Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

The Audience Responds to red, black & GREEN: a blues

Laura — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:37:06 +0000

My artist friend and colleague puppet master, John Farrell of Figures of Speech Theatre wrote a moving response to “red, black & GREEN: a blues” that he has allowed me to share here. and I quote: I awoke an hour ago from a dream in which I had smuggled myself onto an airplane that was [...]

The Audience Responds to red, black & GREEN: a blues is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

red, black & GREEN: a blues at Bates

Laura — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:21:51 +0000

The past weekend (April 27 & 28, 2012) we presented Marc Bamuthi Joseph's and The Living Word's production of "red, black & GREEN: a blues" (rbGb) a funky, soulful, irreverent and profound meditation on social responsibility and environmental justice in the climate change era.

red, black & GREEN: a blues at Bates is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

Joburg, Day 9

Laura — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:04:38 +0000

Posting this from snowy Maine. We are having perhaps our biggest snow of the winter on March 1! School and work have been called off. From my window I hear the giddy delight of neighborhood kids playing in the fresh fallen snow. Quite a change from the glorious soundscape of birds outside my window at [...]

Joburg, Day 9 is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

Joburg, Day 8

Laura — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:30:35 +0000

We are now mid-festival but sadly cannot stay to see all of the performances. I am here for the longest stint but am still missing shows by Vincent Mantsoe, Dada Masilo and others. We have quite a busy schedule so keeping up with my blog has become a priority during my few free hours. Today [...]

Joburg, Day 8 is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

Joburg, Day 7

Laura — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:21:44 +0000

Another day of torrential downpours and wild thunder and lightning keeps the atmosphere exciting and cool.. I am awakened each morning near 5am by the complex and melodic song of two birds calling to each other…wake up, wake up, the day is coming! After trying for a couple more hours of much needed but fitful [...]

Joburg, Day 7 is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

Joburg, Day 6

Laura — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:09:46 +0000

Time is racing by and there is so much I would like to see and do here. But our focus is on dance, dance and more dance and so far we have not been at all disappointed with the work. Our colleagues Ken Foster from Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Philip [...]

Joburg, Day 6 is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

Joburg, Day 5

Laura — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:59:21 +0000

It is a hot an muggy day here at the end of South Africa’s summer. We have lovely hard rains nearly every 24 hours — usually at night. This beautiful old neighborhood of Melville is filled with flowering trees and shrubs and interesting homes all behind heavy walls and gates. Each house has a security [...]

Joburg, Day 5 is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

Joburg, Day 4

Laura — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:25:52 +0000

On Saturday evening we returned to see Neli Xaba and Gregory Maqoma’s pieces for a second time. I always prefer to watch work several times over to better dig into the layers of meaning and material. Just like watching a film I am so taken with the surface and the action the first time around [...]

Joburg, Day 4 is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

Joburg, Day 3

Laura — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:03:09 +0000

First let me apologize for posting no visual imagery. I opted not to bring my camera as it was one too many things to carry. I will borrow some images from my pals to post soon. We are into our second full day of dance going, fine dining and catching up on our sleep from [...]

Joburg, Day 3 is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog

Back in Joburg

Laura — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:26:19 +0000

Last night, after a 14 hour flight, I arrive back in Johannesburg for the 24th edition of Dance Umbrella. I am settled in at the familiar and lovely guest house, Tama Rumah in Melville along with my Africa Contemporary Arts Consortium colleagues Joan Frosch, Marj Neset and Cathy Zimmerman. We have enjoyed a delicious lunch [...]

Back in Joburg is a post from: Bates Dance Festival Artist Blog