Kickstarter

1 month to make a miracle! 

We're an independent, international community of dance artists who gather each year in Port of Spain with a vision of movement:  to grow a unique, autonomous space where vital conversations on the body, movement, cultural production, hybridity and diaspora could be had; where dominant discourses on art and culture could be challenged and where new progressive languages could be spoken; a space where we could “each re-strategize our own personal vision”.  In just 2 short years, over 100 people from around the world have engaged in New Waves!  It's been a lot of hard work and an incredible journey!  This year, we're making a leap to present the work of 2 international choreographers through the NEW WAVES COMMISSION PROJECT.

Ananya Dance Theatre, an award-winning company based in Minneapolis, is bringing 10 company members (extraordinary dancers from Kenya, India, China and the U.S.) for the World Premiere of "Moreechika".  Ananya Chatterjea’s “Moreechika” explores the affect oil drilling projects have on global communities of color and portray how women from these communities resist and survive systemic and hierarchical violences associated with these projects. Contrasted, will be the abundance of oil and financial gain with the scarcity and poverty of the communities nearby and around oil drilling projects. “Moreechika” is the third performance in a four-year anti-violence artistic initiative that has been researching efforts among women from global communities of color to resist the violent and capitalist misuse of four physical elements: land, gold, oil, and water. The initiative foregrounds embodied knowledge and incorporates scholarly research.  The performance is particularly fitting in Trinidad - the "land of oil and music".  We look forward to the thought-provoking dialogue (and action!) we're sure will come through this performance. 

Chris Walker, an immensely talented Jamaican choreographer, dancer and teacher is working with local Trinidadian dancers on "Palm Oil Rosary". Walker’s “Palm Oil Rosary” began development during the 2011 New Waves! Institute. The solo vocabulary was generated from prompts that sought to locate the body’s stories of guilt narrative. The work features music by Andrea Bocelli “The Lord’s Prayer”, Abbaye Cisterciennes “Tout Jubile, Aujourd aui”, “Santus”, with traditional Kumina rhythms and text by the dancers. At the preview performance, audience members were moved to tears. After a full year of development, we know it will be a very moving performance.

With your support, we can make this happen!  1 month to raise ALL the funds - $4,000 to cover remaining production costs including lights, sound, to hire a technical director and a stage manager.   We've already saved (yes! slowly, but surely) and raised funds to cover the cost of international airfare, accommodations and local transportation for the entire company. It cost a small....well, LARGE fortune.  We are independent (read: no funding from anywhere whatsoever), so your support is vital.

The Institute has a tiny staff of 2!  And we're so proud of this incredible opportunity we've created - for ourselves as educators and curators; for the choreographers to realize these incredible works; the dancers who will perform them; and for the T&T audiences to engage with the power of dance. Our work is realized through collaboration and cooperation with community.  And now we reach out to our wider community, those in support of our work, effort, and vision to take us to the next step.

Your donations are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE. And we ONLY HAVE 1 MONTH! So please, make a gift today in support of the NEW WAVES COMMISSION PROJECT. We've put together wonderful rewards for your generosity. We cannot do this without YOU.  

MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Dr. Ananya Chatterjea is dancer, choreographer, dance scholar, and dance educator, who envisions her work in the field of dance as a “call to action”.  She is the Artistic Director of Ananya Dance Theatre, (ADT) a singular company of women artists, primarily of color, who work at the intersection of artistic excellence and social justice. Inspired by the commitment and passion that infuse women’s movements worldwide, the artists in this company create original works that reflect women’s lives, foster strong communities, address social-justice issues, convey power and create beauty. ADT has been lauded around the world for its riveting, emotionally charged and virtuosic dance works. ADT is also sought after for community-building programs that empower individuals and strengthen underserved groups through movement and creativity. Taken from the Bengali word ananya (na·anya), “like whom there is no other,” ADT is the standard-bearer for dance that articulates ideas and expresses women’s lives to mobilize social change. ADT’s work has been presented in 12 U.S. cities and 10 countries. 

Christopher Walker a son of the Caribbean soil, is a dancer and choreographer with the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC). He is also the founder and artistic director of "VOICES" a dance company exploring the fusion of Caribbean dance and contemporary styles using the traditional stage, alternate spaces, and multimedia as a medium. With VOICES, he performed on university campuses in Western New York, and with the NDTC, Mr. Walker toured the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and the Caribbean, performing in several cities in those countries and region. His choreographies have been performed in Jamaica, New York and England, where he has presented solo work for the HIP Dance Festival. In addition, he taught Caribbean Dance Workshops in Jamaica, England, and the United States and conducted several successful artistic residencies at universities including Hobart and Williams Smith Colleges and Temple University, among others. Mr. Walker is a graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA) in Kingston, Jamaica and is currently on faculty at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

MORE ABOUT THE DANCE & PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE

The Dance & Performance Institute is an international community of dance and performance artists, a forum for exchange, and a series of programs on contemporary dance and performance. New Waves! occurs 18 July to 1 August 2012 and offers intensive master classes and workshops in contemporary dance, Caribbean dance, composition and repertory with an outstanding faculty of international dance artists. Through informal dialogues and Institute programs, participants create community, build connections with other dance professionals, and experience the unique cultural landscape of Trinidad & Tobago. Courses are held at the University of Trinidad & Tobago, Academy for the Performing Arts, held within the National Academy of the Performing Arts in the heart of the nation’s capital, Port of Spain. Learn more about our work in "Making Stage"

Many, many thanks for your support.  LET'S DANCE!

I made this flyer myself. Check it out: