[O29] Fwd: Palestinian Dance troupe perform@ your rally?
sarah lewis
sarahl at stanford.edu
Wed Oct 5 12:43:58 PDT 2005
Hi Nate-
Great!
As the schedule shapes up, it would be great to get a sense of the
timing. There are 20 youth in the dance troupe... so a ballpark time
of when they might go on would be helpful in getting everyone
organized. Also, if you could let us know the time constraints. They
youth have three dance pieces they regularly perform. We will have to
choose one of these and substantially trim it down to fit a shorter
rally format, so as soon as you know the time available for them, the
soon we can start working that out. Also, whenever you have a rally
flyer available, it would be great if you could email it. I can pass
it along to the youth center in Palestine to let them know what is
going on, etc.
In terms of a performance event...
The show really is quite wonderful. (For those who have seen the
academy award nominated film "Promises" about the "conflict," this is
the youth group depicted in the film) They perform three traditional
Debke dances; at some venues the organizers have encouraged a
question and answer session or some time for youth to speak about
their experiences growing up in a refugee camp under occupation; at
other venues, it is simply a cultural performance, but of course with
political undertones. Flexible according to the situation/audience,
etc. All kinds of groups are sponsoring them around the country. They
have bookings at UMASS Amherst and at a university in NH, but
unfortunately we've not yet found a place to host it in Boston. So
they're in the area for a few days looking for connections with local
groups and opportunities to share their message...
As far as a space goes, yes, I think 300 would be about perfect,
although smaller is OK too. So far many groups are interested in
their visit... we just don't have it all together to make it happen
yet. The biggest problem has been getting a site. So far, groups
interested in getting involved include the Arab Student Assoc. at
Harvard. Some people at Tufts. Grassroots International, The ADC, The
Network of Arab American Professionals, etc....
Ideally, the place would have a stage:the best size is a width of 40+
feet and depth: 34+ feet. For sound they only need basic
amplification and a CD player. Multiple microphones are ideal if
it's a large venue... offstage space helps with costume
changes/props, etc. Lighting is always helpful. That being said, I
have seen wonderful performances also simply in high school gyms with
few resources... The main idea is that the area is large enough for a
group of 20 to perform.
Let me know if you think you have leads. Several people have looked
in to university spots, but no luck yet. Maybe local churches,
schools, etc? The other idea is that if a theater is not available,
perhaps we could just hold a reception for the youth that night, and
make it sort of a social event/fundraiser. So, Saturday night after
the rally, people could come and hang out, and the youth could put on
a small-scale show, teach people to debke, talk about occupation,
etc. I have been playing voicemail tag with Eric of Critical
Breakdown to see if some of the youth in that program might want to
do something like this as a cultural exchange/networking/alliance
building event, etc.
I'm attaching the original organizing packet that was sent out to
universities a while back.. At this point, ignore the funding
section. Some people have already raised a chunk of the required
funds. But, it does give some info about the camp, the group, the
tour, etc.
Thanks for your help!
Call any time if you need more info,
best,
-Sarah Lewis
sarahl at stanford.edu
415-713-3301
>Hi,
> Sounds good to me. I'd love to include you in the schedule. You will be on
>the list. The program is still forming, so we will let you know when things
>get finalized. Thanks for connecting to the Peace Rally. I think it would be
>both entertaining and a profound cultural experience. Please be in touch.
>
> About your other question, what sized venue are you ocnsidering? What sized
>stage do you need? For instance, could you fill a 300-person capacity space
>for the 30th? Or would it be more feasible to perform in a small space? I
>know some venues that you could consider. Let me know what you're
>looking for.
> Thanks.
>
>Nate Peyman
>peacenate at yahoo.com
>617-899-8430
>
>
>--- elisabeth leonard <elisa_02128 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> What a great idea!! I'm all for it! Elisabeth
>>
> > Eve Lyman <eve.lyman at bostonmobilization.org> wrote:
>>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: sarah lewis <sarahl at stanford.edu>
>> Date: Sep 27, 2005 12:57 PM
>> Subject: Palestinian Dance troupe perform@ your rally?
>> To: contactus at bostonmobilization.org
>>
>> Hi -
>> Elaine Hagopian referrred me to you guys. I am working with several
>> student groups around the country to bring a Palestinian youth dance
>> troupe to the Boston area on the weekend of Oct 29th. The group is
>> from the Ibdaa Cultural Center in Dheisheh Camp, Palestine.
>> ( www.dheisheh-ibdaa.net) . They are doing a national tour of the US.
>> We want to hook them up with good people in Boston.
>>
>> Elaine mentioned that you have an anti-war rally scheduled for the
>> 29th in the Boston Area. I thought it might be powerful for the young
>> people from Dheisheh to briefly dance and or speak for the rally if
>> you have room in your program. This is the youngest of the Ibdaa
>> Dance generations; they have never left Palestine before, and range
>> in age from 10-15 years old. They are fantastic. They are politically
>> very strong. Of course they are against the war.
>>
>> So, a couple of questions for you:
>>
>> Any chance you could spare 3 minutes in your program to give them a
>> chance to perform in solidarity with the youth under occupation in
>> Iraq?
>>
>> Another question: We are still looking for a venue for them to do a
>> substantial performance in the Boston area on the evening of the
>> 30th. Elaine thought you guys might have some ideas..... I am
>> relocating to Boston from California, but as of yet don't know many
>> people or have a sense of where people hold such event... do you have
>> any suggestions?
>>
>> Thanks! Look forward to hearing from you,
>>
>>
>> -Sarah Lewis
>> 415-713-3301 (cell)
>> sarahl at stanford.edu
>>
>>
>> --
>> We Are One World
>> Eve Lyman
>> Director
>> Boston Mobilization
>> 30 Bow Street
>> Cambridge, MA, 02138
>> 617.492.8899
>> www.bostonmobilization.org
>>
>> PLEASE SIGN ONLINE PETITION ON BIOLABS
>> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/637198817
>>
>> "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
>> -- The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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