ArtPolitik

Chance/Dance of Discourse

FORECAST:TODAY (for Josef Zawinul)

THE EYES
AND EARS
WHO CAME
BEFORE US
WHO BROUGHT
US FORTH
FROM THE DUST
SMELTED TIME
INTO A MACHINE
TRANSFORMED INTO
THE PHYSIKAL
WHAT BEFORE
WAS ONLY A METAPHYSIKAL
DREAM
HAVE CREATED GREATER BLOSSOMS
OF CREATION
OF VISION
COSMIC BLUEPRINTS
PERPETUAL IMPRINTS
THESE BEINGS
ARE A TESTAMENT
TO OUR SURVIVAL
THROUGH OUR MINDS
INTO OUR HANDS
HOW GREAT
THOU ART
MAKING SIGHT AND SOUND
FROM THE GROUND
MARKING OUR WAY
THROUGH THE
UNIVERSE
RECREATING
COMPLEMENTING
RA-PRESENTING
IMPLEMENTING
DISCOVERY
OF THE GREATER DARKNESS
WITH
TERMINAL LIGHT
OUT OF STRUGGLE
COMES
THE BEAUTY
BUILT FROM SUNS
AND STARS
AND RAINBOWS
LET US REVERE
THIS LINE
TO THE INFINITE
OUR ENDLESS FAMILY

October 19th, 2007 Posted by jahhannibal | Art, Music, Spiritography | no comments

Stuporpower

the country
founded
upon crimes
against humanity
now finds itself
judging
the lesser gods
of crookedness
and commerce

the crucifixion crews of You’reup
seeking to
transform themselves
have only created
greater monsters

Amerrykkka
is the final
fountain of youth -
the final cesspool
of the truth

barbarians and heathens
need each other
here
to hide their ignorance
and their fears
in the crucible of skin
and in the clashing
of spheres

(First published in The Urbanite magazine - Baltimore, MD / MAY 1998)

October 9th, 2007 Posted by jahhannibal | Activism, Art, Class, Commentary, Community, Poetry | no comments

NON-LINEAR DRUM

wood
metal
Earth
vessel

flesh
Spirit

vibratory surface
sensory projections

fire
water
ice
steam
elemental symphony
sonic vortex dreams

motion manifestation
metaphysical propulsion
into reality sectors
perception zones
and
dimensional bodies

duppy-shake
physical-structure-bypass
mystery transport
escaping
pain-bearing containment

rhythm solar maximum
ultimate meditation
pulsation system
ascendancy encounter
phenomenology harmonia
foundational churchical anarchy
truth unparalleled
flowing and flowers/flow-ers
lead the Way
made plain

lux dance scientificus
god-pulse polarity
chordal perfection
transcending/trance-sending
baptismal quality
balanced life attainment
through
transformational necessities

geomagnetic funk
sense impressions
impacting
mind-wavicle expressions

thought-dance celebrations
of the wheel-ritual
free of all languages
the cosmic harmonizer
the infinite catalyzer
dissolving
time-distance mortality limiters
exploding space/age measurements
of the determined domain
and the metronome exploitation
reflecting the
indoctrinational anti-dance

this is quantum rhythmatism -
a cosmic-life-exaltation -
an alpha/omega jubilation

these are touchbursts
of energy
sentient, emotive
and free
never allowing
anything to rob eternity
of its resounding,
shapeless beauty
of sound mysteries

(Theatre Project - Baltimore MD/ Vattel Cherry,Jasaga,Son of Nun,Ron Williams,Medusa&Myself/
Oct.4,2007)

October 5th, 2007 Posted by jahhannibal | Activism, Art, Music, Performance, Poetry, Spiritography | no comments

R.A.M. performs @ Creative Convergence Festival

4 October 2007
8:00 pm

R.A.M. performs in the Creative Convergence Festival @ the Baltimore Theatre Project, Thursday, October 4th.

Creative Convergence is a festival celebration of Arts and Community that will take place over five days: October 3 -7, 2007 (performances begin @ 8pm except Sunday, 7pm). Coming on the heels of the US Social Forum (www.ussf2007.org), Creative Convergence aims to identify and share the strengths of artists in the DC-Baltimore region as an integral piece of a movement towards sustained social change.

Our vision for Creative Convergence includes a workshop series (including youth-led workshops for young people and adults) and performance series (highlighting the dynamic work of artists whose work intersects with social justice). We encourage all artists whose work focuses on or reflects social issues, community building to attend.

The Convergence has three principal goals:

  1. To provide space for artists and activists to share their work through performances and workshops.
  2. Workshops will provide participatory opportunities to engage in demonstrations of processes used in community-based work as well as engage in conversations around various systemic oppressions.
  3. Network and brainstorm about potential partnerships across the region.

As a regional event, Creative Convergence will provide opportunities for artists, activists, organizers, educators and progressive institutions to connect with other like-minded change agents in the DC/MD/VA/WVA region. Thanks to support from Alternate ROOTS Community Arts Partnership.

