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Leaked Email Thread:Justin Ebrahemi <justin@counterpulse.org>Mon, Mar 15, 3:07 PMto Mica Sigourney, Silk Worm Hi Mica and Silk, I loved the Insta takeover on Sat! I just wanted to follow up in hopes you could provide more info on Colossus and I will draft a work description and press release. Can’t believe we’re a month away! CounterPulse will go quietly public about the work being at ██████ ████ ████(on ticketing pages and the PR). This is so we don’t draw too

“Primeiro estranha-se, depois entranha-se” (At first it’s strange, then it gets into your veins) - Fernando Pessoa I am part of the Human/ID team, a collaboration with StratoFyzika and Ian Heisters that probes how identity is rendered legible (or illegible) through movement and technology.  Tagging onto the notion of digital flaws and their rich potential (which my colleague Ian wrote about in his last post), and coming from a movement/choreographic lens, here are my queries for the moment: What happens

Deep fake dancing and breaking technology I’ve been talking with the StratoFyzika team about how identity resides in the body for their residency in CounterPulse’s Combustible program. We’re researching surveillance technology, machine learning, and dance for a performance in spring 2020. The research is conceptual as well as practical, and the following comprises my notes in building a first prototype of an AI for the performance. A common conception of identity might include one’s values, likes, dislikes, various personality traits. “The things that make

We are artists. In some ways, we are sacrificial lambs. We bleed publicly. We can be found dancing naked and crying the necessary tear. We do this so they can name what they have sacrificed. To those without words, we give poetry; those without melody, a song. And to him, that guy, that just can’t catch a beat, we give contact improv. Our experimentations become jazz, rap, rock n roll. We say things like “let those girls dance on a

How can collaboration serve sustainability as makers/dancers?   What makes dance inclusive?   How can dance create meaningful connections between performers, and between performers and the audience?   How can dance be used to build relationships with change?   Rachael Dichter & Dia Dear are Edge Residency 2020 artists-in-residence. Their new work, WITH, opens at CounterPulse Apr 2-4 & 9-11. Get tickets at counterpulse.org/edge2020. Photos by Robbie Sweeny

I’ve always been a fan of Robbie Sweeny. For years I’ve admired his photographer choreography, his hurried movement and cadence during performances. It takes considerable method and skill to shoot the perfect angle, and to capture the compelling photos that highlight CountrePulse’s Instagram feed. My colleagues and I admire his stylistic editing; together we scroll Flickr as a pastime. It’proves difficult to select a photo for a project—they’re all so striking. Although Robbie works behind the scenes, the dance community

The book connects the Muscogee sacred history with the land, the spirit world, the confederacy`s sociopolitical organization, and its ceremonial cycle in a carefully researched and well-written single volume. It is an exploration of Muscogee Creek values and views, including concepts of nature, genesis, gender relations, religion, and history. www.books.aisc.ucla.edu/books/sacredpath.aspx I reconnected with a dear cousin last year who was always like a sibling to me. They’re a Mvskoke artist doing incredible revitalization work, Hotvlkuce Harjo. I began asking small

On January 25th 2020, Lahore⁠—Pakistan’s self proclaimed ‘cultural capital’⁠—launched its second art biennale in multiple venues throughout this historic city, from 16th century forts and bath houses to contemporary museums and public parks. The theme this year: Between the Sun and the Moon is an ode to Muslim sciences that once thrived here, in particular, astrology a celebrated aspect of Islamic civilization, looking towards the stars in search of answers.  What about the earth? What knowledge can be found looking

Before I came to CounterPulse, I had a dream job that can be roughly defined by this checklist:  A supportive space for experimental, anti-institutional art.  A critically thinking and politically engaged community.  A platform that is both accessible and uplifting of marginalized voices.   It feels surreal that I had found a place like CounterPulse that is not only built upon these values—but throughout the span of my fellowship—has expanded on my expectations. Surprisingly, the admiration isn’t because CounterPulse is

People! This is Jesse Hewit. Ya’ll, I’m not gonna beat around the bush: 2019 has been a doozy. It felt like the world was extra on fire. As I reflect on the big and fast and difficult swirl of the past year, I think of just how much I needed CounterPulse. I needed pulsating, breathy, sharp art. I needed clear, vibrant, community-based action. I needed to see bodies being free, and I needed to feel free alongside those bodies. At the 2019 CounterPulse

In 2006, I hosted my first audition for Cherie Hill IrieDance performers. I desired an all-black female cast. I yearned to deepen my self-knowledge of being a black woman making dance and to analytically understand how aesthetics relate to white and black culture. In 2014, I looked for something different. I sought movers who could translate my visions and directions into improvisation and choreographic phrases, and who possessed training in contemporary plus African Diaspora forms. And just as importantly, their

I am no longer afraid of being open, tender a gaping wound _ For those who cannot look a god in the eye Living in the quiet death between breaths _ Take as many names as your mouth can carry _ Take as many names as you need: full with the silent pleasure of your most intimate offerings this private joy _ voices touch softly in a pool of your own water the way a shout becomes prayer _ Performing