Summer Leadership Institute - All FFTT participants can apply!

https://www.urbanbushwomen.org/how_to_apply.php

Reunion Pot-Luck Lunch: Saturday May 11th, 1-3pm Bancroft Studios

Hello Participants,
We are holding a reunion/pot-luck lunch at the Bancroft Studios at 1pm!
Bring a favorite dish, with the ingredients/information about the food written on a card. Let's celebrate the year and reflect on our work together. We will eat out in the sunshine if the weather holds.
Hope to see you there!
(Paloma might be able to Skype in - working out the details)

Video of the Show Posted to the UBW Vimeo Page!

Excerpts from The Field to the Table can be seen on the Urban Bush Women Vimeo Page!
So proud of everyone who participated in this important show.
https://vimeo.com/64903582

Enjoy! The full version will be posted soon.

Happy Holidays from all of us at FFTT!

Well it's that time of year again, and yesterday afternoon UC Berkeley's Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies Department had their annual Holiday Party. We had a little reunion in the middle of the mix. From all of us at "From the Field to the Table" -- May you have a wonderful Holiday Season! 

Photo by Josh Hesslein, Director of Marketing & Development at TDPS

An Audience Member's Reflection

Amy Krause is a parent to UC Berkeley student and FFTT performer, Sophie Needelman. She also happens to be a blogger.  Amy saw the performance, From the Field to the Table,  in October and was touched by the stories presented. Recently, she featured From the Field to the Table in conjunction with her recent Thanksgiving blog entry entitled, From the Field to the Table: A Thanksgiving Reflection by Amy. Check it out!

Lori Krause, Suzy Krause, Amy Krause

Remembering FFTT at Tenderloin National Forest

Moments of community, collaboration, and food sharing were captured during our visit to Tenderloin National Forest on September 22, 2012. Videography by Rosa L. Navarrete. Music by Grant, "Earth in Hindsight."

One week later!

Hello!
It has been a week since the closure of our wonderful process making From the Field to The Table.
I am so proud of all the work that was accomplished during this process! If people have time and interest, there is going to be something called a "Performance Dialog" led by Peter Glazer, Chair of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies on Wednesday, October 24th at 4pm in Durham Studio Theater. We will talk about the project and the performance, share ideas, and engage in conversation. The work continues.....

OPENING NIGHT WAS GREAT!

The project has been officially shared with the public. It was a warm and vibrant reception of the work! Come out and see the show tonight if you can - it is filled with surprises and deeply poignent moments. Sending the performers positive energy and warm wishes. Hope to see you all there!

Watching the Dress Rehearsal I AM SO EXCITED!

Don't miss this show. It is rich and deep and funny and poetic. I am so proud of the work that is coming forth on the stage. What an honor to have this work presented on the TDPS main stage. The show is child friendly, runs about an hour and is filled with songs, poetry, sketches, dances, and more......

Are you coming to the Food Event on Saturday, October 13th?

Are you coming to the food event on Saturday, October 13th at 3:30pm in the lobby of the Playhouse Theater (see Public Events page of this blog)? Of course you are!
Note: there will be some catered food at the event - tamales, rice and beans! However, if you bring your own dish check out the information on the bottom of the "Public Events" page, which contains Potluck Food Safety guidelines. We hope to see you there!

After the food event there will be a pre-show talk with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, moderated by Catherine Cole (TDPS, Professor)

ROOM CHANGE for Jawole's Artist Talk on Friday!

Friday, October 12th
4pm to 5:30pm
Artist Talk with Jawolle Willa Jo Zollar
NOTE Room change to:
2401 Bancroft Dance Studio!
See you there.

Jawole is Here!!!!!

Yes it is true! Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (Artistic Director of the Urban Bush Women Dance Company) is here on the UC Berkeley campus!

http://www.urbanbushwomen.org/

We are so lucky that she is here, bringing her strength, power, and organizing principles to the project. She will attend dress rehearsal tonight and take part in a host of activities over the next two days.

