and human society (no planet, no humans) is regarded within government and capitalism, one of which was Policy World. Jan Perry firmly lives there. Are we willing to hand her ideas for policy that make art practice, consumption, and advocacy sustainable?

This past Thursday, I got invited to the Imaginative Commons and joined the housing think group. Thankfully, our team was lead by Beth Steckler, member of MOVE LA, an advocacy group for thinking about housing as the new Metro stations develop, and Jan Williamson, executive director of 18th Street arts center. This issue of travel for artists is also tied to the issue of space for artists to LIVE and make work. What a conversation. The entire event was put together by LA County Arts Commission and the California Community Foundation. Claire Peeps of the Durfee Foundation lead us in a "speed summit" with several think groups created around the core missions of the Mayor's Office. Sobering, tough work, but enlightening work.

So now, I am thinking about that gas in my tank and the missing programs and tickets. I am concerned about popping into community arts activities without setting forth a travel plan and looking for folks to carpool with me. I am mad that there is no longer a student cash fare on the bus and that children 5 and up must pay. I am wondering about how far will this all have to go before we decide to remember that thriving as a species never occurs when we work as individuals, but as groups that problem solve, negotiate and collaborate on meeting our basic needs.

It would be ridiculous to have everyone thrown into survival mode because of the cost of gasoline. It sucks that there are people who are expected to live there, and those who believe that that is the only setting on the TV called their life. And now I go to get in my car to drive to an art district because art making has been zoned a nuisance.

I just thought this was apropos.

Big shout out to Giavanni Washington for coming up with the title I am using above. This new title is for things that have me going...where, I do not know.

Medusa Talking out the side of her neck

Medusa talking.amr Listen on Posterous

This is Leimert Park...

Tell your story, Honor your Mask

Medusa testifies about her ancestry. Najité parses the code.

AFRO ALERT: Dance break!

Seriously! First Lady MIchelle Obama, Beyoncé and Ailey Dance have teamed up to make this "flash workout" for kids. After watching it, I think this would make a great teambuilder for adults. So Let's Move!

 

http://youtu.be/-sN5VALvrVE

Head over to the Ailey blog and leve your comments on teh video there. But f you have something snarky to say, like, thankfully Beyoncé is not in the video, feel free to post that here;->

Spring and 6th

Finally a bit of entertainment.

Cigars on Spring.amr Listen on Posterous

Just off the Metro at Ciclavía

Ciclavìa q.amr Listen on Posterous

REDCAT on Broadway

History wound round itself.

million dollar theater.amr Listen on Posterous

AFRO ALERT: AUDITION for 'Bout To Get On

VISCERA Performance Instigation Troupe (a pick-up project of Vita Vibrare) is in search of dancers and dancer-actors to join our site specific piece, 'Bout To Get On to be performed at the Van Nuys FlyAway, May 21, 2011.

"'Bout to Get On," A Site Specific Sci-Fi Thriller proposed by VISCERA for the Van Nuys FlyAway, utilizes structured improvisation, Dance Theatre and Kinetic Sculpture for 6 character-dancers and 7 body installations based on an ancient creation myth of the world form the Yorúbà tradition. The FlyAway is a docking station, receiving patrons from across the space-time continuum and metaverse. A team of Ori has descended the Sut/Chain of Light and  landed from Olorun in search of resources and their leader. Many patrons of the Los Angeles World Airports will recognize them immediately: they are the signs that move you along your journey. Or are they?

We are normally about 7 strong but some of the team have other projects rolling. This means you have an opportunity to join us beyond this gig. The details:

Auditions will be in Leimert Park in 2 weeks, week of April 11. There will be rehearsals once a week starting week of April 18th. Dress rehearsal on site is on May 14th. The performance is May 21. I am looking for 7 dancers for non-speaking parts to perform as living sculpture and 2 - 3 dancing actors who are comfortable with improv. The performance is paid with some reimbursement for mileage to site.  Must be adventurous, have a quick wit, work as a team player, and have a solid foundation in your respective movement idiom. Must be able to articulate body isolations. Knowledge of traditional dances of the Yorúbà diaspora (Lucumi, Candomblé, Santería, Shango Shouter, Dahomey, Voudun) is a definite plus.  

Please email anna [at] vitavibrare [dot] com or call 323-642-7037 and leave your name, dance training, and contact. Further details as to the specific location of the audition will be forthcoming.

