SALSA DANCING
Not really wanting to address”leading” in Salsa dancing from a feminist perspective but . . . The reason (one of the reasons) for the Women’s Liberation movement back in the 1960’s was to liberate both men and women. How could you not include both sexes in a movement that was destined to impact social engineering for generations to come. To anticipate a relationship on the dance floor where the man”leads” and the woman “follows” is ludicrous. Let us discuss.
The word follower will be substituted for woman to include the myriad of gender identifications.
You may understand the description of a “leader” if you acknowledge the following observations. The responsibility of leading in Salsa dancing is analogous to one half of a couple defined as the bread winner. What women said in the 1960’s Liberation Movement was that housework is significant for the total life of a couple/family. Educated women wanted to have a career in their lifetime. Sometimes the exigencies of a couple’s life together dictated rearrangements of gender identifications.
On the dance floor, of Salsa on two, a mis-step or a misinterpreted lead is a social exigency. The “shine” may be a deliberate reinterpretation of a lead. A follower may be inspired by the poly-rhythms of contemporary salsa music. A trumpet quartet blaring amid symphonic jazz can be trance inducing.
There is a consent implicit in accepting a dance leader. This is a limited opportunity for two people to dance together. It is not a behavior guide for the evening. A salsa dance relationship is not a relinquishing of decision making. There is a nanosecond of meanness in enabling grandiosity. A follower has to be cautious to not “lead on” the leader. The follower may not be too keen on housework.
When two people are dancing together the follower is a part of the together. Without a follower you dance alone. (Mondays Underground Hudson Hotel) If a follower missteps or doesn’t turn fast enough whose fault is it? What if the follower reinterprets a lead; who feels threatened? Who can laugh it off? If the follower does not like the style of the leader, for example grabbing, pulling/pushing or jerking a follower may a) say “gentle.” b) end the dance in the middle of the 1…2…3…
If a man is a leader why do women take Salsa Dance classes? The lead is a suggestion of choreography. Followers notice a variety of leads in the dance classes. All are leading somewhere. The success of the lead may be about dancing skills because men take Salsa dance classes too. The success of the leader may be about something else!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Strivers Art Circuit
Discovering Arts in Harlem
Harlem has always been a source of specialized shopping such as for African textiles at Yara Fabrics at Fifth Avenue and 125th Street. This weekend The Strivers Art Circuit gave me a new discovery---Arts in Harlem. SAC is a self guided walking tour through artists studios and galleries surrounding the famed Strivers Row Historic district of Harlem, New York, New York. A contributing sponsor was the Harlem Arts Alliance’s Arts Advocacy Week. Postcards and posters mapped the location of thirteen spots to visit the week-end of October 9 and 10, 2010 to discover arts in Harlem.
Although geographically challenged finding the first gallery, Hamilton Landmark Gallery 647 West 144th Street was easily on the #101 bus line. The curator of this group exhibit “Trash to Treasure" was Aleathia Brown, a collage painter. The artists are from local neighborhoods and upstate New York organizations--- Harlem Arts Alliance and Black Dimension in Art. Taking recycling to a robust level these artists constructed fine art from ‘trash.’ A 12”X24” 3D piece by Catherine Reaves included plastic bags and embroidery thread that depicted flowers mounted on burlap. The piece by Patricia Murray was entitled "Over my Head I hear Music in the Air": fabric, yarn and earrings. A vintage wall hanging by Laura Gadson 42”X35” included square silk patches pieced and tied in a myriad of browns. For the wall hanging “Dazzling Star” Tina W. Raggio used cotton fabric. A 3D sculpture by Aleathia Brown was acrylic paint covering a shoe collage. The Albany photographer VR Grant exhibited black and white compositions that were not taken with his childhood Kodak box camera. The locations of these photographs included Topsail, North Carolina, “Fishing Pier;" Albany, NY ”Empire Place;" and “Boy” taken thirty years ago in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A nature construction by Slanwyck Cromwell included ½ inch tree branches amid starkly painted colors:12”X36”.
Searching for the second gallery on Hamilton Terrace found me lost in Harlem on Hamilton Place. Sunday was a warm and sunny afternoon for a walking tour. Pedestrians faithfully directed me to 62 Hamilton Place; this was not The Children’s Art Carnival, this was not 62 Hamilton Terrace. Retracing my steps to find Hamilton Terrace there were colorful balloons at the entrance to The Chirldren's Art Carnival. One of the fiber artists was Shaunda Halloway. She was exhibiting a variety of accessories decorated with hand dyed fabrics inspired by the Ibo of Nigeria. Bold, colorful graphics adorned handbags, belts and revamped T-shirts. Other works on the walls were pastels, ink drawings and vibrantly washed watercolors. The pottery in the rear was created by the young people educated at The Children's Art Carnival.
