This weekend at Diana Wortham: Hand Me Down~ Bestowing Our True Inheritance through Life, Lessons & Legacy

Photo by Doc Klein

I am pleased to introduce Hand Me Down: Bestowing Our True Inheritance through Life, Lessons and Legacy, a production of Barrie Barton’s Community Choreography, taking take place at the Diana Wortham Theatre on Friday, April 15th and Saturday, April 16th, 2011. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Bereavement Center at CarePartners Hospice and Pallative Care.

Read more about it at the Mountain Xpress:

A community quilt of stories: Movement theater woven around themes of “home” and “legacy” comes to Diana Wortham

by Aiyanna Sezak-Blatt

Hand Me Down, Bestowing Our True Inheritance Through Life Lessons and Legacy, a production by the Community Choreography Project, is a collage of personal stories woven around themes of “home” and “legacy.” As Barrie Barton, choreographer of the production, puts it: Hand Me Down is a showcase of movement theater that strives to “take artistic expression away from the experts and give it back to all of us.”

The theme for the show was inspired after Barton left her job of 22 years, working as a dance teacher with Buncombe County Schools, and after she turned 50. “It seemed like a time to look at what I had contributed to my community,” she says, reflecting on the thought that set her fourth community production into motion.

Photo by Doc Klein

Working closely with a cast of 16 — with actors ranging from age 34 to 64 — Barton asked everyone to consider a set of questions: Where do you come from? What is home? What do you carry through this world? What do you hope to leave behind? From here, a community dialogue was sparked — providing a foundation for the production as a whole.

Creating an original score as a team, and thinking deeply about these questions, however, is no easy task. For the past seven months, the cast has been hard at work examining these ideas through creative writing, conversation and free-form movement, trimming material down as they go and pairing it with expressive dance and spoken-word/prose poetry.

“Legacy,” for example, explores the meaning of names. “There is a lot of significance around our names,” says Barton. “Some people are juniors and some are seniors; some people are given a family name. I’m Jewish, so I was given a Hebrew name. Names are changed when we marry and when we divorce.”

As she speaks, Barton looks to a dancer moving through the rehearsal space at Jubilee Community Church. The dancer lifts her arms quickly and lets them fall slowly back to her side. “This woman has gone through multiple divorces, and talks about her family tree as if it’s been hit by lighting — splitting into all these [fractured] sections,” Barton says. “But, when you sew all of these stories together, it [creates a] quilt, a beautiful collage of stories.”

The hope is that audience members will recognize a piece of their life story, home or legacy when watching these vignettes. As Barton says of her experience guiding this production: “People have these stories — these experiences in their life that they think only happen to them, and there’s this liberating feeling when realizing they are not alone.”

. . .   . . .   . . .

Hand Me Down promises to create a space where people can see themselves — their struggles, hopes, aspirations and fears — through the stories and lessons shared by others. “These common themes will unite us,” says Barton. “Here, you come to watch yourself.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AND MORE PERSONAL STORIES HERE: http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2011/041311a-community-quilt-of-stories

Photo by Doc Klein

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HATCH Music Panel: ‘What’s Working From Who’s Working’ Workshop on Thursday, April 14th at 5pm

Exciting news! I will be speaking on a HATCH Music Panel, What’s Working from Who’s Working,  in Asheville this Thursday! More info is posted below.

The HATCH Experience takes place in Asheville from April 14th to 17th.  HATCH is a great opportunity for creative professionals on a local and National level to network.  Join in on the Music panels and workshops for discussions on how technology is changing how we interact with music.   Meet thought and creative leaders in music to discuss the cultural trends, the future and you. Find out more about the various HATCH Music events at: http://www.hatchasheville.org/music/. Other creative areas within HATCH are film, photo, fashion, architecture, design/ technology, and journalism. More information is on the website.

Music Conversation: What’s Working From Who’s Working Workshop
Echo Mountain’s API  Recording Studio
Don’t miss this conversation with musicians, publicists, agents, club and festivals at Echo Mountain’s API Recording Studio Thursday, April 14th at 5 pm – 7 pm. Join local musicians and industry pros for a discussion about making money making music.  Real advice for musicians who are making a living performing music.  Network with your peers and learn tips from musicians and industry folks on how to make it in the new music business.

Justin Ray ~ Professional Musician (Michale Buble, Spork, Boathouse All Stars)
www.facebook.com/#!/Sporkband and www.facebook.com/#!/BoathouseAllStars

Justin Ray has spent the last 8 years touring as a trumpet soloist, composer, and
arranger for Warner Bros recording artist Michael Buble. In addition to his duties with
Buble, he also fronts two other ensembles: Spork, a jazz quintet comprised of Asheville-
area musicians; and the Boathouse All-Stars, an internationally recognized group that
performs his original compositions for big band.

