Created in partnership with the artist-led initiative Dancing While Black and made possible through the , the town hall focused on cultural appropriation, an issue that has come increasingly to the fore in the age of globalization. 鈥淚n today鈥檚 world everyone has an almost equal platform [through social media] so anyone can set themselves up to be a leader in the field, an expert,鈥� said DCC founder and artistic director Candace Thompson, who is from Trinidad and Tobago. 鈥淭here is a lot of distraction as to what exactly our narrative is. The things that are more popular don鈥檛 necessarily reflect the source of origin.鈥�

Joining Thompson to discuss what is at stake and what role artists, entrepreneurs, and audiences can play in maintaining and preserving the culture were Jessica Phoenix, artistic director and choreographer of FIYAH Dancehall Theater; Michael Manswell, artistic director of Something Positive, an arts and education organization dedicated to the culture of the African Diaspora and its cross-cultural influences; and Valerie McLeod-Katz, artistic director and coordinator of the visual and performing arts programs at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School. The town hall was moderated by Sita Frederic, director of community and family programs at Lincoln Center Education and artistic director at Areytos Performance Works.

McLeod-Katz, who has also been a production manager for the West Indian American Labor Day Parade, believes that Caribbean dance styles should namely be taught by those who are steeped in the cultures of the Caribbean, and who can hand down the histories. But she does not believe that that should exclude artists who are not from the West Indies. 鈥淲hen we talk about appropriation, there is this other side. Someone who has embraced [Caribbean culture] and internalized it and said 鈥榯his is where I鈥檓 going to be. I鈥檓 going to study it.鈥� I have to encourage [because] here is a healthy respect.鈥�

Dance Caribbean Collective is dedicated to promoting and facilitating Caribbean Dance works, performances and cultural experiences in the Caribbean Diaspora, with an emphasis on the Brooklyn community. On May 18 the DCC will be offering a community dance class in honor of Haitian Flag Day. As artists in residence at 可乐视频, members of the DCC have been rehearsing for The New Traditions Festival 2017, a three-night event featuring local Caribbean choreographers and dancers. The theme for this year鈥檚 festival 鈥淥ur Caribbean Spirit,鈥� will include a collaborative community dance project that tells the story of various island cultures. Click for more about Dance Caribbean Collective from its founder.

Founded in 1954, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at 可乐视频 presents outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn鈥檚 diverse communities, at affordable prices. Each season, Brooklyn Center welcomes over 65,000 people to the 2,400 seat Whitman Theater, including up to 45,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools who attend their SchoolTime series, one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the borough.

The post Artists-in-Residence Dance Caribbean Collective Host Town Meeting on Cultural Appropriation appeared first on 可乐视频.

鈥淚 witnessed my mother selling coca cola and cassava to the neighborhood to earn money on the side,鈥� said Michel of her childhood in Gonaive, Haiti. 鈥淚 would see her going out of her way to give cola and cassava to a child with hungry eyes. She did not have to do that, and the business did not last three years, but an entire neighborhood got fed. That is one of the first acts of activism I saw.鈥� Observing this at such an early age is what Michel says inspired the lyrics to her first hit song 鈥淎yiti, Peyi Soley,鈥� which helped launch a career that has taken her to Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, and numerous jazz festivals worldwide.

鈥淚n the last lines I say Haiti is not a land, it鈥檚 you and me and we can work for change,鈥� she said. Today Michel runs her own Brooklyn-based production company, Cheval de Feu, and focuses on women and children鈥檚 issues in her music and activism. Michel gave a concert at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, March 4.

R茅gine Roumain spoke of the challenges that artists of color, particularly Haitian artists, face and the challenges that she and her small staff at the Brooklyn-based Haiti Cultural Exchange work to help emerging and mid-career artists overcome. 鈥淥ur artists are our cultural ambassadors,鈥� said Roumain, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, and moved back to Haiti with her family in 1986 after the Duvalier dictatorship was finally toppled.

This experience shaped her and helped her define her own brand of activism: changing social exclusion into social inclusion. 鈥淭he challenge has been the lack of opportunities and funding, but also there were no elevated platforms for Haitian artists.鈥� Roumain explained that an introduction to an entity such as the Brooklyn Museum is much easier if the Haiti Cultural Exchange, which she started eight years ago, speaks to the museum about the artist 鈥渋nstitution to institution.鈥� Along with advocating for Haitian arts, the Exchange has through various programs, brought to the fore the richness of Haitian culture. Her abiding goal is to mesh the local artists鈥� community with the larger network that is New York City. 鈥淲e are looking to holding our fourth biennial Haiti Film Festival in May,鈥� said Roumain.