Strolling down unfamiliar tree lined streets acorns crushed underfoot. The towering old trees had roots pushing the sidewalk upward. The brownstones and occasional apartment buildings were quiet until the Terrace dead ended. The turn of a corner found me on Rev.Dr. John W. Saunders Place where the Bx #19 bus stops at 145th Street. Look at that a Bronx bus in the heart of Manhattan!
Shimoda, the jeweler provided the most hospitable home studio. http://www.shimoda-accessories.com/ Her upstairs studio space on Frederick Douglas Boulevard showcased her extravagant line of beads, bangles and bling. With mirrors all around we were enticed to imagine ourselves courageous enough to be so adorned. All the walls including the snack-filled kitchen demonstrated her expanse of creativity where jewelry becomes a three dimensional sculpture. Shimoda hosted two visual artists from Dallas, Texas: Frank Sowells, Jr. and Randy Leger.
The photographic essay at Strivers Gardens Gallery by Kwame Brathwaite is entitled “Gone: But Not Forgotten.” This is a segment of the photographer's massive collection of photographs of musical legends. The performance shots of Michael Jackson, Miles Davis and Betty Carter to name a few presented a walk down memory lane. If you never saw James Brown at the Apollo Theater how can you call yourself a music lover?
At the law office of Jayne M. Dennis;230 West 135th Street Beatrice Lebreton exhibited paintings that will be shown later this month at the Harlem Arts Alliance Office Gallery. The paintings of women are realistic yet framed by symbols and designs of color:"Femmes/Fragments." On the craft side Beatrice Lebreton has assembled prints of her original watercolors into a desk calendar. A large sheet contains two inch crops of prints of butterfly wings on a black background. Ibou Ndoye, paints on glass, sometimes broken glass. Then takes a digital image of this original for smaller prints matted in white. Next Ibou Ndoye He is is currently exhibiting at the Distrillery Gallery, Jersey City, New Jersey. “Mapping Race” http://www.destinationjerseycity.com/events/428
At the Harlem Arts Alliance Office Gallery the painter Eric Engles is showing neon paintings from the past few years in a showcase entitled “Phoenix” Most of the paintings are two feet by two feet in contemporary frames suitable for exhibiting under a black light. The colors are florescent hues from poster paints that swerve to dance and splatter as in “Pig Pen.” The layering of flowing streaks and brush strokes of fuchsia and chartreuse presents a dizzying moment.
The Gadson Gallery/Laura R. Gadson is a quilt lovers delight. Her work is large and small, traditional and contemporary, home decorous and museum quality. The traditional quilts with squares and rectangles use soft colored cotton fabrics blended by neat circular quilting stitches. The finishing edge, the binding is not limited to repeating the quilt’s motif but has an expression of independence. The masterful blue and white quilt shows giant snowflakes that seem to float aloft. It is hard for a mere photograph or a Banner hanging on 125th Street to capture the texture of quilting. Laura R. Gadson has a unique mobile hanging system for her wall hangings. These small story quilts are complemented with noir. And ah the fabric portraits! Billie Holiday and Noel Pointer has solo characters or small groups like Grandma with child come alive on a landscaped background. Her work exemplifies ”that fine art look that we are trying to impose on viewers.”
Harlem has always been a source of specialized shopping such as for African textiles at Yara Fabrics at Fifth Avenue and 125th Street. This weekend The Strivers Art Circuit gave me a new discovery---Arts in Harlem. SAC is a self guided walking tour through artists studios and galleries surrounding the famed Strivers Row Historic district of Harlem, New York, New York. A contributing sponsor was the Harlem Arts Alliance’s Arts Advocacy Week. Postcards and posters mapped the location of thirteen spots to visit the week-end of October 9 and 10, 2010 to discover arts in Harlem.
Although geographically challenged finding the first gallery, Hamilton Landmark Gallery 647 West 144th Street was easily on the #101 bus line. The curator of this group exhibit “Trash to Treasure" was Aleathia Brown, a collage painter. The artists are from local neighborhoods and upstate New York organizations--- Harlem Arts Alliance and Black Dimension in Art. Taking recycling to a robust level these artists constructed fine art from ‘trash.’ A 12”X24” 3D piece by Catherine Reaves included plastic bags and embroidery thread that depicted flowers mounted on burlap. The piece by Patricia Murray was entitled "Over my Head I hear Music in the Air": fabric, yarn and earrings. A vintage wall hanging by Laura Gadson 42”X35” included square silk patches pieced and tied in a myriad of browns. For the wall hanging “Dazzling Star” Tina W. Raggio used cotton fabric. A 3D sculpture by Aleathia Brown was acrylic paint covering a shoe collage. The Albany photographer VR Grant exhibited black and white compositions that were not taken with his childhood Kodak box camera. The locations of these photographs included Topsail, North Carolina, “Fishing Pier;" Albany, NY ”Empire Place;" and “Boy” taken thirty years ago in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A nature construction by Slanwyck Cromwell included ½ inch tree branches amid starkly painted colors:12”X36”.
