About

Performing Diaspora Season 2013

From Kathak to Flamenco and from Tabla to Taiko, California is home to many diverse and talented practitioners of traditional performance. Withinthis abundance, there are many artists who are exploring, experimenting with, and expanding these forms. Many of these artists have begun to flock to CounterPULSE, an organization with a long-standing reputation for nurturing experimentation.

CounterPULSE’s Performing Diaspora is a festival, residency program, commissioning program, and symposium featuring dance, music, theater, media and interdisciplinary artists who are using traditional forms as a basis for experimentation and innovation. Created in partnership with several local and statewide organizations, Performing Diaspora is a two-year initiative challenging artists and audiences to explore the evocative questions associated with this work. During the first year, six artists will be asked to present a 10 – 30 minute work developed during their residency in a festival form. A select number of Festival artists will be asked to commission and premiere a full length work for the second year of Performing Diaspora.

Performing Diaspora is more than a festival: it represents a significant and sustained engagement between CounterPULSE and the participating artists. Performing Diaspora is designed to support artists and instigate dialogue and exchange.

The program includes the following components:

Residency Period—Bay Area artists will receive free studio space at CounterPULSE between January and August 2013, giving them the opportunity to develop their work in the space where it will be performed
Work-in-Progress Showings—Artists will participate in two work-in-progress showings where they will receive and offer feedback on each other’s work. The second showing will be open to the public.
Symposium—Artists will be invited to participate in community discussions about issues related to their work.
Festival Performances—The work developed during the residency will be presented during a two-week festival, August 15-18 and 22-25. CounterPULSE will cover production costs and artists will receive payment for their work.
Additional Opportunities—Festival artists may also be selected to receive a second year of support, which includes the commissioning and presentation of a full-length performance work.