'Bout To Get On is commissioned by the Department of of Cultural Affairs Public Art Division as one of two pilot projects in its new Ephemeral Art Program.

 

AFROLOGICAL NEWSLETER: hope floats

AFRONAUTS! The last ten days have been harrowing, to say the least. Actually, let's make that 15. Amidst it all, you lovely, freakish wonderful artists have been giving it your all, no matter what. Let's not confuse this with going all Nero. No, this drive to create, to perform, is grounded in the belief that all that makes us human is at its best when we are surrounded, suffused in beauty. So I want to personally thank everyone who insisted that the show must go on. My body couldn't on more than one occasion. A hazard of the job, I suppose, when the job is to know more than you can possible do anything with. However, during these days of major transformation, precipitation, and annihilation, I have become clear that the job of an artist right now is not to witness but to manifest. This, fellow travelers is precisely why artistic production, research, expression and output is under such intense attack in the United States right now, why it is outlawed in Belarus, why it is under surveillance in Indonesia. This is also why it is integral to daily life in places like Brazil, Senegal, and Israel but channeled through official organs of the state. It is why it is in flight in Guinea once again, why it is being disappeared in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and Palestine. It is also the core expression of the Jasmine Revolution in Egypt, the stupendous face off in Wisconsin and all the gatherings of people inspired by manifestation of change through the art of being human. Being love.

I know, I never do two paragraph intro to these newsletters, but there is a lot to ponder. This year Holi, Nowruz, the Equinox and a super moon all coincided. Nowruz is likely the inspiration for Easter, as it means "new light," and is associated with the return of spring. It is the Persian New Year. Holi is a festival of color in India. COLOR! People throw perfume and color and at each other and sing and dance, bathed in the rainbow. With the moon so superduper close to the earth and all these colorful festivals going on I was reminded of two things: 1) a scene from the Kurosawa film, Dreams, where the worst has happened and the nuclear meltdown has occurred--colored gas alerts people to the stages of their death; 2) Aida Wedo, the boa constrictor that holds up the world has a multicolored belly so when we look up and see the rainbow, we are looking at its belly. In death there is art; there is beauty in the transition. As Dr. Seuss said, "don't be sad that it is over, be glad that it happened." So here we are at metaphorical, political, epistemological, and if they bury those darn reactors soon, physical endings. We can no longer believe that having someone else, or a group of them, represent us is a viable way to conduct living. To profit is not human; to share is human, is the primary primate mandate. And yes, it is profitable to share, but we must begin thinking beyond humans, beyond animals, beyond plants; we must even share with microbial worlds. Not extraterrestrial but intercellular. In all of this, the drive to create is glorious and necessary, central to our very survival. Don't stop, git it, git it.

 

Afrolicious. Afrodelic. Afronautical. Afrologica. Fractal, improvisational, polemical, pedagogical, neurochemical, inspirational... that's the Logic of the Afro. Sign up, read up, be up. How big is your 'fro?

 

BLOWIN BACK DA 'FRO spring has sprung in the midst of a torrential downpour for us here in southern california at exactly the same time the nuclear plume from a beleaguered Japan was to reach us. Let's light it up! Let you "exceptionally low dose" of radiation be your super fuel. We are all mutants now. As Seth Godin said last week in his newsletter, "don't wait to get picked by someone, pick yourself." Werd.

 

The Garage, 975 Howard St. (Between 5th and 6th streets), San Francisco, CA Friday March 25 8pm – Saturday March 26, 2011 10pm

Tim Rubel Human Shakes performance

Tim Rubel and Rogelio Lopéz will show an excerpt from Tim Rubel Human Shakes' evening length work-in-progress, "Eroticize This!" The piece weaves the audience down a humorous path filled with erotic desire, exotic fantasy and fun at the beach.  The human desires for love and connection to others, are presented in direct relation to how queer individuals are eroticized and exoticized by a heteronormative public.

With New works by Harvey Rabbit and Kevin Seaman as well.

 

 

Dances Made to Order

 Here is a chance to get some swag by co-creating a dance for film with a choreographer and their dancers. http://dancesmadetoorder.com/41d1c3/ New Project of Kingsley Irons. Mr. d. Sabela Grimes is on the line up of he first round, looks verrrrrry interesting. Sign up. Voting begins April 1. Which kinda has me wonderin'…

 

 Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica 

SUNOH! TELL ME, SISTER, Friday & Saturday, 8 PM; Sunday 2 PM; April 1-3; $20 tix

 

Shaymyla wants you to come out and see how some diaspora artists get down over the 'net. The PostNatyam collective's latest work is meta: it's about how they make work being high powered, transnational globetrotting women.