Cassandre Thrasybule鈥檚 road to activism has come by way of her 20-year career as a news anchor, a television, radio, and print media reporter, and now a documentary filmmaker. Cassures: Nos familles entre Haiti et ailleurs (Haitian Families Between Here and There) examines the fracturing of Haitian families, as fathers are forced to live and work in Haiti, while mothers and children live abroad in the diaspora. Thrasybule is not content to just screen her film. 鈥淚 work with the families. After the film, we have a discussion and people tell me what is happening to them, and how this particular situation is affecting them.鈥� A special screening of Thrasybule鈥檚 film will be held at the United Nations on March 31.

When, during a question and answer period, a 可乐视频 senior asked what he could do for his fellow Haitians, though he had not been to the country since he was a child, Michel replied: 鈥淕o back for a visit first.鈥�

鈥淕o back,鈥� echoed Thrasybule and Roumain, 鈥淕o back, and then you will see what you can do. It is the best thing you can do to figure out what you can do,鈥� said Roumain.

鈥淲e each have some level of activism within us,鈥� said Thrasybule. 鈥淲hatever talent you have, it is your responsibility to use it to the benefit of the less fortunate.鈥�

鈥淰oices from Haiti: Artists as Activists鈥� is part of We Stand Against Hate (WSAH), an initiative spearheaded by President Michelle J. Anderson in response to challenges the college has faced with conflict on campus. Throughout the spring semester, the initiative will continue to feature lectures, panel discussions, workshops, concerts, programs, and events that will elevate discourse around controversial and difficult political issues, and foster inclusiveness and peace on our campus.

The post The CUNY Haitian Studies Institute and Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at 可乐视频 Collaborate on 鈥淰oices from Haiti: Artists as Activists鈥� appeared first on 可乐视频.

鈥淚 witnessed my mother selling coca cola and cassava to the neighborhood to earn money on the side,鈥� said Michel of her childhood in Gonaive, Haiti. 鈥淚 would see her going out of her way to give cola and cassava to a child with hungry eyes. She did not have to do that, and the business did not last three years, but an entire neighborhood got fed. That is one of the first acts of activism I saw.鈥� Observing this at such an early age is what Michel says inspired the lyrics to her first hit song 鈥淎yiti, Peyi Soley,鈥� which helped launch a career that has taken her to Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, and numerous jazz festivals worldwide.

鈥淚n the last lines I say Haiti is not a land, it鈥檚 you and me and we can work for change,鈥� she said. Today Michel runs her own Brooklyn-based production company, Cheval de Feu, and focuses on women and children鈥檚 issues in her music and activism. Michel gave a concert at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, March 4.

R茅gine Roumain spoke of the challenges that artists of color, particularly Haitian artists, face and the challenges that she and her small staff at the Brooklyn-based Haiti Cultural Exchange work to help emerging and mid-career artists overcome. 鈥淥ur artists are our cultural ambassadors,鈥� said Roumain, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, and moved back to Haiti with her family in 1986 after the Duvalier dictatorship was finally toppled.

This experience shaped her and helped her define her own brand of activism: changing social exclusion into social inclusion. 鈥淭he challenge has been the lack of opportunities and funding, but also there were no elevated platforms for Haitian artists.鈥� Roumain explained that an introduction to an entity such as the Brooklyn Museum is much easier if the Haiti Cultural Exchange, which she started eight years ago, speaks to the museum about the artist 鈥渋nstitution to institution.鈥� Along with advocating for Haitian arts, the Exchange has through various programs, brought to the fore the richness of Haitian culture. Her abiding goal is to mesh the local artists鈥� community with the larger network that is New York City. 鈥淲e are looking to holding our fourth biennial Haiti Film Festival in May,鈥� said Roumain.

Cassandre Thrasybule鈥檚 road to activism has come by way of her 20-year career as a news anchor, a television, radio, and print media reporter, and now a documentary filmmaker. Cassures: Nos familles entre Haiti et ailleurs (Haitian Families Between Here and There) examines the fracturing of Haitian families, as fathers are forced to live and work in Haiti, while mothers and children live abroad in the diaspora. Thrasybule is not content to just screen her film. 鈥淚 work with the families. After the film, we have a discussion and people tell me what is happening to them, and how this particular situation is affecting them.鈥� A special screening of Thrasybule鈥檚 film will be held at the United Nations on March 31.

