Nursha Co-Curates Independent Artists’ Week, San Francisco

Join Nursha Project in celebrating Independent Artists’ Week in San Francisco!

Independent Artists’ Week (IAW) is a week-long celebration dedicated to ensuring that artists, arts organizations, and the businesses that support them have a means to celebrate and network. This week of festivities includes live performances, showcases, panels, eco art awareness, networking /consulting, and more! In 2009, we began the process of branding Independent Artists’ Week Celebration to the Fillmore Jazz District. We hosted events in the Western Addition between Fulton and Post streets. Our vision is to continue this with the support and participation of the restaurants, business, and community organizations.

There is something for everyone!

EVENT DETAILS

September 5 – 11, 2011

For more information, click here

Catch the Latest Installment of NPA Micia Mosely’s The Progress Report

For the latest installments of The Progress Report , see below!

Micia Mosely Says Goodbye to 2010…

For the previous episode, click here .

Nursha Project Guest Curates Late Night with Mason Rhynes Productions in DC

Join Nursha Project in celebrating Late Night with Mason Rhynes Productions . If you missed the December 2010 installment of the performance series, click here for details.

The April 30th edition of Late Night with Mason Rhynes is one you will not want to miss! Nursha Project is proud to co-curate this production!

EVENT DETAILS

April 30th, 2011 at 10pm

Late Night at Joe’s Movement Emporium

3309 Bunker Hill Road

Mt. Rainier, Maryland

Featuring A.O. Movement Collective, Wendell Cooper, and other special guests!

Co-presented with Joe’s Movement Emporium

Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Student Tickets with ID

Must be 18 to attend

Featured Artists

A.O. Movement Collective will be performing their piece, “Wet.”

Choreographed by Sarah A.O. Rosner + dancers

Performed by Tara Aisha Willis

Music by The Idiot

Additional choreographic research by Kirstan Clifford

This excerpt is one section of our larger work in process, barrish , or: i promise i’ll only look at the sky (goddamn black fucking hole).  La Mama Experimental Theater will present the (pre)premiere of the work at La Mama Moves! this May 27/28 in NYC.  The entire work is transmutable – able to be put together in any configuration for any space – and available for curation by anyone interested. Find out how you can participate at www.theAOMC.org/menu

AOMC Bio:

Founded in 2006, the A.O. Movement Collective is a home for hard falls and heavy slow dances: a community of dancers, thinkers, and makers who live by their art.  The AOMC encompasses my choreographic work; when joined with blog Urgent Artist and freelancing collective A.O. PRO(+ductions) , it is the movement third of a platform representative of a new model for dancemaking.

Choreographically, the AOMC pioneers pomo-humanism via a rigorous love affair with the aesthetics of mess.  At the same time, we are developing a discourse of anti-ephemeralism that surrounds our dancemaking.  We believe that by actively questioning the underlying assumptions of our field (be they artistic or economic) we become radical agents of progress, evolving the form and creating a more sustainable future.

Performer Bios:

TARA AISHA WILLIS (dancer) dances, makes dance, and writes things from her overly cozy apartment

in Brooklyn. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Barnard College in 2009 with a B.A. in Dance and English, where she performed the work of Sean Curran, David Parker, Ivy Baldwin, Yanira Castro, Stephen Petronio, Gerald Casel, Nora Chipaumire, and Susan Rethorst. She received the Dance Theater Workshop Van Lier Fellowship just after college, and has shown work at DNA’s Works-In-Progress and Green Space’s Fertile Ground Series. Tara’s newest works will be presented this spring as an Alumni Guest Artist at The Latin School of Chicago, at the new REHEARSAL workshop series, and in the RoofTop Dance Series.  Aside from The A.O. Movement Collective, Tara has most recently danced with Sydnie L. Mosley Dances, Anna Brown Massey and Edisa Weeks. She is completing her Pilates Teacher Certification at The Kane School, and teaches at the Pilates Garage in Park Slope. She supports her artistry as a freelance writer for A.O. Pro(+ductions), House Manager at Dance Theater Workshop, and hostess at Joe’s Pub. www.bodypoem.blogspot.com

The IDIOT (composer) is the per­form­ing Alias of  THEODOR WILSON , a per­form­ing artist liv­ing in Brook­lyn, NY. He calls his style of music “ Elec­tro­Drama ,” because it com­bines trashy elec­tronic riffs with melo­dra­matic nar­ra­tives, and because his live shows incor­po­rate the­atri­cal devices. Related gen­res include post-punk cabaret, new roman­tic, and indus­trial pop. Wil­son is a trained pianist and occa­sion­ally per­forms acoustic ver­sions of his elec­tronic numbers.