 

 

The Alexandria Hotel,  501 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013 in the King Edward ballroom

Anatomy Riot #40

presented in partnership with the Blankenship Ballet at the Alexandria

Monday , April 11, 2011, 8:00pm; tickets $10 at the door ~ no reservations

"For April's 40th edition of Anatomy Riot, we are going old school and featuring choreographers over 40. Co-curated by Ilaan Egeland Mazzini and Lionel Popkin, the evening is designed to look where we are going, recognize where we are, and give props to where we've been."

featuring:

Rosanna Gamson, David Hurwith, Ilaan Egeland Mazzini, Lionel Popkin, Wendy Rogers, Susan Rose

 

Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE)

6522 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA Thursday Apr 14 7pm – 8:30pm

What Did I Do to Be So Black and...

“What Did I Do to Be So Black and…” is a surrealistic and satirical meditation on a controversial alternative lifestyle: blacks and gays in the Republican Party. This new interdisciplinary work will feature live performance and video by Paul Outlaw, as well as sculptural costume and prop pieces by Curt LeMieux. "What Did I Do to Be So Black and..." is the final performance of SO FUNNY IT HURTS, a four-night performances series about satire and the subconscious. This is the first show produced by NATIVE STRATEGIES, a new LA-focused performance art showcase and journal initiated by Brian Getnick, Zemula Barr and Molly Sullivan. The performance will be followed by a Q&A with Paul Outlaw, Curt Lemieux and other SO FUNNY IT HURTS participating artists.

For more information please go to
www.welcometolace.org "What Did I Do to Be So Black and..." is funded in part by an ARC grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation.

 

The Landmark

10850 WEST PICO BLVD, West Los Angeles, CA, Wednesday April 27 6:30pm – Saturday April 30, 2011 9:30pm

4th LOS ANGELES BRAZILIAN FILM FESTIVAL - LABRFF 2011

Celebrating its 4th anniversary, the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival- LABRFF will take place at The Landmark in West Los Angeles from April 27th - May1st. 

LABRRF will showcase over 30 films from Brazil. The festival will offer free seminars, workshops and opportunity to network with a lot of Brazilian directors and producers. For more information please send an email to info@labrff.com TICKETS FOR THE OPENING NIGHT WILL BE ON SALE SOON. 

 

and finally, save the dates and get ready for a road trip all you rumberas/os! Fri May 13 8pm – Sat May 28, 2011 7th Annual CubaCaribe Festival

 

 

QUERIES

Dance Truck

Dance Truck needs a SOD Sponsor--that's right, 1500 square feet of sod.
It will be used at The Goat Farm Atlanta in a performance by choreographer Blake Beckham. It can then be re-purposed for someone's front yard, a mini golf course, or a dry patch in Piedmont Park....
Anyone have a lead?

itch

Call for submissions: In this year of the rabbit and itch's 5th anniversary, we offer up an invitation to talk about celebrations, new modes of protest and approaches to making a mark in the world. Let's bring back the soft, meandering clarity of our childhood minds as a force for re-conceiving the past, present and future. Dream us up a fable, a drawing, or share your research, first-hand experiences or future fantasies. Read complete call http://www.itchjournal.org/itch_dance_journal/thirteen.html

 

 

 

 

ONGOING CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Babacar is back for another installment of his ferocious Sunday (3/27) djembe class at Crenshaw Yoga and Dance, 5426 crenshaw blvd., Los Angeles, CA. $15 at the door. Advanced Senegalese, so you will know whether or not you can dance.

Economic Dance Relief with Alexandria Yalj -self producing performance artist with an MFA in choreography from CalArts. If she is not chasing the sun regardless of direction, she's probably diligently coordinating the next Collective Movement. Classes are $12 @ the Electric Lodge 1416 Electric Avenue Venice, CA 90291. Saturdays, 2:30 - 4:30 PM. Carpool!

 

Kati Hernandez, human volcano, is launching a 4 week Rueda de Casino intensive in Eagle Rock 4210 Panamint Street (on the corner of Eagle Rock Blvd.) Los Angeles, CA 90065 (gorgeous studio, btw) Saturdays March 26- April 16th, 11:00 am -1:00 pm; $20/door or $75 prepaid for the series. Pre-pay at any of Kati's classes or contact Kati @ happyhappykati@yahoo.com She will be joined by her dance partner Duane Wreen. This is too hot to miss.