Check it out!
Friday, Oct. 12:
11am-12:30pm: Dance Workshop with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (2401 Bancroft Dance Studio) Note this event only is for Berkeley students
4pm: Artist talk with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (NOTE NEW ROOM: 2401 Bancroft Dance Studio)
8pm: From the Field to the Table (Zellerbach Playhouse - get your tickets here)

Saturday, Oct. 13:
1-3pm: Workshop with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (2401 Bancroft Dance Studio)
3:30-5:30pm: Potluck food event (Zellerbach Playhouse lobby)
6-7pm Artist Dialogue with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Professor Catherine Cole (Zellerbach Playhouse)
8pm: From the Field to the Table (Zellerbach Playhouse - get your tickets here)

Sunday, Oct. 14:
2pm: From the Field to the Table (Zellerbach Playhouse - get your tickets here)
3pm: Post-performance discussion with the cast (Zellerbach Playhouse)

Paloma McGregor Leads Us Towards a Complete Piece!

Paloma has been working day and night to bring the project into a coherent vision for the stage. She is supporting the group with great wisdom and confidence as we "trust the process" and build the piece. It is a wild fun ride that has led to unexpected places. Going into the theater is exciting because the material is so rich, and we have so much to work with. All the participants are really bringing their energy and ideas forward and flowing with the work in the theter. I look forward to seeing the rest of the pieces come together tonight so that we have a complet and cohesive run on Wednesday. It is amazing to me how fast it all comes together! The show is going to be poetic, funny, deep, witty, honest, and alive. Please come and experience it for yourself - come see what we have grown!

Pictures - Early Rehearsals in the Theater

I thought that it would be fun to share some photos from our work in the theater. Thank you Glynn Bartlett for making our stage floor so beautiful! And thank you participants for your creative energy and fantastic commitment.

Working It Out in the Theater!

We are in the theater bringing it all together for the performance - next Friday night! Seven days to go.
I cannot tell you how thrilling, wonderful, exciting, challenging, and alive this process is. Lately I have been reflecting into the deep generosity and strength of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar - her leadership and artistic vision! With her company, a group of truly inspirational and amazing individuals, she has built a process that is an organizing force for change in this world. A process that is rooted in art making practices and community building! All I can say is, "It works. This is real." This is people staying in the room together and working it out! Thank you Paloma McGregor and Amara Tabor-Smith, Urban Bush Women, for being such powerful, honest, and dedicated organizers/facilitators/leaders. Art making has the power to change lives, communities, and global paradigms. It begins with honoring community and one another.

September 29th Work day in the Garden

We worked in the Verdene Carter Park, Oakland, CA - weeding, planting, harvesting, moving dirt, and entering community together.

Pictures from our day at the Tenderloin National Forest!

Work in the Theater!

Last night was a fruitful one - we began the piece in a formal way. Working groups were formed and the first steps were taken towards creating the final production. I look forward to this evenings work. Working on community making first makes the practice of making collaborative work so much more fulfilling! Look for a new page on the blog in the next few days with photos/videos from rehearsals, site visits, and interviews.

Thank you Dr. Kimberly Richards and Sandra Bernabei!

We had such an amazing and intense workshop around Undoing Racism with Dr. Kim and Sandy Bernabei. On Thursday, September 27th participants processed all of this information by making physical and written responses, which were inspiring and full of questions and ideas. The concept of racism (race + ism) is a complicated one that involves race prejudice + power. Participants are now able to really engage in deep conversations about the role racism in our society, in our institutions, and within ourselves as we embark on the making of the piece From the Field to The Table! Who is allowed at the table? What is the real cost of food? How are culturally specific agricultural practices lost or de-valued in our society? These are important themes within the project and all are impacted by racially motivated laws and practices (past and current) and power dynamics in our ever globalized world.

We Begin our Second Workshop: Undoing Racism Tonight

Well, once again I am learning and re-learning about the construction of race in the United States, and within the very institutions that support art making practices. I experienced this powerful workshop in New Orleans this summer as part of the UBW Summer Leadership Institute. The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond has such a powerful message to convey - we cannot change the world by ourselves. We need healthy networks of people who are able to think outside of boxes and bring forth change in the world through finding our common humanity - a humanity that can talk together about ongoing racism in the world. Difficult discussions ahead for tonight, but I go with an open heart and desire to listen deeply.