Hey Community,
How are you? Truly. And how are your people?
As you know, community is both the center and guiding beacon for Angela’s Pulse. Our work thrives in the space of WE. Today, we want to honor our relationship with you, both the ways we've worked to stay connected over the past few months and the ways we are hoping to continue to vision together.
So many folx in our network have organized to assist community members whose lives have been disrupted by this pandemic. As an artist-led organization, we are both inspired and grateful. Here is a document of the outpouring we’ve witnessed, which includes mutual aid funds providing money to artists, food offerings, emergency grants from foundations and more:
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Angela’s Pulse is also in need of support. Our team is comprised of administrators, Dancing While Black Fellows, fellow artist-organizers and community facilitators who have been directly affected by the current economic disruptions. For some of these artists, Angela’s Pulse is the primary institution they are connected to, which means we are an important resource for their livelihood. We are strategizing ways to deepen our ability to support our team, and when you are able you can help. Steady Pulse is where our community contributes, in whatever ways you can, to our ongoing efforts through recurring contributions. Now, more than ever, we hope this community-sourced model will sustain the artists of Angela’s Pulse and provide an example of the power of the collective.
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We are so grateful for each of you. Your being is enough. Thank you. We hope you are able to focus on family, home, slowing down and being fully present. At Angela's Pulse, we are NOT trying to use this time to develop new ways to maintain "normal." Rather, we are accepting this moment's invitation to listen, mourn, adapt and transform - together.
Sent with hope,
Paloma
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THIS MONTH'S ACTION for COLLECTIVE LIBERATION:
CHECK ON YOUR NEIGHBORS
Let's continue to practice physical distancing but not social distancing! Check on your neighbors, especially the elders in your community. Call, message, email or talk through the door. Ask how they are doing and if they need any support. If you are healthy and able, perhaps go grocery shopping or run errands for folks who must stay home. Stay connected.
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Faculty Women of Color in the Academy Conference
TAKING OUR EMBODIED PRACTICE TO THE DIGITAL REALM
In April, Angela's Pulse core facilitators led hundreds of women from across the country in breath, song and movement meditation at Virginia Tech's virtual FWCA National Conference. Adapting our community-building practices to the virtual world, we were able to ground the group of scholars and administrators at the opening and closing of the daylong conference, creating a sense of connection and celebration. We look forward to returning in person next year!
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Check out #FWCA2020 HERE.
Image Description: A compilation of 4 selfies- (clockwise from top left corner) Paloma McGregor, Christine King, Erica Saucedo and MK Abadoo smile in front of their computers open to the conference platform.
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Dance/NYC Digital Symposium Keynote
Moving from Surviving to Thriving: A Dance Field in Transformation
In March, Paloma led a thoughtful and inspiring conversation with fellow artists Chrybaby Cozie, Litefeet Founder, Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico, Katy Pyle, Artistic Director of Ballez, Laurel Lawson, Kinetic Light performer and Nigel Campbell, Gibney Dance Company Director.
The group discussed what it means for us to survive, how ancestral practices allowed us to be in this conversation and how we honor and cultivate these survival practices. They also discussed the adaptations the dance community is making in this moment of upheaval and the potential for transformation, equity and liberation.
Listen to / watch the conversation HERE.
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Critical Response Process in the Digital Realm
A conversation with Liz Lerman, John Borstel and Paloma McGregor
Physical distancing and closed educational institutions created quite a challenge for those who work in embodied creative practice. In March, Paloma joined longtime collaborators Liz Lerman and John Borstel to discuss the Critical Response Process (CRP) - a multi-step process for giving & getting feedback on artistic work in progress. They discussed its relevance now, and answered questions about adapting the process to the digital realm.
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Listen to / watch the webinar HERE.
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In Loving Memory of Charles R. Berenguer Jr.
We dedicate this Fishtrap spotlight to our dear friend Charles, a brilliant photographer and Bronx native. He was a husband, father, grandfather, artist, philosopher and a longtime Fishtrap collaborator. Charles transitioned recently due to COVID-19 related complications, but his spirit will live on in our memory and in his stunning photographs of the Bronx River.
"Charles was an amazing documenter of wildlife on the Bronx River - which made him a stellar dance photographer, able to anticipate and amplify the moving body. Charles photographed much of the past decade of Fishtrap process, and offered me significant insights into what the work was doing beyond dance."
-Paloma McGregor
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Charles shares a dance he had made with friend and collaborator Damian Griffin, part of early development of the Fishtrap Method in the Bronx.
Image Descriptions: (Left) Charles raises both hands to the sky just above his head next to a baseball field; (Right) Charles puts his palm on a tree, Damian watches in the background. Video stills from footage taken by Paloma McGregor, July 2012.
"We have gained a powerful ancestor. Charles please guide us from the other side of the veil as we navigate these challenging times.
Please imbue us with your patience, passion and joy.
I hope that you are dancing up there... "
- Paloma McGregor
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Photo of Paloma McGregor in performance on the Bronx River by Charles R. Berenguer Jr., August 2013.
Image Description: Surrounded by water and dressed all in white and a red life vest, Paloma arches her back with her arms outstretched, looking to the heavens.
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Please support Charles' family during this time by donating to their GoFundMe.
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