Creative Convergence is co-presented by Alternate ROOTS, Baltimore Theatre Project and ClancyWorks Dance Company.

Ticket Prices for Workshops and Performances (Unless Otherwise Noted)
$15 General, $12 Student/Artist, $7 Youth (17 & Under)

Performances
All performances at Baltimore Theatre Project

Wednesday - Oct 3
8:00pm - FREE Performance!
Sponsored by Free Fall Baltimore
Courtney Weber
The Collective
Deletta Gillespie

Thursday - Oct 4
8:00pm
DishiBem Dance Group
Run of the Mill Theater
Black Codes
Radical Artist Movement

Friday - Oct 5
8:00pm
Encounter Risk
The Everlutionary Trust
Air Borne Dance
Marietta Hedges
Stephanie Powell

Saturday - Oct 6
8:00pm
Brave Soul Collective
Quest
ClancyWorks Dance Company
Jennifer Lanier
Reggie Glass

Sunday - Oct 7
7:00pm
Maura M .Garcia
Kuumba Collective
Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp
Updraft

Special Events

Friday, Oct 5 at 6:00pm
Activist Networking Cocktail Hour
at Baltimore Theatre Project

This networking cocktail hour will provide a space for Activists, Organizers, and Artists to discuss their current projects and potential future partnerships.

Sunday, Oct 7 at 10:00am
Sunday Brunch
at Creative Alliance

This brunch is designed to provide artists and activists in the region with an opportunity to network and discuss community-based art-making in Baltimore. How can cultural workers deal with their own needs as well as forge head in building partnerships that contribute to making long term social change? Through small group discussion and Q and A with Panelists we will be exploring that answer.

Workshops
Thursday, October 4, 2007
1:30pm – FREE - at Goucher College Meyerhoff Arts Center — Dunnock Theatre
Alternate ROOTS:Resources for Social Change - Exploring principles for partnerships between Artists and communities.

Resources for Social Change (RSC) is a training program developed by Alternate ROOTS that teaches ideas and techniques to develop sustained social change through art. This workshop will focus on five principles as a model for artists working with community: Shared Power; Equitable Partnership, Open Dialogue, Individual and Community Transformation, Aesthetic including Beauty and Justice.

4:00pm – FREE - at Goucher College Todd Dance Studio
Kip Lee: Building Inclusive Community through Dance

This workshop is for anyone who teaches dance or wants to develop community dance projects for people of all ages, from young teens through senior adults, people with little or no dance experience, and people with physical disabilities or mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. The workshop is also for anyone who wants to experience inclusive dance and dance-making.

Friday, October 5, 2007
4:00pm - at University of Baltimore
The Collective: Community Building through Improvisation

Our goal is to make the impossible seem possible. This workshop will address the strength of community building to accomplish seemingly impossible goals. Through various trust building exercises and dance demonstrations, the workshop participants will accomplish a community goal of creating a new dance through improvisation. This workshop is geared to the general public, open to all ages and ability levels.

Saturday, October 6, 2007
9:30am - FREE - at Maryland Institute College of Art
Art on Purpose: Speaking of Silence

The “Speaking of Silence” workshop will address the rich and layered meanings of silence. How does silence play a role in our daily lives, in communication, spiritual practices, and our relation to ourselves and our environment. In this workshop, participants will listen to audio recordings taken from an ongoing interview project conducted by Art on Purpose to collect individuals stories. The audio pieces explore observations, descriptions, and experiences of keeping and breaking silence and how it relates to voice and empowerment. Participants of any age will reflect on the audio, view and respond to photographic portraits, engage in discussion around the topic and create their own piece of artwork expressing the significance of silence in their own lives. The workshop itself acts as a space for the participants to listen, observe, and share their own experiences as a tool to create a piece of writing, a drawing, or their own recorded story.

11:30am - FREE - at Maryland Institute College of Art
American Friends Service Committee: Policing US

The workshop is intended to demonstrate the relationship between policing, prisons and political repression in U.S. communities of color. The workshop will provide a historical timeline that draws the connections between slavery and the advent of urban police forces as well as law enforcement initiatives such as the FBI’s infamous Counter-Intelligence Program and its impact on the Black Panther Party.

11:30am - FREE - at University of Baltimore
Ioana Stoica: Mythic Journeys - Engaging the Hero Within

Recognizing that social justice begins with personal transformation, this workshop will draw upon myth as the source and inspiration for that process. Myth reawakens our sensuous experience of the lived world and re-enchants our practical experiences in a way that provides us energy to initiate change in the world around us. The workshop will create a space where individuals can identify, discuss, and embody mythic elements of their own lives and ways in which myth can inspire action and change. The goal is for each participant to identify and embody an inner hero whose power for action - in whatever capacity and on whatever scale - is reinforced by a personal story and a symbol that can serve as a source of strength and meaning in daily life.