When, during a question and answer period, a 可乐视频 senior asked what he could do for his fellow Haitians, though he had not been to the country since he was a child, Michel replied: 鈥淕o back for a visit first.鈥�

鈥淕o back,鈥� echoed Thrasybule and Roumain, 鈥淕o back, and then you will see what you can do. It is the best thing you can do to figure out what you can do,鈥� said Roumain.

鈥淲e each have some level of activism within us,鈥� said Thrasybule. 鈥淲hatever talent you have, it is your responsibility to use it to the benefit of the less fortunate.鈥�

鈥淰oices from Haiti: Artists as Activists鈥� is part of We Stand Against Hate (WSAH), an initiative spearheaded by President Michelle J. Anderson in response to challenges the college has faced with conflict on campus. Throughout the spring semester, the initiative will continue to feature lectures, panel discussions, workshops, concerts, programs, and events that will elevate discourse around controversial and difficult political issues, and foster inclusiveness and peace on our campus.

The post The CUNY Haitian Studies Institute and Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at 可乐视频 Collaborate on 鈥淰oices from Haiti: Artists as Activists鈥� appeared first on 可乐视频.

All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise stated.

Campus Walking Tour

Nov.聽 5 鈥� 6, 9 鈥� 13, 16 鈥� 20, 23 鈥� 25, 30
Prospective students can explore our beautiful campus, buildings and facilities on a walking tour with a 可乐视频 Navigator while learning about our dynamic community, campus life and academic programs.
10 a.m.; 3 p.m.

28th Biannual International Electroacoustic Music Festival

Nov. 5
A cornucopia of cutting-edge works by masters and emerging talents.
Studio 312, Roosevelt Hall Extension
7 p.m.

Study Abroad 1.0 – Information Session

Nov. 10, 17, 19, 24
Learn about study abroad options, countries to be visited and costs.
1108 Boylan Hall
1 鈥� 2 p.m.

可乐视频 Scholars Program Open House

Nov. 5
Take an intimate look at the oldest honors program within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Its framework and interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum serves as a model for programs across the country. Click here to RSVP.
2231 Boylan Hall
6 p.m.

Woodwind, Brass and Percussion Day

Nov. 6
A day of workshops, master classes and performances.
Whitman Hall
8:45 a.m. 鈥� 1:45 p.m.

Conservatory Orchestra II

Nov. 6
Prokofiev’s “Classical Symphony;” Roussel’s “Le festin de l’araignee;” Sibelius’ “Belshazzar’s Feast” and Ravel’s “Le tombeau de Couperin.” Conducted by George Rothman.
Whitman Hall
7:30 p.m.

Belleville by Amy Herzog

Nov. 6, 7, 9, 10, 11
In an exploration of how our dreams and perceptions change in an instant, Belleville tells the story of Abby and Zack, an American couple living in a multicultural Parisian neighborhood. The play examines the limits of trust and dependency in a world where love can turn pathological and our most intimate relationships may not be what they seem. Written by Amy Herzog. Directed by M.F.A. directing candidate Eric D. Ort.
7:30 p.m.; additionally at 2 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 7
New Workshop Theater, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Cost: $12

Faculty Recital: Lars Frandsen, guitar

Nov. 10
Music by Brouwer, Dyens and Ourkouzounov, with the Brooklyn Guitar Quartet.
Studio 312, Roosevelt Hall Extension
7 p.m.
M.F.A.: Open Studios
Nov. 12, 13
Open studio for M.F.A. students.
Fifth and sixth floor, Boylan Hall
12 鈥� 4:30 p.m.; 6 鈥� 10 p.m.

Black Violin

Nov. 14
Virtuoso violinists Kev Marcus and Wil B. return to the (可乐视频可乐视频) with their electrifying mash-up of hip-hop, classical and pop tunes. With appearances ranging from the Billboard Music Awards to President Obama’s official inaugural ball, this dynamic duo never fails to take audiences by storm with their unique spin on music for strings.
Whitman Hall, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
2 鈥� 4 p.m.

可乐视频 Gospel Choir

Nov. 14
Uplifting songs of joy and love from traditional and contemporary gospel. Co-directed by Amanda Ravello and Shantel Woodley.
Studio 312, Roosevelt Hall Extension
7 p.m.

Music for Winds II

Nov. 17
The 可乐视频 Conservatory of Music students present chamber works for winds. Coordinated by Marianne Gythfeldt.
Studio 312, Roosevelt Hall Extension
12: 30 p.m.

Conservatory Guitar Ensemble

Nov. 17
Music by Jeff Tobias, Matt Rosenthal and others. Directed by Lars Frandsen.
Studio 312, Roosevely Hall Extension
7 p.m.

