They Dance For Rain: The Exhibit
Photographs from a dance-making project in Nairobi, Kenya
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Ave in Pittsfield, announces the presentation of photographs from They Dance For Rain until December 21st with receptions on Friday November 1st and December 5th from 5-8p coinciding with First Fridays ArtsWalk .
They Dance For Rain is a dance-making project that works with arts-for-social-change organizations in Nairobi, Kenya. It is created and directed by action-based dance artist Stefanie Weber in collaboration with fine art photographer Monika Pizzichemi.
Since January of 2012, They Dance For Rain has brought Tap shoes and the art form of Tap Dance to people with an interest and need for this unique kind of artistic self-expression. They also bring hoops to dance with and teach others the skills of making long-lasting dance hoops. They bring visibility to an otherwise unrepresented population of slum and ghetto dancers and dwellers through photography and film. In this area of the world, Tap Dance is still quite young and the eagerness to learn it is immense. Through this continuing global exchange of artistic dialogue They Dance For Rain inspires a new generation of Tap Dancers. These dancers will innovate the form through use of their own culturally distinctive ideas and styles.
The Lichtenstein Center exhibit will feature select photographs, videos and stories from Weber and Pizzichemi’s 2013 residency in Nairobi working with four organizations that support the performing arts in underserved areas: Shangilia Child Rescue Center, VOCAL (Voices of Change All Over), Banjuka Dance Program and GoDown Arts Center.
Photos will be on display through December 21st and are for sale. Proceeds from the sales will go to the 2014 continuation of the project. For more information visit: fertileuniverse.com/
They Dance For Rain: The Slideshow
We will be showing a condensed version of our infamous SLIDESHOW about our 2013 trip to Nairobi on October 9th at 7p at the Berkshire Athenaeum on Wendell Ave in Pittsfield, thanks to the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum.
Come learn more about what we have done already and what our exciting plans are for the future of this ambitious dance and art making adventure.
View select photos and videos and get inside stories as we prepare to launch our next series of fundraisers for our 2014 return.
We’d love to visit with you and include you in this unique far-reaching project.
More info about the project:
http://fertileuniverse.com/they-dance-for-rain
Also see my post about THE EXHIBIT at The Lichtenstein Center For The Arts on Renne Ave in Pittsfield, MA beginning on Nov 1st and up for month of November.
press release: auto mobile body works
Press Release
Contact: Stefanie Weber
Stefanie@fertileuniverse.com
413.281.6734
Creatures of Habitat Physical Poetry Public Performance Project
Participatory showing in Northampton open spaces
Friday September 6, 2013 7:30p
For Immediate Release
Creatures of Habitat Physical Poetry Public Performance Project announces the showing of Auto Mobile Body Works, original projections and live performance in a select few open spaces in the city of Northampton on Friday September 6th beginning at 7:30p. Audience participants are asked to meet at the Round House parking lot dressed to be outside and prepared to travel. The event cost is by donation.
Auto Mobile Body Works, conceived and directed by action-based dance artist Stefanie Weber, utilizes movement, video, vehicles and outdoor paved spaces to create a site-specific series of scenes that both imagine and reveal an integration of human and auto bodies. Weber, a native of Pittsfield, MA began the Creatures of Habitat in 2001 to artistically explore connections between behavior, environment and a collective psyche she believes humans share with the rest of nature. Projection video made for Auto Mobile Body Works was done in collaboration with Michael Sinopoli of Greylock Productions. Music is used courtesy of Thomas White/Electric Soft Parade. Performers include: Ione Beauchamp, Diane Firtell, Dawn Meltzer, Shira Wohlberg and Stefanie Weber. Auto Mobile Body Works is supported in part by Dana Bixby Architecture and a grant from the Northampton Arts Council, a local arts council which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
For more information visit fertileuniverse.com or contact Stefanie@fertileuniverse.com, 413.281.6734 The Creatures of Habitat can be found on facebook.com/COHfan