 

In Chicago, my girl Meida McNeal brings it with a special series of talks, investigations, classes and performances (whew) called To Art & Profit. Next installment is at the Elastic Arts , 2830 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, March 20. http://toartandprofitpanelweek1-efbevent.eventbrite.com

Congolese dance class is back in So. Cal with Patrick Ssenjovu and Anna Scott! @ InFocus Wellness Institute, 719 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA; Fridays, 7:30 PM, by donation.

 

ACTION

The Department of Cultural Affairs keeps coming up for the chopping block. This time, before the battle even got going, Mayor Tony Toni Toné hastily wrote a letter of support stating that he had no plans to cut the DCA, that an independent review recommended it, but he stands by the Arts. So by all means, keep writing him and calling him to remind him that he said that as the budget process continues. We all know how fickle he can be. For info on how to take action on this and other important art policy issues in LA, please join Arts4LA. They rock.

OK, Dance for Democracy, or the Double D Movement is still rolling. I have personally avoided buying any new Lycra items and have received a few reports from friends that they too are foregoing new Lycra. Why are we doing this? Did you know that your Lycra purchases are helping to end your democracy? The Koch Brothers own the Lycra brand (along with many many others) and are channeling your money into the war chests of ill-prepared and government-hating Tea Party Members, most of whom have no idea what democracy means, let alone what the intent of the Koch Brothers truly is. We are being forced into a constitutional crisis and eventually, the end of our government. Why would you want to pay for that? So no more spiffy new Lycra fabrics--buying used is acceptable--but my research has revealed that Lululemon does not use Lycra in its products. Take that evil corporate conglomerate! Do you have a Double D story? Post it here: http://doubleddance.tumblr.com/ 

 

Lovely!

Wow. I could just stay asleep for days, but I don't own a TV (ba dum dum). Really, right now, it is tempting to crawl into the comfort of a good story that you are certain is fictional. Did you really sign up to be a character in a tragicomedy about environmental degradation; or an everyday hero in an epic about the human condition and the tendency to strive towards aspirations for success for the many? You decide, but you can't do that in front of the screens. get out your magic pens, AKA your feet, and write your new tale upon the skin of the earth, She's due a massive dance massage. 

 

in love, 

-Anna

Hatian Class @ Festival of the Mask

Portia Cobb's Hatian Class.amr Listen on Posterous

Afro on the Road

AFRO ALERT: or cp-timed listings 3/5/2011

Three amazing events of Afrological interest happening NOW (or at least today, March 5, 2011): Nina Simone; CicLAvía fundraiser; Valley Song directed by Patrick Ssenjovu -doctoradancer

William Grant Still Arts Center presents A New Day - Nina Simone
March 5 - April 29, 2011

An Exhibition of Albums, Archives, Art of Eunice Kathlene Waymon aka Dr Nina Simone
from Dr. Carrol Waymon and the Waymon family archive, Alden Kimbrough collection and art by Moses Ball, Ramsess, AISE, Sam Pace, Lili Bernard and more

Opening Reception March 5, 2011 3 - 6 pm
Music by Marcus L. Miller and the Freedom Jazz Movement with very special and surprise guests

A New Day - Nina Simone exhibit is in conjunction with Music LA African American Heritage Music Education Program, focusing on teaching music through the music of Nina Simone

Panel Discussion Saturday April 2, 2011 2-4 pm 
screenings and other events to be announced, call for more information 323-734-1165

William Grant Still Arts Center
2520 S. Westview St. 
Los Angeles, ca. 90016
323-734-1165
ami.motevalli@lacity.org

William Grant Still Arts Center is a facility of the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs

NEXT, GOOD is hosting a fundraiser for CicLAvía, an awesome smog-reducing, pedestrian increasing event scheduled for April 10, 2011. Early tickets are closed, que é obvio, pero you can buy a $25 ticket at the gate and get your fun on!

3229 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039; 2 - 7 PM March 5, 2011

LAST, my buddy Patrick Ssenjonvu is directing Athol Fugard's play, Valley Song at the Electric Lodge Theatre, 1416 Electric Avenue Venice CA 90291-3734. It opened last night night and runs through March 20th, Thurs- Saturdays at 8 PM and on Sundays at 2 PM. Patrick is a dynamic actor and demanding performer. This show will be wonderful. Grab tickets at Brown Paper Tickets or at the door.

