2/19
 |
| In song and motion |
Lee checking in about her
rehearsals. Marc has questions. Jeremy
and friends getting set up for tonight’s event with the Open Center.
I’m off for a planning
meeting of our Palestine film series.
I’ve actually managed to
come up with a flier for tonight, based on who will be here:
Are you an artist?
Is your art an
expression of your spirit?
Do beauty and justice
go together?
Does your art affirm
life?
Are art and community
holy in some way?
Let's
do it!
We are interested in finding a circle of
artists who would be interested in coming together to explore in a lab setting
what could be new experiences of ritual/liturgy/shared performance in the
context of a building with a deep and rich spiritual and social history. Open
to the deep roots and flights of fancy, free to move where the spirit leads…
If you are interested, please leave us your
information:
Name__________________________________
E-mail____________________
Discipline __________________________
The Center at West-Park: Dream.
Real. Hard.
West-Park Church: Just. Love
When I arrive, the program is already in full
swing. The deep and low songs of the African diaspora American south filling
the front of the sanctuary the singers moving back and forth and towards one
another in an ever changing yet coherent
circle. I’m happy to see all my Dzieci friends have joined in as well.The
singing and movement goes on for nearly an hour and a half. Mesmerizing.
Stirring.
Jeremy, Lloyd and I do brief introductions.
Mine includes the socio-religious- artistic history of the church. Including my
interest in the intersection of beauty and justice, ethics and aesthetics.
Then we broke for food and conversation.
What a series of conversations I had. These
included:
* A young Mexican accordionist with a grant to
develop theatre on the border and his dramatic dancer partner
* A young Ukrainian who is part of a choir who
also collaborates with a Georgian choir that sings ancient church music who is
interested in fundraising for displaced persons in the Ukraine. And who also
was a volunteer with Bread & Puppet
* A couple working with Native Americans in
choral and theatrical work, finding a group of Lenni Lanape, the original
people of Long Island.
* A woman from Chile, doctoral student at
Columbia working with indigenous people in the rain forest of Ecuador.
*Several dancers and choreographers
* Several clowns and puppeteers
* An accountant
* People from Italy, Brazil, Germany,
Latin America, eastern Europe…
ALL seeking a community in which to pursue
spirit led ritual, community, spiritual and social transformation...And to my
flier, I received 14 responses from the 50-60 gathered. I feel it was an
important and good night.
Obviously what is needed is good follow up,
but this illustrates that there is a market for the church and center we could
become. All were here for the first time and all came as a result of word of
mouth or social media. If done right, a revived church and center can come into
being.
Kind of night that brings hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment