East West, a new multidisciplinary performance piece and outreach program

Sept. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- September 2014

Heather Kirk: 384-1050

East West, a new multidisciplinary performance piece and outreach program

East West, a multi-disciplinary performance about gang violence created by SpectorDance, will be presented by the National Steinbeck Center at Sherwood Hall in Salinas on Friday, October 24 at 7:30 pm and at SpectorDance in Marina on Saturday October 25 at 8 pm. Through the power of live multi-disciplinary performance experiences, East West gives voice to former gang members and those involved in the gang culture.  A group of outstanding collaborators has joined forces to create a powerful reflection of the struggles, hopes, and dreams of these at-risk young adults.East West looks at ways that dance and the arts can contribute solutions to the critical issue of gang activity that plagues the streets of Monterey County and countless cities around the nation.

Lead Artist/choreographer, Fran Spector Atkins, says, “With rap music, dance, visual images and spoken word, we are telling the first hand stories of those who are part of the culture of gangs. Based on filmed interviews with a wide variety of individuals – from gang members to teachers, law enforcement officials, judges, at-risk youth and family members – we hope East West will bring together a wide range of perspectives, serve as a catalyst for conversation, and provide inspiration for transformation.”

To create the piece, SpectorDance worked with at-risk young adults at Rancho Cielo, a 100-acre campus in East Salinas, offering educational/vocational training and recreation for underserved young adults in Monterey County. Started by a retired local judge, Rancho Cielo’s vision is to transform the lives of at-risk young adults and empower them to become accountable, competent, productive and responsible citizens.

Like other SpectorDance projects, Spector Atkins is collaborating with William Roden, media artist. Spector Atkins and Roden filmed interviews with nineteen individuals associated with the culture of gangs, which are the starting point for creative development of this project. New York City based rap artist,  Baba Brinkman, is creating  a "rap/sound environment," incorporating words directly from the interviews. Featured performers include Los Angeles based Jones Welch, Director of Not Man Apart, and Annie Talmadge of Diavolo Physical Theater Company. Jahnna Biddle, hip hop choreographer, is directing an ensemble of hip hop dancers. Award winning photographs by Robert Yager are also integrated into the performance.

Presenting partner, Colleen Bailey, Executive Director of the Steinbeck Center, is excited about presenting the piece, saying it reflects John Steinbeck’s words about the power of the arts to "champion the forgotten and disenfranchised, while affirming the strength of the human spirit."

Also on the program will be a reprise of SpectorDance’s always-popular Figures in the Dust, based on John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, as well as well as Brinkman’s Canterbury Tales Remixed, a recent hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Fest.

A wine & cheese fundraiser & silent auction to raise awareness of the project will take place at the National Steinbeck Center on Friday, October 10 from 5:30-7:30. Money received will be used toward the establishment of an on-site dance program at Rancho Cielo and expanded outreach performances of East West.

Major Funding for East West is from the James Irvine Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts,  California Arts Council, the Community Foundation for Monterey County, Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Harden Foundation, Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation, & many other businesses and individuals.


Calendar of East West Events in October 2014

Friday, October 10       Wine & Cheese fundraiser @ National Steinbeck Center

One South Main Street, Salinas 5:30-7:30 pm

$25/single$40/couple

Tickets are available at 831-384-1050 or www.brownpapertickets.com

Friday, October 24       Performance @ Sherwood Hall (premiere)

940 North Main Street, Salinas 7:30 pm

$20 General Admission

$10 Seniors, Military & Children under 12

Tickets are available  at 831-758-7351

Saturday, October 25   Performance @ SpectorDance (premiere)

3343 Paul Davis Drive, Marina 8 pm

$30 General Admission

$20 Seniors & Children under 12

Tickets are available at 831-384-1050 or www.brownpapertickets.com

Strategic Consultant Romalyn Tilgman

3343 Paul Davis Drive, Marina CA 93933

Phone 831.384.1050 Website www.spectordance.org Email spectordance@earthlink.net