The Idiot has referred to his per­sona as a “grotesque bitch,” and a “har­le­quin.” In con­cert, as well as in pro­mo­tional appearances, he often wears arti­cles of women’s cloth­ing, notably high-heeled shoes, but insists he is not a drag queen, and that drag is “its own medium, with its set of own rules.” How­ever, The Idiot does per­form under the rap alias, “Ham­Samwich,” a self-described drag queen to end all drag queens, whose num­bers often appear in the Idiot’s live act.  The Idiot released his first offi­cial album, called “JUVENAL!A,” in 2010.

Wilson has collaborated with Rosner and the AOMC since 2007, and has scored both her performance works ( Haunt, The What’s Left Over After ) and short films ( Flour, Eggshells, Study #4 ).  He has also appeared in her performance works ( in Love and Defense of the Ones I Destroy, barrish ) and is a performative force to be reckoned with.  The composition he created for The What’s Left Over After appears on his 2010 album JUVENAL!A.

SARAH A.O. ROSNER is the founder of A.O. ³ (the A.O. Entity), a three-part platform uniting the A.O. Movement Collective , freelancing collective A.O. PRO(+ductions) , and the Urgent Artist blog.  A.O. ³ represents a new model for downtown dancemaking by holistically supporting all involved – artists, audience, funders, and critics. When not working on her own ventures, she is the Manager of Engagement at New York Live Arts in NYC.

Born and raised outside of Washington, DC, Rosner attended Sarah Lawrence College in New York where she studied dance and film with teachers including Emily Devine, Sara Rudner, Keith Sabado, Tony Schultz, and Kathy Westwater.  Rosner founded the A.O. Movement Collective in 2006, and has been at their helm creating Anti-Ephemeral PoMo Humanist discourse and works ever since, presenting work at the RAW festival, THROW, Open Perform, WAXworks, Green Space, AUNTS, Dance Place (DC), the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center and most recently, Joyce SoHo.

WENDELL COOPER is is modern shaman and creative artist based in Brooklyn, NY. A graduate of the

George Washington University (Dance/Religion), he is also a certified practitioner of energy bodywork and Thai Yoga Massage. He has taught, performed, and choreographed in China, Kenya, Russia, and the Netherlands. Cooper creates all of the elements of his interdisciplinary multimedia works that include both choreographed and improvised dance, original music, and video installation. He has worked with Nicholas Leichter Dance, the Maida Withers Dance Construction Company, Grisha Coleman, and the Magpie Music Dance Company. Wendell also self- produces as well as collaborates on projects with Mathew Heggem (as Kinaeathesia), Monstah Black, and Yozmit. SEA GLASS is his latest collaborative project.  [ www.complexstability.com ]

Micia Mosely Kicks Off the Second Season of the Progress Report!

Micia Mosely returns with a second season of Progress Report . To watch, click below.

Productions

“Children of the Last Days”

“Children of the Last Days” is written and performed by Thandiwe Thomas De Shazor. It is a comedy show that aims to satirize Black church culture and the contradictions therein. So bring your Good Sunday Clothes, Your Tambourine, Your Church Fan and Your Sense of Humor!  Get Ready! Get Ready! Get Ready!

Written & performed by Thandiwe Thomas DeShazor

Directed by Norman Gee

Produced by Shalonda Ingram

A Nursha Project Production

Get Into It

Join Nursha Project in launching our newest production, Get Into It ! Written and produced in a talk-show format, Get Into It will delve into topics relating to health, wealth, and prosperity. The purpose of the the project is to document and share the experiences of transnational pop-culturalism in real-time through the kaleidoscope of arts, entertainment, social, political, historical, and environmental media.  Community members will be encouraged to express current and ever changing experiences that reflect their hyper-local social experiences. To learn more, click here .

The Paul Robeson Project

Ever heard of Paul Robeson?

He is an internationally renowned and celebrated actor, athlete, lawyer, singer and activist.  Yet, he is all but erased from mainstream US history. Paul Robeson is pre Civil Rights Movement and smack dab Jim Crow and McCarthyism. Despite these obstacles, he achieves highly.  Despite being a high achiever, human flaws arise…

This lecture demonstration about Paul Robeson by “Paul” shares his history, experiences, and what elements make up his particular brand of icon.

Performed by Kim Howard

Developed and Directed by Mimi McGurl

A Nursha Project Production

“Where My Girls At?”

“Where My Girls At?” is a “thoughtful, provocative, and insanely funny” one woman show written and performed by the “multi-talented” Micia Mosely. Portraying five drastically different characters representing the diversity of Black lesbian experiences, Micia challenges the notion that there is only one way to be Black or queer in the 21st century. A phenomenal one hour performance steeped in improv and audience participation, Where My Girls At? has thrilled audiences across the country from San Francisco, Detroit and New York to Amherst, Chapel Hill and Honolulu. A New York Innovative Theater Award Nominee, the show, while hilarious, continues to tackle difficult issues including inter and intra-group racism, sexism, and homophobia.

Written & Performed by Micia Mosely

Directed by Tamilla Woodard

Produced by Shalonda Ingram

A Nursha Project Production

Artists

milDRED

Notable Quotes

“A lean, sinuous woman, milDRED Gerestant is a charismatic performer, brimming with raw talent, high energy and a gentle, winning charm. Using a blend of poetry, dance, music and monologue, she explores the fragile, fluid definitions of sexual identity and cultural stereotypes…Gerestant is a trickster. Watching her channel her characters produces a strange sensation. As her costumes change, we witness transformation by degree, an experience that not only challenges our assumptions but also teases us with an uneasy feeling of dislocation. Just as we settle into one character, Gerestant pulls a quick change and sends us looking for another label.”

– Mark Muro, Anchorage Daily News

“From Flip Wilson as Geraldine to Martin Lawrence as Sheneneh, men have made tons of money as drag performers. Now it’s the women’s turn, and one of the world’s leading character actors is Haitian-American milDRED Gerestant, the artist formerly known as DRED.”

– Port of Harlem Magazine

“At “Divercity,” … the Haitian-American star actress DRED Love created a remarkable gender collage in motion… out of a trunkload of hairpieces, costumes, props, and sexy, dead-on body language . With muscles and curves… goatee, and a surprise between her shapely legs, she danced a manifesto of freedom and self-respect.”

– Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Village Voice

“milDRED Gerestant’s own act is a gender-bending roller coaster ride alternating between man and woman, outrageous and serious, ironic and sincere. It also preaches the message of self-love as if Eddie Murphy were to perform Eve Ensler’s “Vagina Monologues… milDRED Gerestant uses sexuality as a departure point to preach the message of tolerance, acceptance, and diversity. While a lot of her act uses hilarity to demonstrate that femininity and masculinity are not set in stone, she hopes that once her audiences realize the multiplicity of beings in themselves, the various shades of man and woman that is in all of us, regardless of sex, then we are more apt to realize and accept all the myriad differences of those around us.”

– The Korean Herald

Awards and Recognitions

2009 OUTMusic’s Spirit Award

GO Magazine’s ” 100 Women We Love ”

Two-time Recipient of The Field’s Artward Bound Artist in Residency

Thandiwe de Shazor

“In him, I see a sense of purpose, the art we have yet to express, the fantasies we’re forced to suppress, the release of the rawest and realest gay divinity and the lives we have yet to save.”

– Tahea Robie, Oakland Local

To read the Oakland Local article that features this quote, you may click here .

Links to Other Articles:

Locals Chip in on Globally Popular LGBT Support Videos (Karmah Elmusa, Oakland North )

Projects

“Children of the Last Days”

Written and Performed by Thandiwe Thomas deShazor

Directed by Norman Gee

Produced by Shalonda Ingram

A Nursha Project Production

Notable Quotes

“Afro Solo won’t be ‘Last Days’ for gifted performer!”

– Kevin Thomas, examiner.com

Links to Full-Length Articles

East Bay Express

Examiner.com

The Berkeley Daily Planet

“Where My Girls At?”