Searching Beyond Babel: Landscaped Identities in The Marrabenta Solos and A Story at 120 mph

Anna B. Scott
Editor
Posted: March 5, 2011 7:54 AM 

Panaí-bra Gabriel Canda, Michel Kouakou and Daudet Grazai are siumlataneously subjects of mass experimentation and hallucination. Born on the continent called "Africa," raised in countries that no longer exist, having citizenships in states indentured to foreign ideals and global banks, these three dance artists mobilize their reality through the phrase, through the weight of their memories landing on the floor. Exacting an 'experimental' dance at a level terrifying to consider in its brutal honesty, their work last night at Highways Performance Space in Los Angeles, California was at once disconcerting and engaging while consistently elegant.

Conundrum.

 

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial}

Friday night, March 5th found the LA experimental dance scene curiously full of options for well-produced evenings of work. Bootleg Dance Festival opened for its first night, Eiko & Koma continued their run at the REDCAT, Heidi Duckler's Collage Dance opened a work that had been in development for a number of years, and Highways hosted an evening of Afro-Europea experimental dance. No, a night of African modern dance. No, a night of contemporary dance from post-colonial Africa. No, a night of performance work from a Moçambique national and from two Côte D'Ivorians. No, a night experimentation by European subjects born in Africa. No a night of...

 This review teeters in the same precarious space as the work it attempts to assess. Opening the night with his back to the audience recounting what felt would be a lovely tale of his village life in "Africa," Canda could have lain a trap for our Western minds, lulling us into a space where our expectations of hot rhythms and excessive exertion on deep, dark skin were heightened, awaiting fulfillment. Instead, we were breezily treated to an encounter with the conundrum of his life traversing several major transitions in the territory in which he was born.

A Portuguese citizen in an ultra-marine state a birth, a "tribal" member, a descendent of a Marrabenta musician, a citizen a newly independent and communist Moçambique, a student studying in Portugal, a member of a democratic state, a subject to a black body...the permutations were endless, baseless, absurd. Absurd. A man in a Portuguese fisherman's hat was laying on the floor holding an electric guitar. A pink chair sat upstage, anchoring the center. Absurd. We laughed at first. Then, we squirmed. Next, we froze: he was speaking in English.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial}

Not only was he speaking in translation, but he was dancing in translation. With each new proclamation for a new "identity," Canda laid a percussive phrase with his feet, marking not only time, but the space of his "me-ness." The man with the guitar was standing now, looking like a lean, older Roberto Sifuentes. We wanted, I want, I need, music, he is talking about music making music and that guy with the guitar looks menacing, is not musical. I gave up, Panaí-bra continued to build the phrase, his steps echoing across the stage, when suddenly the guitar sprang to life, into Marrabenta.

The piece was an extract of a larger work, and according to Canda, a significant element, an iron chair he constructed from recycling cans and assorted detrious, was missing, as were a few other components of the secret costume. He was happy to send me an image of the chair. Stay tuned for that link. With elements from his "tribal" tradition, his father's contemporary "Marrabenta tradition, Fado, and a nice jab at "African Dance," Cando begins to name, then shed bodies, seeking a new corporeality: Numan? new man? neume man? A group of notes sung as one, danced as one, Time and Space" "The Marrabenta Solos" challenged us to find the chord in the cacophony of nation building and release the contraction known as identity politics.

 

 

A Story at 120 mph was a slicker and sleeker production, but it gave the effect of needing a much larger stage than the one Highways provides. A piece for three dancers Michel Kouakou's and Daudet Grazai's piece experiments with rate, time and distance. An extended journey to balance the equation of the multi-national artist, the piece had several moments where it felt very self-referential.

It also veered towards excessive post-modern styling for the sake of the styling and not necessarily to imbue the piece with gravity (something necessary to consider when objects are traveling a great distance at a certain rate in a given time). Shaking hands and bouncing crouched bodies feel rather culturally specific to me. What is a Ivorian pedestrian movement? How would it look deconstructed?

But this was perhaps the problem of the piece, the desire to create it, the fact that one of the performers was not there and was replaced by Nerissa Castilleja who, though a strong dancer, felt too lanky for the speed of the choreography: these dancers are post-national bodies. They reside in an anti-aesthetic seeking, experimenting with the modalities of contemporary dance making on a global stage. The work began in 2008 and has been worked in two week stints. According to Grazai, it continues as an exploration; they are looking for something but they know they have not found it.

He is right. They might have experimented with the piece as a duet between Grazai and Kouakou since Nadia Begre was not there. I suspect, even if she had been there, she would have been the hanging chad suggested by the choreogrpahy. Grazai and Kouakou have know each other since they were 14 and it shows in their dancing. They are capable of perfectly matching each other's speed and center of gravity. Their sudden bursts of partnering were absolutely stealthy and captivating.

Castilleja had her work cut out for her and she was delivering, but next to the synchronization of the piece's choreographers her character's role began to feel not just pointless, but intrusive. The entire audience was audibly dismayed when she spoke first, returning tot he phrase that paunched the entire piece. She spoke for a while as she struggled against a white wall, making her way over to the the two men who were doing ridiculous post-modern leg crossing citations. Eventually, as it was with the rest of the piece, they settled into a moment where you could feel something exceptional trying to break free. Grazai began to speak in his home language, but while in a partial backbend looking up at Castilleja, while Kouakou danced behind her. They quickly returned to an incredible passage, grabbing hip after hip after hip, in a spiraling triangle, seeking the footlight down stage left.

But it was tiring, which I guess it should have been since we were going at 120 mph. And it was long. But they were exploring time. And there were no drums, though allusions to the intricacies of traditional body placement abounded. This was a landscape of terror and struggle and shifting sands. There is no ironic twist or statement here just yet. Perhaps there will never be one. Who knows fully the process of taking on not just a spoken language, but a body language? This not just a stage with black ballerinas flawlessly executing the craft. This was/is/will be something else. Terrain, Identity, Nation these are all concepts that these two pieces indicate we must relinquish if we are to understand what we are becoming.

Go see tonight's show. 

AFRO ALERT: To Dance in LA is Human

This weekend is ABLAZE with dance events of incredible prowess, and it ain't even MFA concert season yet! Here is a quick heads up on a true BLOWOUT COMB show that you may not have heard about:

HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE, March 4 - 5, 8:30 PM $20
MICHEL KOUAKOU's 
A Story at 120 Miles Per Second

PANAIBRA CANDA's
Time and Space Series: Marrabenta Solos

Kouakou givin it all he's got.

Vic Marks of WAC at UCLA has been very busy bringing us some intense and fabulous artists from the experimental dance Afro-Europa scene. Last month students had a 10 day deluge of Gregory Maqoma and this week Michael Kouakou and Panaibra Canda tear up some dance floor Central African stylee. While the LA Times and the LAist are both hyping the BOOTLEG DANCE FESTIVAL, I think you should build some time in your schedule to check this show out. Order tickets now on the website or by calling 310-315-1459, seats are likely scarce. BLOWOUT COMB!

 

BOOTLEG DANCE FESTIVAL is going to be ridonculous. Seriously, this show has the makings of an edited volume for cultural studies in the year 2065. Curated by Heidi Duckler and Bootleg Big Girl Alicia Adams, the festival serves up a variety usually seen in music at SXSW. The LA experimental dance scene is starting to evolve into a nice size tree with a few well-established boughs. Righteous.

Friday, March 4 "The Men": Arianne Hoffmann, Keith Glassman, Carmella Hermann
Saturday, March 5, Post Natyam Collective, Antics Performance
Sunday, March 6: Jamie Benson, WIFE 
$18 each show or $40 for festival pass. Tough call between night one and two if you are having to choose...

 

and now for some not so nice weirdness, or things that make me go, ah, wtf?!

 

 

Heidi Duckler's Collage Dance Theater presents A Gallerina’s Guide to an Exhibitionist
March 4 & 5, 2011
Laurel Hardware Space, 7984 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 

How is it possible that te curator of the Bootleg Dance Festival also has a show the same weekend? I know not. I do know that Heidi Duckler is a badass and her dancers just about fearless, so my goodness, you have a tough choice to make this weekend! Duckler has made a name for herself inverting spaces by inserting dance tableaux and figures. Yet another bough of this tree called LA experimental dance. 

 

PURCHASE TICKETS:
General Admission: $30; Students (w/ proof of ID): $20

Friday, March 4, 2011 - 7:00 pm

Friday, March 4, 2011 - 9:00 pm

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 7:00 pm

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 9:00 pm (SOLD OUT)

Spirited refreshments served at 6:30 pm and 10:00 pm
Perfomance duration: 60 minutes
Street parking

 

AFRO ALERT: From the Office of the Mayor of LA

no joke, log in and vote!

