2010
Activist Performance Series
The Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics at New York University is now accepting applications for its third year of EMERGENYC, the Hemispheric New York Emerging Performers Program. This is the second year of Activist Performance (“artivism”) series. As a part of the Institute’s Hemispheric New York initiative, the Emerging Performers Program aims to support the development of New York-based artists ages 18 to 28 through a program of workshops and events that will take place between April 3 and June 18, 2010 (see “The Program” section below for details). We seek talented, committed and highly motivated young activists/artists/performers whose work functions as a vehicle for political expression and social change, and who examine the broad range of identities, practices and histories of the Americas (the western hemisphere, thus “hemispheric”) through genres such as spoken word, street performance, political cabaret, performance art, video performance, movement, and others.
Why Hemispheric New York?
New York City is a space of transformation in which expressive practices from throughout the Americas come into contact and combine into new artistic forms. The constant encounters and collisions of African-, Native-, Asian-, Latino- and European- American cultures that define the City, combined with the multiple political and counter-cultural movements that have flourished on its streets, are a key source of the artistic and activist innovation that has long characterized New York City. Experimental performance, hip-hop and salsa are powerful examples of the hemispheric fusions that the City’s neighborhoods have incubated. Anti-consumerism activism like Reverend Billy’s Church of Stop Shopping, artistic interventions such as the Guerilla Girls and Fulana’s If You Fear Something, You’ll See Something poster campaign are examples of the innovative conjunction of art and political protest. Drawing on this vitality, the program enables young activists/performers to work with leading practitioners in the field, to take interdisciplinary leaps, and to develop their own strategies to use performance for social change.
The Program
Between April and June, the selected participants will take part in weekly workshops led by George Emilio Sánchez as well as by invited artists/activists such as Reverend Billy and Savitri D, Karen Finley, Anna Deavere Smith, Fulana, Pamela Sneed, Peggy Shaw, and others. One of the goals of this series is to work in all five boroughs in New York City. We ask applicants to define social issues that are important to them and to find a bridge to communities around those issues. Past participants have explored themes of racism and racial stereotypes; LGBTQ rights; war and human rights; gender and sexual violence; religion; and gentrification, among others. They have created performance pieces around these issues, interviewed members of various communities, and led workshops in community programs (such as GLOBE/Make the Road New York), etc.
The program will be divided into three phases. Phase 1: every Saturday 10am-2pm from April 3rd to May 8th, participants will work closely with George Emilio Sánchez in developing performance and activist strategies, such as Boalian techniques, performance art and site-specific interventions. Phase 2: intensive daily sessions from May 15- 22, participants will work closely with leading activists, artists and scholars, and will explore specific tactics for work in the field (street performance, interviewing, videotaping, seeing other people’s work, etc.). Phase 3: every Saturday from May 29th to June 12th participants will develop their work with communities of interest throughout the City (hopefully in the five boroughs), building on the strategies explored through the workshops. Final event (June 18th): participants will share their strategies and experiences in a public forum.
Click here to see the schedule of events.
This program has a fee of $1000. Financial aid will be available on a need basis, so PLEASE APPLY REGARDLESS OF MONEY CONCERNS. Program will be contingent on enrollment. Minimum number of participants: 10. Maximum number of participants: 18.
Who Is Eligible
EMERGENYC is open to activists/artists/performers between the ages of 18 to 28 who live in New York City. Applicants must have prior experience in activism and/or various performance genres. The program welcomes applications from individuals enrolled in the City’s colleges and universities AND from those who are not currently pursuing formal higher education.
How to Apply
Please send the following materials to hemi.newyork@nyu.edu no later than February 17th 2010:
1) Completed application form
2) A resume or biographical statement (maximum 500 words) that tells us about who you are, where you are from, your performance background and your current projects.
3) A statement of purpose (maximum 750 words) describing the reasons you want to participate in EMERGENYC. Please also describe the specific issues you would want to address through the program and any preliminary ideas about the communities where you would ground this work.
4) Two (2) letters of recommendation, which your recommenders must send directly to hemi.newyork@nyu.edu
Selected participants will be notified the week of March 1st; registration payment will be due March 15th; and program activities will begin on Saturday, April 3rd.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM (WORD DOC)
The Hemispheric New York initiative was made possible in its two initial years (2008-2009) by the generous support of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. We greatly appreciate our partnership with The Public Theater and thank Liz Frankel for their continued collaboration with the Hemispheric Institute.