Searching for the second gallery on Hamilton Terrace found me lost in Harlem on Hamilton Place. Sunday was a warm and sunny afternoon for a walking tour. Pedestrians faithfully directed me to 62 Hamilton Place; this was not The Children’s Art Carnival, this was not 62 Hamilton Terrace. Retracing my steps to find Hamilton Terrace there were colorful balloons at the entrance to The Chirldren's Art Carnival. One of the fiber artists was Shaunda Halloway. She was exhibiting a variety of accessories decorated with hand dyed fabrics inspired by the Ibo of Nigeria. Bold, colorful graphics adorned handbags, belts and revamped T-shirts. Other works on the walls were pastels, ink drawings and vibrantly washed watercolors. The pottery in the rear was created by the young people educated at The Children's Art Carnival.
Strolling down unfamiliar tree lined streets acorns crushed underfoot. The towering old trees had roots pushing the sidewalk upward. The brownstones and occasional apartment buildings were quiet until the Terrace dead ended. The turn of a corner found me on Rev.Dr. John W. Saunders Place where the Bx #19 bus stops at 145th Street. Look at that a Bronx bus in the heart of Manhattan!
Shimoda, the jeweler provided the most hospitable home studio. http://www.shimoda-accessories.com/ Her upstairs studio space on Frederick Douglas Boulevard showcased her extravagant line of beads, bangles and bling. With mirrors all around we were enticed to imagine ourselves courageous enough to be so adorned. All the walls including the snack-filled kitchen demonstrated her expanse of creativity where jewelry becomes a three dimensional sculpture. Shimoda hosted two visual artists from Dallas, Texas: Frank Sowells, Jr. and Randy Leger.
The photographic essay at Strivers Gardens Gallery by Kwame Brathwaite is entitled “Gone: But Not Forgotten.” This is a segment of the photographer's massive collection of photographs of musical legends. The performance shots of Michael Jackson, Miles Davis and Betty Carter to name a few presented a walk down memory lane. If you never saw James Brown at the Apollo Theater how can you call yourself a music lover?
At the law office of Jayne M. Dennis;230 West 135th Street Beatrice Lebreton exhibited paintings that will be shown later this month at the Harlem Arts Alliance Office Gallery. The paintings of women are realistic yet framed by symbols and designs of color:"Femmes/Fragments." On the craft side Beatrice Lebreton has assembled prints of her original watercolors into a desk calendar. A large sheet contains two inch crops of prints of butterfly wings on a black background. Ibou Ndoye, paints on glass, sometimes broken glass. Then takes a digital image of this original for smaller prints matted in white. Next Ibou Ndoye He is is currently exhibiting at the Distrillery Gallery, Jersey City, New Jersey. “Mapping Race” http://www.destinationjerseycity.com/events/428
At the Harlem Arts Alliance Office Gallery the painter Eric Engles is showing neon paintings from the past few years in a showcase entitled “Phoenix” Most of the paintings are two feet by two feet in contemporary frames suitable for exhibiting under a black light. The colors are florescent hues from poster paints that swerve to dance and splatter as in “Pig Pen.” The layering of flowing streaks and brush strokes of fuchsia and chartreuse presents a dizzying moment.
The Gadson Gallery/Laura R. Gadson is a quilt lovers delight. Her work is large and small, traditional and contemporary, home decorous and museum quality. The traditional quilts with squares and rectangles use soft colored cotton fabrics blended by neat circular quilting stitches. The finishing edge, the binding is not limited to repeating the quilt’s motif but has an expression of independence. The masterful blue and white quilt shows giant snowflakes that seem to float aloft. It is hard for a mere photograph or a Banner hanging on 125th Street to capture the texture of quilting. Laura R. Gadson has a unique mobile hanging system for her wall hangings. These small story quilts are complemented with noir. And ah the fabric portraits! Billie Holiday and Noel Pointer has solo characters or small groups like Grandma with child come alive on a landscaped background. Her work exemplifies ”that fine art look that we are trying to impose on viewers.”
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Harlem Arts Alliance Advocacy Week
This note is intended to express my gratitude to Michael Unthank and the Staff at Harlem Arts Alliance for the series of events during Harlem Arts Advocacy Week: October 4-9, 2010. The schedule for the programs was available at the September and October monthly meetings, as well as stuffing my e-mailbox. There were participants representing numerous arts, cultural and political organizations. The thoughts presented these last few days were challenging.
Theme: Collaboration.