 

The LA BUDGET SURVEY is EXTENDED to March 4th.  VOICE YOUR CHOICE TODAY, and PASS IT ON !!!

 The Los Angeles Budget Survey, LABudgetChallenge.lacity.org, deadline has been extended through March 4, 2011 to accommodate the many stakeholders who have not yet had a chance to voice their choice on which City Services to preserve and which will have to take on deeper cuts.  This will have an impact on the quality of life issues that matter to you most.  Take a moment to DO the SURVEY, and pass it on to your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and associates, and anyone else you know that has a stake in LA. 

 This is a unique opportunity to have your voice and choice heard directly at City Hall.

Don't let this chance slip by, and claim later that you did not have the opportunity to weigh in.

Cannibal Flower

DJ l.croskey on the ones and twos. Check this l'il taste.

   (133 KB)
Listen on posterous

Feeling A New Order

   (364 KB)
Listen on posterous

The Double D Movement

Dancers for Democracy: LET IT HANG!
Did you know your dancing was supporting people who are actively working to demolish the NEA, unions, and Planned Parenthood? Lycra®, one of our beloved faux fibers, is manufactured by INVISTA, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, owned by the infamous Koch Brothers.* How can we run our State Representatives ragged to stop the cuts when we are accidentally funding the campaigns to enact them? Swear off the Lycra®! I know it seems like a random thing, a "few dancers and yoginis swearing off Lycra®," but together we have an incredible reach and cultural impact.

 

Think of all the dance competitions locally, globally and televised. That's a LOT of Lycra®. There is also an incredible influence of Yoga on today's fashion styles. TJ Max is seething with Lycra®-infused tops and bottoms, not to mention undies and bras. And let's be honest, these items tend to give us headaches and rashes. Save your bodies, save your democracy, and save the environment: boycott Lycra®.

Besides, this might be the extra push you need to walk more, change your eating habits and love the skin you're in!

Yes, this is scary, and likely heart-wrenching, especially if you remember the days of polyester, but this is important. Besides, we are only asking that you stop buying new gear. You can swap, you can go to used clothing stores, but no you cannot accept gifts of new outfits; that would be cheating.

If you want to go radical, toss it all out, or make very funny stuffed "animals," write to your favorite brand, like say, um, Lululemon or Danskin, and ask them to invest in finding a high performance fabric to use that does not include Lycra. As a matter of fact, let's just call our beloved dance wear brands and ask if they have apparel without Lycra. That would be a good way to start.

Lululemon has a fabric education page (of course they do) but let's call to make absolutely sure...phone: 1.877.263.9300 ext. 2 or phone: 1.604.215.9300

Danskin does not have fabric care page and if you bought their gear from Wal-Mart, you have to call a completely different number. Whoa. Here is the corporate number and email Toll Free: 1-877-443-2121
Email: edanskin@danskin.com

Think about it: are there alternative fibers and designs that we have been ignoring out of habit?

Now who can get this message out to their mass mediated patrons/clients/agents? Can we reach into SYTYCD? Can you figure out how to enlist your students in a campus-based viral campaign? Can you host a bra top sewing party? What ways can you support your body without Lycra? Make a video and post! Create a postcard for us to hang in dance studios everywhere! Keep a blog journal of a day without Lycra®--this might be devestating if you are a Vickies fan ;-< but worth the drama! record your call to the apparell companies. You can send them all to editor [at] afrological [dot] com. If they aren't too lewd, they will be posted. Spread the word. 

Let 'em bounce. Let'em fly. Let it all hang out.

Boycott LYCRA®. Join the Double D Movement. Dance for Democracy.

 

 

*I posted an earlier note about these two gentleman if you are not aware who they are and what they have been up to, especially in Wisconsin, where there is a citizen occupation of the state house.

AFRO ALERT: are you funding the end of your democracy?

The boycott of Koch Industries has begun. Who or what is that? Koch Industries belong to two arch conservative, yet exceptional businessmen known collectively as "The Koch Brothers." These two men are funding major strategy and policy shifts across the United States, including in the Supreme Court. They hold meetings for a very select few, offering opportunities far from Washington, DC to influence politics and society. They have been very successful in their endeavors, mainly due to the confluence of secrecy, money and oppositional inertia. Those of us who believe in a society where happiness counts, with public commons and good at the center have been bickering among ourselves as to the best route to take to maintain these values.