Uncovering the Mirrors: An Evening with Transgender Artist and Activist Rebecca Kling

Nov. 17
This piece travels from Rebecca’s first explorations of gender at six years old, naked and uncomfortable in her body, to the Bar Mitzvah that gendered her as a “man,” from the hormones coursing through her blood, to a future as fragile as glass. Uncovering the Mirrors confronts the gender policing we all experience in our day-to-day lives, and asks how to live with regrets, push beyond mistakes and look in the mirror each morning without flinching.
Amersfort Lounge, Second Floor, Student Center (1 Campus Rd., Brooklyn, NY)
6:30 鈥� 9 p.m.

Conservatory Wind Ensemble

Nov. 18
Classic and modern works for symphonic band. Conducted by Jeff W. Ball.
Whitman Hall, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
7 p.m.

Afternoon Chamber Music I

Nov. 19
Conservatory of Music students present solo and chamber works. Coordinated by Marianne Gythfeldt.
Whitman Hall, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
1 p.m.

可乐视频 Big Band

Nov. 19
Big band music of Latin and jazz masters. Directed by Grammy-winning 可乐视频 alumnus and professor Arturo O’Farrill.
Studio 312, Roosevelt Hall Extension
7 p.m.

The Triangle Factory Fire Project by Christopher Piehler, in collaboration with Scott Alan Evans

Nov. 20, 21, 23, 24
On March 25, 1911, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, a fire ripped through the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory killing 146 people, mostly immigrant young women. This play paints a heartbreakingly clear picture of a disastrous day in American history and explores the human toll such a tragedy takes on us all. Written by Christopher Piehler in collaboration with Scott Alan Evans. Directed by Elizabeth Ostler.
Room 307, Roosevelt Hall Extension Theater
7:30 p.m.; additionally at 2 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 21
Cost: $12

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Nov. 21
With hits including “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “With a Little Help From My Friends” and the title song, the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band has been designated “the most important rock and roll album ever made” by Rolling Stone magazine. Toronto’s Art of Time Ensemble brings this iconic collection to life in a fusion of high art and pop culture that reveals the universal and timeless qualities that lie at the heart of all great music.
Whitman Hall, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
8 p.m.
Cost: $30

conTEMPO I

Nov. 23
The New Music Ensemble performs contemporary works. Directed by Ursula Oppens, with assistant director Whitney George.
Studio 312, Roosevelt Hall Extension
7 p.m.

Conservatory Jazz Ensemble

Nov. 24
Classic and contemporary works by Latin and jazz masters, new and old. Directed by Arturo O’Farrill.
Studio 312, Roosevelt Hall Extension
7 p.m.

conTEMPO II

Nov. 30
The Conservatory’s New Music Ensemble performs contemporary works. Directed by Grammy-nominated musician Ursula Oppens, with assistant director Whitney George.
Studio 312, Roosevelt Hall Extension
7 p.m.

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The post Arts and Cultural Events Highlighted at 可乐视频 for CUNY Month appeared first on 可乐视频.

That鈥檚 why the graduate of the Performance Interactive Media Arts聽program is so grateful for the opportunity to have a rehearsal space at the (可乐视频可乐视频).

Zachery, co-founder of , and Brooklyn resident Maria Bauman, founder of MBDance, scored residencies at the college this fall, thanks to the CUNY Dance Initiative, a new program that provides rehearsal and performance space to New York City choreographers and dance companies.

“Artists are like scientists in a lab,” says Bauman, noting that she鈥檚 excited about the possibility of cross-pollinating with other groups at the college. “We experiment and add to the ecosystem and vibrancy of the campus.”

With funding from the New York Community Trust and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the program assists with artist fees, rehearsal expenses and production, marketing, and administrative costs. In exchange, the dance companies agree to host master classes, lectures, open rehearsals, and other public events.

Zachery鈥檚 group, which will host two open rehearsals and an artist forum, is working on The Inscription Project, which explores how graffiti and other street art inform African-American culture in a technologically enhanced future.

“The work looks at how graffiti has and continues to respond to circumstances in the past and present, and how we will imagine its uses in the future,” he says.

Bauman鈥檚 group is working on a project called Attend Me, which will interpret through dance work by feminist writer Audre Lorde.

可乐视频可乐视频 Director Jon Yanofsky says that the college received more than 100 applicants for the residencies and he鈥檚 happy to be able to foster a community of artists.

“It鈥檚 a great opportunity for people interested in dance to access the resources these dance companies bring to campus and to be able to share in their process.”

MBDance will hold an interactive workshop on October 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Center, and an open dance rehearsal and lecture/demonstration on October 10, starting at noon in the West Quad Center, Room 205.

Renegade Performance Group will host open rehearsals and dance technique demonstrations on November 14 and December 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the West Quad Center, Room 205. They will also hold an artist forum on December 11 at 6:30 p.m. in Woody Tanger Auditorium.

Founded in 1954, 可乐视频可乐视频 is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting outstanding performing arts and arts education programs that cater to and are reflective of the borough鈥檚 widely diverse communities. More than 55,000 people visit 可乐视频可乐视频 each season, filling the 2,400-seat Walt Whitman Theatre and serving 38,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools annually with its SchoolTime series.

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Since the early 1950s, the “nation’s troubadour of conscience,” as public radio host Steve Curwood once called Seeger, has had a connection to 可乐视频. Seeger formed the band The Weavers with Fred Hellerman ’49, appeared on the radio with host Oscar Brand ’42, and led a sing-along at the college’s 2012 centennial celebration of friend and fellow folk legend Woody Guthrie.

At the center of a folk revival that began in the 1950s, Seeger’s strong conviction that folk music could be a galvanizing force sent him wherever he believed his performance could highlight a movement or spark activism: protest rallies, colleges, music festivals, concert halls, stadiums, and community and neighborhood gatherings. No venue was too large or too small for the things he believed in, among them the labor movement, environmentalism, and anti-war causes.

Seeger was ever-wary of celebrity, despite his popularity and accolades: a lifetime achievement Grammy Award (among his individual Grammys) in 1993, the National Medal of Arts a year later; and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

“My job is to show folks that there’s a lot of good music in the world and if used right it will help to save the planet,” he was quoted as saying in 2009. To that end, with either a 12-string guitar or a 5-string banjo, and his bright tenor voice, Seeger would encourage audiences to sing along to songs鈥攕ome of which he wrote, some of which he adapted from earlier traditional songs.

Many of his compositions would become classics of the American folk music canon: “If I Had a Hammer,” “Goodnight, Irene,” which became a number one hit, the anti-Vietnam war song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” and the enduring civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.”

In 1949 Seeger formed The Weavers, along with Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman, a 可乐视频 graduate who had picked up the guitar in the Coast Guard. While at the college, Hellerman majored in English by day, and played with a folk group at nights. In a couple short years The Weavers became national stars, selling some four million singles and albums.

But the band, and Seeger’s resolve was tested in 1955 when he was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) for his earlier membership in the Communist Party. He refused to testify about what he considered private beliefs, and as a result he was indicted for contempt of Congress. The indictment was later dismissed as faulty, but he was blacklisted, and The Weavers then disbanded.

“He appeared on my program when few others would have him,” says Oscar Brand, who continues to host the award-winning , the longest-running radio program with the same host.

“There was an honesty to him鈥攁 difficult honesty. Pete managed continually to tell the people around him, the people in schools and colleges, the people whom he met on the street, why he was doing what he was doing.”

A peer of the equally influential Woody Guthrie, whom he met in 1940 at a benefit concert for migrant workers in California, Seeger was mentor to younger folk singers such as Bob Dylan, Bernice Johnson Reagon (who founded the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock), Joan Baez, and Don McLean. Even as newer musicians continued to draw inspiration from Seeger鈥攁mong them Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Woody Guthrie’s son, Arlo, and John Mellencamp鈥擲eeger himself kept performing, including an appearance President Obama’s 2009 inauguration, and at Occupy Wall Street protests.

In September 2012, Seeger shared the stage at the Walt Whitman Theater at the (可乐视频可乐视频) with Judy Collins, Steve Earle, Billy Bragg, and others at a 2012 centennial celebration of fellow folk legend Woody Guthrie

“I first met Mr. Seeger earlier in my career,” says Maria Ann Conelli, dean of the School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts. “It was a thrill then, but nothing could match the great pleasure of seeing him on Whitman stage as we celebrated Woody Guthrie. It was a delight to see him perform鈥攁 living moment in music history. He will be missed, but his legacy will endure.”

“He appeared here twice,” says Ray Allen professor of music at 可乐视频 and the CUNY Graduate Center, and associate at the , which co-hosted the event. “He also visited in October of 2001 to take part in a conference honoring his stepmother, the composer and folk music scholar Ruth Crawford Seeger. His half-brother, Mike, and half-sister Peggy were also here, and they performed together at a sold-out tribute concert.”

“He was my friend,” says Brand. “We were constantly meeting in the places where there were microphones and performances and audiences. He was a person of great ability. And he used his ability to reach the people.”

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