A Report: The First 5,000 Women Performance Festival
This past Saturday, May 21st 2011, I produced the first “5,000 Women” Performance Festival at my alma mater, Wesleyan University and I am still basking in the glow. The goal of this festival is to eventually have 5,000 women artists performing at the same time and inspire laughter, healing and transformation in the world. Sound good to you?
For this May 21st performance I was joined by Aleta Staton (award-winning actress and artistic associate at Young Audiences of New Haven), Vashti Dubois (director, consultant, founder of Ft. Mom which transforms and empowers women and the spaces they live in), Stephanie Fungsang (dancer in NYC), Naaz Hosseini (composer, violinist, vocalist who has toured the world with Meredith Monk), Nafeesa Monroe (of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam), Elizabeth Liang (actress in LA – you’ve probably seen her on TV), and Karen Gross (singer-songwriter, cabaret chanteuse).
The effect on the audience was electric, as the head of the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan said “I was so moved by all of the pieces that I was able to see…struck by each woman’s individuality and clarity of purpose, their centeredness and confidence, and their deep commitment to their work. And you, well your intelligent, subversive humor is delightful and so expertly executed so you can get away with murder. I just love what you do and how you were able to transition between the pieces.”
Also on the program was a panel “Making It In the Arts, Is It Possible?” in which the performers were joined by Lisa Anne Porter (actress), Dana Leslie Goldstein (playwright and poet), and Grace Overbeke (marketing and communications director at Theatre J). Panelists fielded questions on how to make your livelihood from following your passion as a woman in the performing arts. As I looked out at the audience I saw people of every age, gender and race. Clearly the topic tapped a nerve. I think the audience wanted to be encouraged in their efforts to bring their dreams to fruition too. There were 180 years worth of experience in the field on that panel, generously sharing with one another, the students, and the audience. I felt aligned in my life purpose to gather and share all this wisdom, talent and advice for everyone’s benefit.
Following the panel we had a presentation by Martha Meade (muralist) of her work creating murals in LA, a preview of a documentary by Tamina Davar on Sooni Taraporevala (Mississippi Massala, The Namesake) which will be out in a year, and a screening of FLY AWAY by Janet Grillo (director, writer, producer) about a mother raising her autistic daughter. Each of these Wesleyan women explored stories of transforming and healing — either families or communities — while bringing attention to the often overlooked or invisible.
It looks like the “5,000 Women” festival will be presented again next year at Wesleyan. In addition, I will offer workshops and performances this year in the Philadelphia area. If you want to become a fan of “5,000 Women” you can find the fan page on facebook and say you “like it” (and I hope you will!). Once a fan, you can connect to the artists, hear about their latest creations and musings, and eavesdrop on the conversation about what it takes for us –day in, day out — to make our lives a work of art.
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There are a few things I have to say about Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Strauss-Kahn is an accused sexual predator, yet he gets to leave custody to live in a 14 million dollar townhouse (see photo above), which has 7,000 square feet, heated floors, a spa, and most important, daily maid service.
I heard on the news that they chose this location apparently because it can be properly secured. They said it was the only location that had only one entrance. Really? Every apartment I ever lived in in Manhattan only had one entrance/exit.
Why should a person under house arrest get to stay in a place like this? Isn’t the whole point of house arrest that you’re confined and begin to face the things you have done? This is not so much house arrest, but a scaled back version of what he is already accustomed to. In the meanwhile his alleged victim has to be further traumatized by this travesty of justice. And where does she get to live?
When it comes to his trial, I wonder how will they find a jury of his peers? How many have that kind of money? What men are out there that were in amazing positions of power and so callously and violently abused it with their sexual inappropriateness and violence? Hmmm. Well actually I can think of a few. Kobe Bryant and Arnold Schwarzenegger come to mind. Trouble is, they may be tied up in scandals of their own.
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Turn Headaches Into Healing
Maybe it’s me, but it seems that so many of us are going through challenging times. There’s the recession, global warming, and countless other global and personal challenges. As a life coach my goal is to empower people to consider how they create their lives and how they can look at things differently, shifting their priorities. The goal is to use our frustration to move us closer to our true selves, in order to feel better and go about the business of creating works of art?
1. It starts with recognizing how precious it is that you actually care. You wouldn’t be so disturbed by these things, if you weren’t a sensitive, compassionate person. So first things first, I invite you to deeply appreciate yourself for having the ability to be affected by things. You are wonderful.
2. It’s key that you make the choice to express. In fact, there is a magic that comes out of finding the right balance between experiencing and expressing. If you don’t feel good, chances are you are doing too much experiencing without expressing or too much expressing without enough experiencing. If you are overwhelmed by circumstances, make time and space to express. Tell a friend how you feel. Get art supplies and draw a really bad picture. Put on music and make your “blah” dance or movement to match what you are experiencing. If you are talking and talking without noticing life around you, take time to tune in and listen. You will start to notice your own personal favorite balance of expression and experience.
3. The next thing is to examine if you are getting anything out of your position of being stuck in the place you are in. If you are frustrated by things, it’s useful to realize that you are angry. Anger is present if there’s a fundamental injustice. Depending on what you are angry about, this may be a sane response. What if you are angry because you want things to be different? If so, how do you want them to change? What are you willing to do about it? What if you are upset, because you want there to be a big change? The film THE COVE, a documentary about the annual devastating slaughter of dolphins in a small Japanese cove, exposed how this cultural ritual was so entrenched that there was no support to change it. But due to awareness raised by the film, and a mass international effort, the practice of killing those dolphins has ended. Isn’t that incredible? If you align yourself with actually making a big change, you will feel better, and perhaps even end up transforming what really disturbed you in the first place.
4. The filmmakers of THE COVE took action. In the end we all need to do that, to transform ourselves and the world. For me, engaging in a creative act always brings more energy. If I feel drained by being alone when I am parenting, I make a movie of Lily. As a result I get energy, because I am being creative in the way I want to be creative. And if I entertain others by my creativity I am honored to have brought joy to someone’s day. For some just choosing to be more loving is enough of an action to take. For others saying an affirmation is powerful. For some, starting to build stamina by exercising can give them the energy to tackle their goals. A goal need not be huge, but by making up your mind to actually choose something different and take action you will experience a shift.
In life, we always get to choose whether we are resigned to things as they are, or if we are willing to change. If we are willing to change, we get a burst of creativity, inspiration, an actual feeling of being alive. What could be better?
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