I rather believe that what has actually happened is that the Democratic Party has attempted to usurp these ideals while running a game of long term strategy that has yet to pay off. They generally have messed things up with all their horse trading and insider back biting. What a perfect opportunity for very patient, reform-minded ultra-right wing investors, corporations and strategists. Don't hate the player; hate the game. No matter the party in power, money will win in this game. Which is why we MUST boycott these products, regardless of your political ilk.

It is incumbent upon us all to restore the value of our vote. If two brothers can eviscerate our Commons, upend our social contract with a few timely meetings and millions of dollars, then we are all, ALL, just a few decisions away from becoming indentured servants. Don't know what I am talking about? Ask anyone with credit card debt higher than $15,000 or college loans over $100,000 if they feel in control of their destiny. Read what Egyptians, Tunisians, Bahrainians, Saudis and Libyans had to say about living in oil-rich countries with few if any social services, job opportunities, and CULTURAL OUTLETS. Yes, the cuts of the Planned Parenthood, NEA, NEH, CPB, and NPR are all part of this "social blitz."

Let's stop chasing each issue and cut to the chase: keep your money in your pocket.

Guess what? If you refrain from buying these exceptionally toxic and environmentally destructive products, you become instantaneously green! Imagine that. Not only are they controlling our perceptions of society at large, but The Koch Brothers are also decimating our forests, polluting our indoor air and giving us skin rashes. DANCERS: they make Lycra. Time to make like Isadora Duncan or go completely Wolof and hit the cotton supports! Dancers for Democracy Let it Hang!

 

BOYCOTT KOCH INDUSTRIES

Time Capsule: Gandy Dancers, Washerwomen & Wisconsin

Songs and dance organize labor, especially repetitive, dull, difficult labor. Mechanization often is said to liberate humans from this type of work, but it also usually frees employers from dealing with people who are literally synchronized into pools of labor, where they can clearly see the value of their work. This also means that mechanization has displaced communal labor and thus communal memory. Not to fall into the pit of nostalgia for "simpler times," these workers instead show us the value of group negotiations; of power through collectivity. 

In our mediated, mechanized culture (because it is not like this everywhere), it becomes much more difficult for workers to galvanize their efforts, to work as a union without giving the appearance of being exclusionary and/or parasitic. This is awful. When you watch the Gandy Dancer's video, you will hear towards the end how unions made it possible for these mean to take their very intricate knowledge and advance in the companies that simultaneously valued and disavowed their contribution to the railroad.

The washerwomen in Brasil fought hard to get the right to the equivalent of a social security card so that they could have retirement. In the clips, they all speak about learning these songs as a way to make the work happen, even when it felt impossible. They sung and danced themselves back to their own humanity. That's what unions do; they guard the humanity of workers.

Now, our current problem is that contemporary unions also protect and reward ineffective workers simply because of how much time they have had on the job, not necessarily because of evidence of specialized knowledge. We are at a tipping point where many people who would like to become workers feel they cannot because unions are making sure that their members stay in jobs that are either no longer needed (stalling digitization of records for example), or maintaining practices that no longer serve the needs of society (like last one hired, first one fired). While this may not be true, it is the perception and possibly exists because we do not labor all that much as a nation any more.

In particular, the role of teacher unions in large cities in the US have become fraught with these questions. For example, here in Los Angeles, there are "banked minimum days" that teachers use to meet and learn from each other, but this happens during school hours, thus reducing the amount of classroom time for students and creating a bit of work havoc for parents, especially single working parents. Parent teacher conferences no longer happen at night, but during the day, again cutting into instructional hours and work hours for parents. It is great for teachers who want to get off campus asap, but for those committed to teaching, those precious missing hours are debilitating. For parents who want to be involved with their child's learning but cannot leave work for fear of loosing their at will jobs (an entire other discussion about unions), these "business hours" for teachers are especially punitive. This is an instance where collective bargaining may be hindering the labor needed to complete the job. Very touchy stuff.

So look to Wisconsin right now, where a Tea Party governor is trying to eradicate unions by stripping collective bargaining, and then think about advances in railroad maintenance and clothes washing. Would those advances even have ocurred were people still treated as indentured servants today? Collective bargaining pushes innovation. Song and dance define humanity. Let's not loose sight of that.

Enjoy these videos.

 

http://www.folkstreams.net/film,101

Gandy Dancers, Film by Barry Dornfeld, Maggie Holtzberg-Call

 

 

 

Lavadeiras de Almenara

 

 

 

Check out this website for the North East Festival of Washer Women in Brasil!