On Sunday, November 4th, DANCE UNION presents Dance of Decay: Compositions of Decomposition curated by award winning performance artist & creative practitioner Baraka de Soleil. 3 artists, Onye Ozuzu, Baraka de Soleil with Carolyn Alvarado Castillo, and Anthony Romero, craft physical response works to the theme of decay. Inside these evolving compositions, these contemporary artists experiment with the ephemeral dimensions of life through multimedia, text and ‘undone’ movement explorations. Audience will be invited to migrate, stand, participate and converse with the works, the artists and each other throughout the evening. A witnessing of process & performance illuminated by space, bodies and thoughtful exchange. Baraka writes:
returning to the organic body
three artists explore
dance as decaying
metabolic matter moving from the interiors of muscle memory
impermanence intuited
exuding its beauty within formlessness
a temporal space undoing habitual desires as
flesh
weight
bones
give way
yielding an evolving composition of decomposition.
[please note these are not considered dances but physical response works to the theme of decay]
Performance begins from West Studio and move to the Fasseas White Box Theater at The Drucker Center, Menomonee Club for Boys and GIrls, 1535 N. Dayton St. Chicago, IL 60642 map
Free Parking Available
Admission: $12 general, $10 students/Seniors, and $20 for Tickets for Two (available only 7 pairs through FanFuelded). Tickets are available at the door or: FanFueled.com
Contact: danceunion1 (at) gmail.com, 312-330-4171
on Onye Ozuzu - some of her thoughts:
“A question for us in terms of our bodies right now is about pace. The paradigms have shifted so quickly—I’m no biology or evolutionary expert but the chances that our chromosomal structures are keeping a pace with the impact of digital reality is questionable. I wonder about atrophy. I wonder about us walking around with bodies that are still downloading their chromosomes from genes that are telling them that they’re going to be outside running and engaging with a physical reality but living lives primarily engaged with a digital reality. I wonder about the effect that will have on brain function, on the optimum functioning of the person within the body. Does the body need to move in order to function optimally and, if we’re replacing movement and actual energetic engagement with interaction with electronic objects, then what stimulations are we missing and what price are we paying for missing them?”
a video excerpt of Onye at Ted Talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCxadUZwMo0
on Baraka de Soleil:
“What I’ve always found most intriguing about the nature of Baraka’s work is the element of questioning & dialogue… hits a visceral thread that evokes discussion from various points of entry - emotional, cultural & political…a vehicle for communal investigation, reflection & healing.” Pene McCourty, arts educator
A creative practitioner, choreographing, directing, performing & crafting works that speak to the expanse of the African diaspora & post-modern tradition for the past two decades. Teaching artist for 18 years at major organizations & institutions across the USA. Consultant to independent artists, arts organizations and neighborhoods for the past 15 years. Curator of multidisciplined exhibits that honor various cultural communities and legacies for the past 12 years. Facilitator of workshop processes that inspire creative flow & collaborative art-making nationally & internationally for the past 10 years. Newly named practitioner of the ‘theatrical jazz aesthetic’. Founder of D UNDERBELLY circa 1997; a network of independent artists of color committed to communal exchange & crafting spaces where the hard & complex conversations on race, body and culture can occur. Through D UNDERBELLY and his practice of performance & process, Baraka seeks to continually develop experimental projects that allow for enlightening discovery and vibrant consciousness.
Carolyn Alvarado Castillo:
Carolyn aka Bgirl The Natural 1, a graduate of Roosevelt University with a B.A. in Sociology, was born in Panama City, Panama. Originally a folkloric ballerina, she was introduced to b-girling in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and quickly fell in love with the hip hop art-form. In pursuit of this love affair, Carolyn moved to Chicago, where she now studies dance full-time. She also supports herself through freelance modeling, performance and seeks to infuse hip hop dance with social justice initiatives in pursuit of socially relevant creative projects.Carolyn currently teaches dance to children and adults throughout the Chicago area and is thrilled to be a member of the hip hop crew Awesome Style Konnection.
Anthony Romero is a writer and performer living and working in Chicago, IL. He graduated with a BA in Art History from Texas State University in 2009 and completed his MFA at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 2011. He has performed and exhibited throughout the United States, most notably at Links Halls and The Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, and OK Mountain in Austin Texas. Most recently he was awarded a DanceBridge residency through The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. His poetry and criticism has been published in ArtWrit Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Poetry Quarterly among others.
