Bonnie Sue Stein

November 30, 2010

Tonight was the first performance of GATHERING SPACE at Al Balad in Amman, Jordan

My thoughts tonight and today were all about water. There is not enough here.

In the desert, there is little or no water.

Maybe we need to cry more to create tears? Then turn them into water?

Water

Tears

It’s about water and tears.

We fear the tears.

The tears tear us up.

We tear up with tears.

We are torn.

We are torn with the tears.

I do not want to expel water from my eyes because that is a waste in the desert.

I must conserve these tears

Why not drink our tears? Or cry crocodile tears.

Crocodile tears (or superficial sympathy) are a false or insincere display of emotion such as a hypocrite crying fake tears of grief.

Am I (are you?) crying crocodile tears instead of real ones?

The women in the first row at the performance tonight were crying during Sizzle’s last song. I was also crying. The song is so emotional, and the dancers are doing Palestinian dance steps on top of a camouflage tarpaulin. The image is all together, birth, death, life and pain.

November puppets, from Fox to the Daily Show

The Daily show featuring puppets from the Czechoslovak American Theatre collection.

Art in Odd Places 2010 - CHANCE

East Village Dance Project - Register for Fall!

Announcing the new season of classes with EAST VILLAGE DANCE PROJECT. Please register for classes for ages 4 to 18!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Just a short note to wish a Happy New Year to those that celebrate in September, and to pass along greetings to those that begin their year every year at any time they prefer to.

More later about the exciting things happening with the ever-expanding GOH family....

June 1, 2010. Kazuo Ohno, pioneer of dance in Japan. grandfather of butoh and good friend died at 3am on June 1 in Japan. I remember him fondly and with reverance. He was the embodiment of dance, death, life, grace and horror. We will all miss him.

ABSOLUTE ENSEMBLE IN AUSTIN!

http://www.texasperformingarts.org/event/absoluteensemble

Absolute Bach Re-invented in NYC!

At Le Poisson Rouge, February 19, 2010
Tickets: http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/612

Conductor
Kristjan Järvi’s musically-omnivorous band, Absolute Ensemble, is on tour with chart-topping pianist Simone Dinnerstein, making stops in Toronto, ON; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; and Austin, TX.

Their concert, entitled Absolute ...Bach Re-invented, takes Bach’s music as a starting point and creates an off-beat journey from Baroque to rock to Gypsy folk and hip-hop. The program includes Innovation J.S. by Charles Coleman (based on Bach’s Inventions No. 5 in Eb Major and No. 8 in F Major); Reinventions by Gene Pritsker featuring Ms. Dinnerstein as soloist; Undertow by Matt Herskowitz (based on Bach’s Invention No. 9 in F Minor); Raga on a Theme by Bach by Mike Block; and toopART Reinventions by Daniel Schnyder.

Dedicated to performing what founding music director Kristjan Järvi calls “music without borders,” Absolute Ensemble bridges the gaps between all genres of music, fusing its classical roots with everything from jazz and rock to world music and hip-hop.

Mr. Järvi designed Absolute Bach Re-invented to showcase multi-talented members of the band who also write music – Charles Coleman is the ensemble’s resident composer, Gene Pritsker is a guitarist and rap artist, Matt Herskowitz is a keyboard player and pianist, Mike Block is a cellist, and Daniel Schnyder is a saxophonist.

The program premiered at Musikfest Bremen, Germany in 2008, with Simone Dinnerstein as the featured soloist. Simone, who has recently signed an exclusive recording agreement with Sony Classical, is known for her intelligent but emotive performances and has been called “a throwback to such high priestesses of music as Wanda Landowska and Myra Hess,” by Slate magazine. The New York-based artist gained an international following because of the remarkable success of her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which she raised the funds to record. Released in 2007, it ranked No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales and was named to many “Best of 2007” lists including those of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker. Her follow-up album, The Berlin Concert, also gained the No. 1 spot on the Chart. The Washington Post calls her, “a phenomenon in the world of classical music.”

Absolute Ensemble is Kristjan Järvi, conductor; Adam Taubic, violin; Shalini Vijayan, violin; Edmundo Ramirez, viola; Mike Block, cello; Mat Fieldes, bass; Hayley Reid, flute; Keve Wilson, oboe; Michiyo Suzuki, clarinet; Damian Primis, bassoon; Wayne du Maine, trumpet; Mike Seltzer, trombone; Gene Pritsker, guitar; Matt Herskowitz, piano; Damien Bassman, drums and percussion; and Holger Schwark, sound engineer.