Don’t Believe Everything You See or Think You Know

Pondering my thoughts for what I might have interesting to say or what might provoke other folks to talk about. I was sitting in a staff meeting (yes I was paying attention) but we were discussing and planning programs that would be exciting, fun, educational, and informative for our patrons. My Secret Life of Walter Mitty popped up and has been swirling through my mind.

From The New York Times:

“It begins with a film ‘The Red Chapel,’ the name of a small experimental theater troupe from Holland that was formed by a pair of Danish performers of Korean descent (Simon Jul and Jacob Nossell). Or at least that's what the North Korean government was led to believe when they gave them permission to do a vaudeville performance tour of the country; in truth, ‘The Red Chapel’ was formed by a pair of improvisational comics (who are in fact of Korean heritage) and a radical journalist, director, and filmmaker Mads Brügger who traveled to North Korea in hopes of using subversive, satirical performances as a commentary on the nation's oppressive policies and lamentable human rights record. This was all done as a cultural exchange between North Korea and Holland.”

Movie poster for “The Red Chapel”

The interesting fact is that one of the performers has a disability and exaggerates his condition as a way of throwing those around him off track. One of the “The Red Chapel” pranksters, Mads Brügger, brought along a video camera to chronicle their journey through Korea, and “Det Rode Kapel” (aka “The Red Chapel”) is a documentary offering a glimpse of their performances and the often surprising reactions they receive. It’s like telling bad jokes that no one gets, but people laugh anyway.

The disabled performer in “The Red Chapel” stands beside the wheelchair he uses throughout the film.

The most poignant question the person with the disability asks their cultural attaché Ms. Pak (who is benevolent and kind) is “where are all the people with disabilities?” to which she replies “we send them away.”

Ask yourself: how do different countries including the USA help or deny humans with disabilities, and where do they get sent?

Here at VSA Texas we are launching a quarterly film screening series about and/or by people with disabilities and we would like your input as to what kind of films you would like to see or that you think would spark engaging discussions around disability issues (like “The Red Chapel,” for example). Please leave your suggestions in the comments below or email them to me at lynn@vsatx.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Body Shift: Dance and Social Justice

Body Shift project coordinator, Olivia O’Hare here to share some thoughts regarding our upcoming annual intensive, Patterns of Disruption with Sandra Paola, which will take place June 2-3, 2018. Paola’s focus lies at the intersection of dance and social justice/access/inclusion/diversity. This got me thinking about what social justice means within the context of Body Shift and DanceAbility. Though we do not openly state a political agenda, I do believe that the personal is political. Dance improvisation is extremely personal. Because the dancer generates their own movements and responds by intuition as well as conscious choice making, their personality, habits and desires show up immediately. In general, we do not openly discuss the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within our society that have shaped our bodies and the ways we have been taught are ‘appropriate’ for personal expression. Instead we focus on movement quality, body awareness, and relationship in real time with our dance partner(s). But what if we take some time to work using community-centered inquiry and turn research into movement?

Photo from Crippin' the Streets – DanceAbility Urban Intervention, Fusebox 2014

We might ask the following questions: How do Idealogical ‘Movements’ (i.e., Civil Rights Movement, Disability Rights Movement) affect our culture? How can our own ‘movements’ (physicality of/in ones body) affect our culture or be affected by our culture? By using the universal language of movement we can generate conversations and create art around social justice issues in our communities – ultimately movement initiating ‘Movements.’

It was a purposeful choice made by the Body Shift organizers to focus on dance improvisation, and more specifically the DanceAbility method, rather than styles of dance that emphasize learning steps or predetermined choreography. This is not to downgrade moving together through set choreography as repeating and refining movements can be very powerful. Rather it was a question of inclusivity. The flexibility allowed by improvisation more easily creates an environment that is non-isolating. By starting with improv, participants are given the opportunity to learn the language of their own body and discover their own unique ways of moving. Then participants themselves may be guided to choreograph from their own self-generated movements. (Video below shows more highlights from Crippin' the Streets – DanceAbility Urban Intervention, Fusebox 2014)

To improvise is to make choices in the moment. As Alito Alessi, founder of the DanceAbility method, says, “Always know what you are doing and what else is happening.” This seems very direct and simple but it is actually a skill that must be refined over time – the ability to sense and stay connected to your self while also opening your awareness to the choices that other people are making around you and how your environment shapes your choices moment to moment. By dancing together with people who have unique mental and physical characteristics that may be outside the established norms we are able to open ourselves to new ways of moving and thinking and go beyond habitual ways of being.

