8
Feb, 2011
8
Feb, 2011
Ode to my Father and my brother…
I’m cooking as fast as I can! A week and a half ago, I found myself cooking for one food party after another and no sooner than I finish washing my trusty pot that I cook my stews in does Julie Phelps and Keith Hennessey call me and ask me if I can come cook for 150 people at the amazing marathon performance they produce at Dance Mission called, Too Much! What do I say? Hell yeah! I had a
27
Jan, 2011
Internship Week 1: Committed Souls
1/11/11, a lucky numerical day I believe to start something new. I got off the BART train in high heels freezing my tiny self and toes off, noting that I never want to wear these specific heels again to the city. I had coffee breathe and stopped by Walgreens to get some gum, I also eagerly needed to use the bathroom and wasn't familiar with the city enough to find one. As I walked down 9th street, I imagined myself arriving
27
Jan, 2011
In a recession, you gotta have stew…..
I have to say…there is so much going on, I’m having a hard time keeping up in these posts! For the last 2 weeks it’s been about recession stew. Recession stew is a creation of mine that was inspired by the way my mama would take random left overs and hold overs in the fridge and make magical meals. I’ve been cooking up my stew at various locales over the last couple of weeks; fed it to the beautiful young
18
Jan, 2011
Trying to hold on to the magic of Africa….
It’s been almost 2 weeks since I left Senegal..every day in Senegal I ate 3 meals a day. Everyday, 3 times a day, we stopped everything else so we could eat ( I say we because I never ate alone there). Whether it was Adama’s cooking that we ate everyday at L’ecole des Sables where I was studying dance, or with my brother and sister in law and their family’s house…I ate 3 meals a day
10
Jan, 2011
Narass ak jamm (digest in peace)
Well, it has definitely been awhile since I last posted…I have been on a journey with this food project that has taken me to the Republic of the Congo, New Orleans twice (I may be going back), several food parties in and around the SF bay area and most recently to Senegal from where I just returned less than 3 days ago. This last journey has been the most profound for me in so many ways but what I am
27
Oct, 2010
“Home Cookin’” Food Party @ CounterPULSE was deep…
So this past Sunday it was raining in the Bay Area. Cold and wet. But that afternoon at CounterPULSE in San Francisco, an intimate crew of folks braved the rain, brought food, shared stories and ate together. The topic was, “what are the factors that support or prevent us from cooking meals on a regular basis”. What I am finding about food is, no matter what the topic might be, the food will direct the path of discussion. Most of
4
Oct, 2010
Let’s get Cookin’!
For the next year my blogs will be focusing on the development of my piece, “Our Daily Bread” which will premier next April at CounterPULSE…and the journey that this piece is taking me on is already soooo deep… Most recently, I cooked for folks who were taking Rashad Pridgen’s (AKA Soul Nubian) AfroHouseHop class at Dance Mission this past Saturday. I made my recession stew and rice for the students who joined me in the Dance Mission lobby glowing from
20
May, 2009
Watch an excerpt of Deep Waters Dance Theater, CounterPULSE Artists in Residence March 09
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
Feb, 2009
More food for thought on the making of “…our daily bread”
So, next week my company and i will perform our new work "...our daily bread" that is this exploration of food and cultural identity. Forgive me if what I am about to throw down reads a bit like a high school essay that would begin with "what I learned......". But what has been the deepest revelation for me in this creative process which has included talking to and eating with my family, is that the part of my food identity
24
Jan, 2009
What’s Cookin’ So far……
My company Deep Waters Dance Theater is in the process of making this piece we are calling, "...our daily bread". We are exploring the ways that food shapes our cultural identities, how we all have food stories and folklore that ties who we are to the food we eat. We are also looking at how our disconnection from our food sources is impacting our health and environment. So, we are in the process of finding ways to bring these stories