The face of collaboration was demonstrated by the fact that varied arts organizations were seated on panels together. This is giving the organizations peer to peer contact. They described their recent and future events. 2) Artists can collaborate with these organizations. 3) Artists collaborating with media as Flo Wiley, publicist, has taught in a recent Workshop given by the Harlem Arts Alliance, “Artists need a Press List.” 4) Artist to artist collaborations could teach, share and support each other.
Beginning at the Monday Harlem Alliance monthly meeting on October 4th listening to the speakers on the panels there were two questions for me about collaboration. What is everyone really sharing and how does it apply to me? Were the representatives merely tooting their own horns; expressing a willingness to be a collaborative organization or telling me how to immediately sell the artwork back in my studio.
Kathy Hughes, Assistant Commissioner, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs shared a concern that the younger generation will be needed to staff the current arts and cultural organizations. Wondering who will have the interest to pursue careers in these organizations that serve to support the arts? This question was echoed by the panel, the keynote speaker and the audience on Wednesday evening at the Schomburg Center. Howard Dodson, Chief expressed support for these current cultural organizations imploring them to continue. But how to involve the younger generation was a questioning refrain? How, when today’s parents are not as involved themselves in the plethora of music, dance, and visual arts as parents were years ago. Years ago when there was more art in the schools and more venues where families were social. Fortunately the Community Boards 9 & 10 have Arts committees that have activities and solutions.
Will Maitland Weiss, Executive Director, Arts & Business Council of New York and Naomi Grapel, Director Marketing and Creative Services, Carnegie Hall had individual and organizational marketing solutions. The e-mails that are collaborations between Harlem Arts Alliance and Arts and Business Council describe a package of related events for a specific time period. Artists and businesses can submit their events for this online info commercial. Naomi Grapel outlined a marketing strategy for artists: a) Branding What is unique about your product b) Express your authentic voice in your press information. Skip the hype. c) Provide access to the artist; add a personal/biographical component to the event. d) Create a relationship with your customer/audience rather than a one time transaction of a ticket purchase.
Here is gratitude for the organizations who collaborated with Harlem Arts Alliance by participating and/or sponsoring Harlem Arts Advocacy Week. Here is gratitude for the sharing by the speakers who by tooting their own horns gave me an invitation to explore and support. An artist needs information. Information is needed about other artists, other arts, and other arts’ organizations. We got it!
Theme: Collaboration.
The face of collaboration was demonstrated by the fact that varied arts organizations were seated on panels together. This is giving the organizations peer to peer contact. They described their recent and future events. 2) Artists can collaborate with these organizations. 3) Artists collaborating with media as Flo Wiley, publicist, has taught in a recent Workshop given by the Harlem Arts Alliance, “Artists need a Press List.” 4) Artist to artist collaborations could teach, share and support each other.
Beginning at the Monday Harlem Alliance monthly meeting on October 4th listening to the speakers on the panels there were two questions for me about collaboration. What is everyone really sharing and how does it apply to me? Were the representatives merely tooting their own horns; expressing a willingness to be a collaborative organization or telling me how to immediately sell the artwork back in my studio.
Kathy Hughes, Assistant Commissioner, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs shared a concern that the younger generation will be needed to staff the current arts and cultural organizations. Wondering who will have the interest to pursue careers in these organizations that serve to support the arts? This question was echoed by the panel, the keynote speaker and the audience on Wednesday evening at the Schomburg Center. Howard Dodson, Chief expressed support for these current cultural organizations imploring them to continue. But how to involve the younger generation was a questioning refrain? How, when today’s parents are not as involved themselves in the plethora of music, dance, and visual arts as parents were years ago. Years ago when there was more art in the schools and more venues where families were social. Fortunately the Community Boards 9 & 10 have Arts committees that have activities and solutions.
Will Maitland Weiss, Executive Director, Arts & Business Council of New York and Naomi Grapel, Director Marketing and Creative Services, Carnegie Hall had individual and organizational marketing solutions. The e-mails that are collaborations between Harlem Arts Alliance and Arts and Business Council describe a package of related events for a specific time period. Artists and businesses can submit their events for this online info commercial. Naomi Grapel outlined a marketing strategy for artists: a) Branding What is unique about your product b) Express your authentic voice in your press information. Skip the hype. c) Provide access to the artist; add a personal/biographical component to the event. d) Create a relationship with your customer/audience rather than a one time transaction of a ticket purchase.
Here is gratitude for the organizations who collaborated with Harlem Arts Alliance by participating and/or sponsoring Harlem Arts Advocacy Week. Here is gratitude for the sharing by the speakers who by tooting their own horns gave me an invitation to explore and support. An artist needs information. Information is needed about other artists, other arts, and other arts’ organizations. We got it!
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