Jay Sanders ~ Musician (Acoustic Syndicate, The E.Normus Trio) and Application Developer (Creative Allies)
http://mindtonic.net and www.creativeallies.com

Jay Sanders has been a successful musician in the Western North Carolina music scene for almost 20 years.  He is best know for his work with Acoustic Syndicate, Donna The Buffalo and The E.Normus Trio.  When not shaping low frequency sound waves into genre bending styles, he is an active participant in the local technology sector through his work with Creative Allies and many other community minded projects.

Jessica Tomasin ~ Studio Manager at Echo Mountain Recording, Band Manager
www.echomountain.net

Jessica Tomasin has been the studio manager at Echo Mountain Recording since it’s start five years ago and has assisted it’s growth to become a world renown recording studio working with acts such as Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, The Avett Brothers, and Dierks Bentley amongst many other national and local acts. She was also the manager of the label, Echo Mountain Records. Jessica had been managing Aaron Wood for the past two years and launched the first successful Kickstarter campaign in the Asheville area to fund Wood’s self-titled album which was released this month.

Bowie van Ling ~ DJ / Producer / Percussionist, Graphic Designer, Event Producer
http://playlowmusic.com

Bowie van Ling of Playlow, the Asheville based DJ / Producer / Percussionist with complimentary expertise in multimedia design, event production and promotion. Has been observed in the wild wielding a multi-faceted multi-genre approach that empowers his career in the music industry. He’s seen great success with hundreds of shows at venues, spanning 3 continents from Amsterdam to the rainforests of Costa Rica. Locally he’s known as the four year consecutive hall of fame winner of best DJ/Turntablist in WNC.

Katherine “KP” Powell ~  founder / partner at Geniass Productions, partner at Tree Power & Sound, owner Asheville Music Hall / The One Stop Deli & Bar
www.geniassproductions.com and ww.treeleafmusic.com/treepower.html and

Katherine Powell has been working in the industry for the past 6 years with the intent of propelling music and musicians towards a place of business stability and financial security. She founded Geniass Productions in 2005 and shortly after teamed up with Laura Reed to form Deep Pocket which they quickly grew into a successful touring operation. Katherine also does solar-powered production, talent buying, publicity and is currently working on opening a music venue in Downtown Asheville.

Erin Scholze ~ owner of Dreamspider Publicity & Events
www.dreamspider.net

Erin Scholze has long been one of the greatest supporters of the Asheville music scene.  Her love of celebration has manifested itself through the work she has done for the community at large for such events and organizations as the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival, Music Video Asheville, the All Go West Festival, Community Choreography and more.  Her company, Dreamspider Publicity, raises international awareness of the amazing local, regional and national talent that she represents.  Her client list includes Donna the Buffalo, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Acoustic Syndicate, Galen Kipar Project, Dehlia Low, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra and Mad Tea Party.

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Community Choreography Presents ‘Hand Me Down’ at the Diana Wortham Theater on April 15-16th

Join Community Choreography for an exceptional evening of colorful dance, uplifting music, engaging story- telling and comedic skits in the community performance of Hand Me Down, Bestowing Our True Inheritance Through Life, Lessons and Legacy directed by Barrie Barton. Plan to attend, Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16 at The Diana Wortham Theatre, 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15 and are available at The Enchanted Forrest, Malaprop’s Bookstore and Diana Wortham Theatre. For more information;  828 6581217.

The cast and crew invite you to experience a spicy, eclectic blend of real-life stories with physically expressive choreography that are both humorous and deeply engaging. Join with them as they  unfold their lives and experiences in ways that are certain to be provocative, entertaining and promise to make real the humanity we all share: truly community at it finest.

The Laurel of Asheville wrote about the show. Here is an excerpt. Follow the link for the full article:

Hand Me Down is combination of multimedia, movement theater, poetry, music, and stories created in a spirit of collaboration between the dancers and the choreographer. The cast includes more than 50 members from Asheville and the surrounding area. The dancers say they have drawn inspiration from their own life stories and have chosen them to share those with the audience. The result is a passionate and poignant interpretation of a universal message.

Barrie says, “The production is a tapestry of compelling complexities and joyous reminiscences of our home and the legacy we receive from those who not only came before us, but also for those who will follow.”

. . .    . . .    . . .

CCP invites participants to engage in artful play, imaginative exploration, and spontaneous expression through movement, stories, creative writing, and choreography. Each project is motivated and inspired by particular themes from the participants’ lives. Through the production, their collective stories emerge and are interpreted through movement, music, and voice.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://thelaurelofasheville.com/issues/2011/04/hand-me-down-it-s-a-tapestry-of-stories-dance

Photo by Doc Klein

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