ARC

4 Oct, 2010

Let’s get Cookin’!

2016-03-18T22:36:56-07:00By |Categories: Amara Tabor Smith, Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

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

27 Oct, 2010

“Home Cookin’” Food Party @ CounterPULSE was deep…

2016-03-18T22:36:44-07:00By |Categories: Amara Tabor Smith, Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

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

9 Jan, 2011

The Best Laid Plans…

2016-03-18T22:19:57-07:00By |Categories: Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE, Dandelion Dancetheater, Video|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

A particularly challenging and fertile aspect of being a creator of experimental performance is that I often have to describe a project in detail many months or even years before I start on it. When working with 10 or more ensemble members and needing to plan out schedules and spaces that are accessible for dancing, instruments, wheelchairs, props, sets and more, I have to do a lot of advance planning. I joke often with my husband about how I have

9 Jan, 2011

Synchronicities

2016-03-18T22:19:45-07:00By |Categories: Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE, Dandelion Dancetheater, Video|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

One of my favorite things about the creative process is synchronicity. I follow intuition above all else in my art making and find myself continually rewarded by the ways that relationships I never could have dreamed up appear all of a sudden. Until recently I was planning on making a piece called Don't Suck! Cycle II as part of a four month residency at CounterPULSE in San Francisco. The recent deaths of my close friend Sharon and my grandmother moved

10 Jan, 2011

Narass ak jamm (digest in peace)

2016-03-18T22:36:33-07:00By |Categories: Amara Tabor Smith, Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

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

18 Jan, 2011

Trying to hold on to the magic of Africa….

2016-03-18T22:36:22-07:00By |Categories: Amara Tabor Smith, Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE, Images|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

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

27 Jan, 2011

In a recession, you gotta have stew…..

2016-03-18T22:36:12-07:00By |Categories: Amara Tabor Smith, Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE, Images|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

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

8 Feb, 2011

Ode to my Father and my brother…

2016-03-18T22:36:01-07:00By |Categories: Amara Tabor Smith, Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE, Images|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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

14 Feb, 2011

Letting go of gumbo..

2016-03-18T22:35:39-07:00By |Categories: Amara Tabor Smith, Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE, Images|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

For many years on my birthday, my mother would make her seafood gumbo. It was one of the few times I would ask her to make this dish and I always liked to share this experience with family and friends because my mother’s gumbo is an experience. It is thick, messy, full of crabs legs, shrimps, oysters and okra. We used to spread newspaper on the table, wear bibs and used nut crackers to crack the crab, the sound of

30 Mar, 2011

Entering the Temple of Tech Week

2016-03-18T22:16:47-07:00By |Categories: Artists in Residence, CounterPULSE, Dandelion Dancetheater, Video|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've come to love tech week--the week leading up to a performance run in which we have tech (technical) rehearsals, dress rehearsals and last minute scramblings to finish. I notice that during this time I am highly energized with a mix of anxiety, anticipation and joy. And I notice that the main thing that keeps me grounded is spending as much time as possible at the theater. I like to get to the place we're performing hours before each event,

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