2:00pm - FREE - at Maryland Institute College of Art
Maggie Cleland: Empowering Adult Immigrant Communities through Theatre

In this dynamic workshop, participants will investigate the challenges and benefits of theatre-making across socioeconomic, educational, and ethnic boundaries. Maggie Cleland, the Workshop Facilitator, will share lessons learned from The ESL Living Collage Project, an interdisciplinary, collaborative theatre project about the diverse adult immigrant community of the Arlington Education and Employment Program’s Clarendon Education Center (REEP/CEC) in Arlington, Virginia. Through discussion as well as theatre games and activities, participants will explore ways of using theatre for community-building, language learning, and lifeskills development. This workshop is appropriate for older teens and adults of all abilities/needs. No acting experience is necessary.

2:00pm - FREE - at University of Baltimore
Quest: Poetry in Motion

Participants will gain a greater understanding of Physical theatre; the role physical theatre can take in enhancing literacy; and the role physical theatre can play in developing acting and communication skills. This workshop is an example of Quest’s commitment to use visual theatre as a strategy to enhance learning readiness and literacy.

4:30pm - FREE - at Maryland Institute College of Art
Wide Angle Youth Media: Flip It - Exploring & Creating Youth Media

Members of the Mentoring Video Project, who produce the “for youth, by youth” television show BeMore TV, will share their knowledge and teach other young people how to explore and produce media that gives them their own platform to speak out about issues that are important to them. In this workshop, we will open with a participatory exercise, in which we will analyze contemporary media and discuss how youth are represented. Then, we will showcase examples of youth-made videos using material from episodes of BeMore TV. After watching these videos, youth will learn and practice techniques for creating youth-focused media and discuss its importance in advocating for community issues. Though this workshop is intended for the youth, it can be open for people of all ages to join.

4:30pm - FREE - at University of Baltimore
Plunge Cabaret: Power Struggles and the Call for Creativity

We will work with one definition of power as “the ability to make choices,” and, through that lens, explore how the struggle to feel powerful is a central issue in most any social, cultural, or developmental issue facing us today. Using the venue of cabaret-style theater, we will create a learning environment using both performance and interactive workshops to discover how the subjects of power and choice impact our lives and fields of work, study, and art. Not inappropriate for any age/ability, but geared primarily towards artists, activists, and facilitators dealing with a variety of social , cultural, and developmental issues.

Sunday, October 7, 2007
1:30om - FREE - at Red Emma’s
Theatre Action Group: Embracing Discomfort

In this workshop, Theater Action Group (TAG) asks how this festival can serve us as artists and activists to identify, explore and address the contradictions in our work? TAG is open to working with festival participants and leaders to identify and respond to an emerging concern, theme or need that arises during the festival. TAG is also prepared to explore some of the questions that have been relevant to our community-based theater work: What are the tensions experienced as artists and activists? Can one be both? What are the tensions experienced as an insider and/or outsider working in a community as an artist? What is this thing we call “community” anyway? How do we build it? How do we build a community with differences? Why bring art to communities, or build communities through art?

Rather than propose “answers,” TAG will create a framework to explore these questions and potential tensions through physical and collective responsive action. TAG uses a wide range of structures and techniques such as Theater of the Oppressed, ensemble-based practices, improv, poetic movement structures, creative writing, playback, and image theater. This workshop is intended for community organizers, community-based artists, and festival participants. It welcomes people of all ages and needs who wish to explore these questions as well as one’s own creativity, to express one’s hopes and aspirations, and to give voice to one’s passions and stories. Our goal is to create spoken and image-based dialogue around these issues and give folks a direct experience in some of TAG’s evolving community-based performance practice. Theater Action Group (TAG) is a collective of citizen artists in Baltimore empowered with the language of theater to promote dialogue, to encourage social action and to build community via performance, workshop series, and community partnerships.

4:30pm - at Red Emma’s
Brave Soul Collective: Embracing Your Truth

Through the use of group discussion, BSC will conduct their “Brave Soul” gathering with a specific focus on the power (and/or) importance of embracing one’s truth in order to increase self esteem, dispel stereotypes, and reduce the risk factors generally associated with HIV infections. BSC has found that the ability to identify & demonstrate one’s truth openly is extremely beneficial not only to individuals, but to larger groups of people who may not otherwise take the time to understand, acknowledge and accept one another.

Locations:

Baltimore Theatre Project (www.theatreproject.org)
45 West Preston Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Creative Alliance at The Patterson (www.creativealliance.org)
3134 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224
(410) 276-1651

Goucher College (www.goucher.edu)
1021 Dulaney Valley Road, Baltimore, MD 21204

The University of Baltimore (www.ubalt.edu)
1420 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Maryland Institute College of Art (www.mica.edu)
1300 Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217

Red Emma’s 2640 (www.redemmas.org/2640)
2640 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

For more information, please call: (540) 558-8744
Or visit the following websites:

http://www.clancyworks.org/creativeconvergence.html
http://www.communityperformance.org
http://www.dancenow.org/convergence.html

September 13th, 2007 Posted by b. medusa | Activism, Art, Event, Music, Poetry | no comments