Monthly Archives: May 2009

1 May, 2009

May Day Festival CounterPULSE’s 4th Anniversary

2009-05-01T08:35:03-07:00By |Categories: Events|

Twenty-five of the Bay Area's hottest dance companies, theater companies, spoken-word artists and musicians unite over three days to raise money for CounterPULSE— it's our BIGGEST birthday ever! Post-show dancing 'till 12am on Fri. & Sat. with DJ's Durt & Bunnystyle.

9 May, 2009

u n d i r e c t e d – AHDANCO and group A

2009-05-09T21:28:41-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE|

AHDANCO and group A are getting ready for our shows at CounterPULSE on may 15th, 16th, and 17th. we hope to see you there. here's some information to fill you on what is in store for you at u n d i r e c t e d... chaos, revisited, presented by AHDANCO, is a forty plus minute work of solos and duets looking at how we as individuals interpret, react to, and internalize chaos that arises in

16 May, 2009

The Myalist – Opal Palmer Adisa

2009-05-16T19:00:54-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora|Tags: , , |

While most know of Obeah in Jamaica, few know its counterpoint, Myal. An Entry in Jamaica Talk: Three Hundred years of the English Language in Jamaica by Frederic G. Cassidy ( MacMillian Caribbean, 1961), we get one notation: "Obeah, the Jamaican form of sorcery or `black magic', [sic] was once counterbalanced by myal, or `white magic' a healing cult.  Obeah employed its power against people; myal claimed to counter those powers."  P. 241 Another entry in the same above text,

20 May, 2009

Neang Sovann Atmani – Prumsodun Ok for Performing Diaspora

2009-05-20T14:53:07-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora, Prumsodun Ok|Tags: , , |

A Cambodian classical dancer, when practicing her moving meditation developed over a thousand years ago as a ritual prayer, displays a serpentine grace that is hypnotic and sublime. Her form is supple, her gestures fluid, and she floats in curvilinear paths across the stage. This is no coincidence as the serpent – moving like the waters that bring fertility and sustenance to the land, bridge between heaven and earth, the being in which the first “Cambodian” sovereign took form (in one creation story anyways) – was worshiped prevalently throughout what is now Cambodia before the introduction of major religions. And today, after many generations of refinement, the serpent can still be seen in this highly stylized art form: its scales transformed into a costume’s detail and its function assumed by a human dancer.

20 May, 2009

Watch an excerpt of Deep Waters Dance Theater, CounterPULSE Artists in Residence March 09

2009-05-20T15:51:52-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Video|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

If you didn't make it to our recent Artists in Residence show in March, here's a little snippet for your viewing pleasure! Amara Tabor-Smith, Deep Waters Dance Theater with Aimee Suzara, Our Daily Bread... video by: Loren R. Robertson

27 May, 2009

TALKS! Art & Politics: Susan Greene

2009-05-27T15:30:08-07:00By |Categories: Events, Talks|Tags: , , , |

Wed. May 27, 7:30pm, Free Susan Greene is a public artist, activist, educator and clinical psychologist. Her practice straddles a range of cultural arenas, focusing on borders, migrations, decolonization and memory. Greene is one of four Jewish American women artists who in 1989 founded the ongoing “Break the Silence Mural Project” in solidarity with Palestine.

28 May, 2009

dance as sacred

2009-05-28T13:03:15-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora|Tags: , , , |

For me, dancing is both a sacred and spiritual act. I was reminded of that as I sat and listened to the recently selected Performing Diaspora (PD) artists discuss there work during their orientation meeting here at CounterPULSE (CP) a few weeks ago (I am intern at CP for the summer).  As I sat there I was overcome with an immense feeling of transcendence. As each person passionately described the motivations behind and the visions for their new

28 May, 2009

I guess Scott Wells & Dancers really do know what men want….

2009-05-28T14:59:05-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE|Tags: |

Wow!  I can honestly say I have never been so turned on by a group of men before.  I don't mean this in any strictly sexual way, after all I tend to label myself as a straight male, but the essence of these pieces delves so much deeper than the visceral.  It was poetic to see such a strong and raw group of men expose their vulnerabilities so willingly and so passionately.  Scott did an exquisite job of treading the

29 May, 2009

Charlotte Moraga for Performing Diaspora: Contemporary Traditional Kathak Dance

2009-05-29T00:06:02-07:00By |Categories: Charlotte Moraga, CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

What is kathak? Kathak is a unique dance form which incorporates rhythmic virtuosity, compelling storytelling, poetry, recitation, song, swift and subtle movement, and a rich philosophy whose roots extend thousands of years. In 1992, I enrolled in a Kathak class at SFSU with world-renowned master, Pandit Chitresh Das. Little did I know the vast ocean that lay before me. Enthralled by the immense depth and potential for self-expression, I continued to study in the traditional manner (guru shisya parampara), one

30 May, 2009

Guqin and me

2009-05-30T03:44:28-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora, Wang Fei|Tags: |

 What is guqin? The guqin, a seven-stringed zither, is China’s oldest stringed instrument with a documented history of about 3,000 years. It became part of a tradition cultivated by Chinese scholars and literati and has been associated with philosophers, sages, and emperors since the time of Confucius. Perhaps because of this illustrious history, following the rise to power of the Chinese Communist Party in 1949, the guqin came to be viewed as one of the “Four Evils” and was the

Go to Top