Written and Performed by Micia Mosely

Directed by Tamilla Woodard

Produced by Shalonda Ingram

A Nursha Project Production

Notable Quotes

” Where My Girls At? , written and performed by the talented Micia Mosely, is a laugh-out-loud comedy that pushes the envelope in too many ways to describe… Where My Girls At? is a great night out and a shining example of what a talented and flexible mind can do when given the freedom.”

-New York Amsterdam News

“Where My Girls At? was a rich multi-layered experience that provided a dissertation into being black and lesbian including having the audience rate by applause which of the “contestants” was the most black, which was the most “womanly” and which was the most “lesbian”. I didn’t stop laughing during this whirlwind performance by an extremely talented artist.  As a matter of fact it wasn’t until I sat down to write this review that I noticed the “medicine” of this show was so cleverly hidden in the candy.”

-D.C. Theatre Scene

Awards and Recognitions

2009 New York Innovative Theater Award Nominee for Best Solo Performance

Links to Full-Length Articles

DC Theatre Scene

Queer Art Impact

Stay tuned as  Mat Heggem , Brooklyn-based Artistic Director and Curator of Bushed/Gay Wars, and Nursha Project Founder, Shalonda Ingram, launch their newest initiative, Queer Art Impact .

What is Queer Art Impact?

Queer Art Impact (QAI) explores the conversation between politics, art and action. The New York City-based initiative is intended to bring together individuals and organizations who self-identify their body of work as queer. By supporting artists whose works challenge the hetero-normative, QAI seeks to embrace queerness and create opportunities for all artists – living in the political and social fringe – to move to the center.

QAI is about action and re-action . It’s the motivation to do something and to speak out . This action/reaction takes the form of art, politic gesture, youth engagement, community movement, education, and business training with/by/for queers.

QAI features performances, cabarets, parties, panel discussions and networking events that occur throughout the year, culminating in an annual spring festival where QAI commissioned works are premiered. Subsequent discourse catapults the community into a Summer of Inspired Pride — S.I.P. – a Rooftop WrrkQ P(art)y on the regs!

We accept applications on an ongoing basis, and are especially looking for those who want to build on-going communications with their fellow queers. Upon receipt and approval of materials, the artist will be included on our website, provided access to www.wrrkq.com (coming soon), and may be curated and/or commissioned for QAI events throughout the year.

QAI welcomes partnerships and shared programming proposals from educators, community organizers, and other arts entities.

What is WrrkQ?

WrrkQ is about sharing resources, creating opportunities, developing collaborative relationships, keeping communications open, and providing a physical & virtual space to meet individuals who share the same motivation for their queer agendas.  But, it’s also about the business side too — having your needs met and understanding the systems that need to be in place to make the wrrkq happen.

WrrkQ includes a monthly gathering hosted by a QAI artist and a quarterly newsletter on relevant artist resources for the queer community. Stay tuned for more information about www.wrrkq.com .

Queer Art Impact Resources

To stay abreast of queer resources, click the QAI Resource Guide:

International Conceptualizations of Queerness: A Resource Guide

Connect with QAI on Facebook and keep your social streams as open as you

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Queer-Art-Impact/129147190461382?ref=ts

Twitter hastag #wrrkq and follow @queerai

Upcoming Events

“A Cocktail of Glamour and Anarchy”

Monday, February 14th, 2011 @ 9:30pm

The Tank

354 West 45th Street, New York City

A fun-filled musical odyssey with Rumi Missabu of the fabulous Cockettes

co-hosted by Warhol Superstar Agosto Machado

with special guests from the New York Underground hip elite including:

Eugene Soldatov

Joey Kipp

Ferrin Solano

Emily McGowan

Mathew Heggem

Jarvis Earnshaw

Rachel Mason

Max Vernon

Charlie Demos

Mark Golamco

Nicholas Gorham

& directly from Paris, French dance sensation Francois Chaignaud

This just in…Glam-rock wearable art designer Bill Bowers who has dressed everyone from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin to the New York Dolls to Alice Cooper will present his incredible new collection

Additional performers TBA

For additional info: cocketterumi@gmail.com

Nursha Project Launches New Partnership

Coming soon….

Join Nursha Project as it partners with Mat Heggem on a new initiative, Queer Arts Impact . QAI will feature programs such as Come As You Are (New York) , a series around queer sex, among other flavorful, eye-opening, jaw-dropping, colorful events.

Stay tuned for more details…

SPLURGE! In August

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