Sandra Paola

An excerpt from Sandra Paola’s website:

“I believe that learning about our body through our relationships with others in ensemble improvisation and social dance is an extraordinary way to achieve this and I seek to create spaces and environments where this can be possible. Acknowledging our body (and its relationship to others and the environment) is not something we are often taught. It is something that we have to seek out, or what is more often the case, something we never get to do. Recognizing ourselves in our body fosters a new understanding of who we are and how we relate to the world. This understanding allows love and compassion to flourish and deep transformation happens.

“…My dancemaking is community-driven and community-integrated and it tackles issues of identity and power. I am committed to creating access to experimental dance and improvisation in spaces where it is usually absent and to share its developmental power with the public. I use culture to organize community and organize community to create culture. 

“My work is political by nature; improvisation is playful resistance.”

I hope you will join Sandra Paola and the Body Shift crew for a weekend of dancing and inquiry into education and community organizing that relates to people as social creators of their lives. We will meet all day Saturday, and Sunday will be a continuation of Saturday's work but open to newcomers and will culminate in a jam. Click here to register for Patterns of Disruption with Sandra Paola.

Lessons I Have Learned Over the Years

It was a little over 19 years ago that I took over the helm of the organization that is now known as VSA Texas. Little did I suspect back then what a wild and rewarding ride it would be. I have made many friends and a few not so good friends along the way, and have witnessed the joy and success of countless individuals in Austin, across the state, and around the world. I have made some wise decisions and I have made a few real bloopers, but I have never regretted a thing. Oh sure, a lot of things have kept me awake at night, and still do, but all in all I can say that this has been the best job of my life. Does this sound like a farewell letter? No, it isn’t. I always get reminiscent at this time of the year and like to take stock of my life within the context of the current times.

Celia posing beside a rusty sculpture of a bear

I reflect on what I have learned and how these lessons have guided my decisions. It seems like I always come back to the same core beliefs.

Trust your instincts. Do your research, gather the facts, listen to other options, and trust that you will make the right decision. If it doesn’t always work out the way you planned, study how it did work out so you can use that knowledge next time around.

Measure twice and cut once. This is true in almost everything that you do. Because what is cut can never be uncut.

Be kind. Sometimes it can feel like life is awash with unkindness, mean-spirits and downright cruelty, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We are all born with love in our hearts. It is what we do with this love that matters. Practice kindness. It is like a muscle that needs to be developed and used everyday.

Street art of a Golden Retriever with pink wings

Don’t dwell on the negative. I am the first person to complain about something that I don’t like, and in this current time, there are many things that I do not like! But living in that space of darkness does not help me day to day to do the things that need to be done. See it, determine if you can do anything immediately to address it, prioritize, and then refocus your attention.

Cry once a day. A good cry can be cathartic. My eyes well with tears often, and sometimes, I am overcome with the need to weep. I always feel better afterwards. Crying and belly laughs: the best medicine.

Keep your mind and body engaged and learning. The world is advancing and changing at a rapid pace. We need to stay nimble to keep up. We need to stay sharp to lead.

Abstract metal sculpture in a park

Enjoy silence. Turn the TV off. Turn off all your devices. Sit in the stillness and listen to the world rotating on its axis. You may hear a bird song you never noticed before. You may hear the wind rustle through the leaves of a tree. You may just hear the sound of your own breath. In. Out.

Love someone more than you can imagine. This one is the hardest for me, and yet I know it is the most important one. ‘Cause you know the old saying, “Love makes the world go round.”

Lamppost sticker of a red figure with a heart-shaped head and the words "Share Your Heart" scrawled across the face with a black magic marker

I am thankful for the great team I have had the good fortune to gather around me at VSA Texas and I look forward to another year of creativity, inspiration, empowerment, laughter, and yes, tears.