FROM ALL DIRECTIONS
INDIGENOUS AND REGIONAL CULTURES
AND WORLD MARKETS
News from Bronitsky and Associates
Bringing Together Indigenous Peoples and the World Since 1992
Dr Gordon Bronitsky, President, Bronitsky and Associates, 216 Edith SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, cell 505-238-3739; e-mail
European Office:
Dirk Steitz, Hofackerring 11, 79206 Breisach 3, Germany; Tel: +49
7664-408 972; e-mail
a bi-monthly newsletter from Bronitsky and Associates about events and people from indigenous and regional cultures in the international scene - festivals, funding, conferences, publications and current issues.
Correspondence, subscription/unsubscription, opportunities, talent news, etc. should be directed to the United States office
Circulation: 5179
Our News - what's keeping us busy!
Bronitsky and Associates With The Dreaming Festival, Australia
The Dreaming and the Drum—Indigenous Music from Around the World, Broadcast from England
Sami Theatermaker Harriet Nordlund—US tour September 30-October 15, 2009
Sami Civil Rights--Magne Ove Varsi Tour, April-May 2010
Mariachi Imperial de America on Taiwanese Television
Apache Playwright David Velarde tour to Sweden
ORIGINS™ Festival of First Nations, London
For Your Diary
Events
Festivals
Funding
Conferences
Publications
Call for Submissions and Papers
News
Sites of Interest
Our News - what's keeping us busy!
Bronitsky and Associates With The Dreaming Festival, Australia
The Dreaming is Australia’s largest and most comprehensive Aboriginal festival, June 5-8, 2009 (www.thedreamingfestival.com)--a vibrant, exciting and a valuable destination where local, national and international audiences look forward to their annual ceremony . Bronitsky and Associates was honored to work with The Dreaming and Cumbre Tajin (www.cumbretajin.com) to bring some of the best performers and healers from the Totonac people of Veracruz to this year’s festival, including:
Totonaca Dancers
The Dreaming presented the ancient Totonaca traditions in an
Australian premiere, featuring the HuaHuas (pronounced WaWa) dance,
which is one of the few rituals that survived the era of Spanish
conquest. The wheel where the four HuaHuas spin becomes a wheel of
colors that represents the Quetzal bird, symbolizing movement and
the basis of creation
Traditional
Totanaca Healers
Traditional Totonaca Healers Ines Valencia Ramos and Esperanza
Garcia Dionisio, shared their ancient healing practices and
techniques with audiences at The Dreaming
Bronitsky and Associates also brought two outstanding speakers to The Dreaming:
Alejandra Cordeno
Lance
Alejandra was born and raised in Puebla, Mexico City, forging a
brilliant career as a professional visual artist and photographer.
Since studying photography and multi-media arts in Mexico City and
the UK, she went on to become a film director. Through her work, she
promotes culture, in order to wake up the human heart. Alejandra
spoke about the spirituality and connection to country in The
Totonaca Peoples forum.
Chloe Campero
Chloe Campero was born in Mexico City, though for the last eight
years, she has resided in the Mexican state of Veracruz. She has
promoted the creation of a Community Centre of Cinema, in order to
make the stories of the Totonacapan. Her most recent film ‘Voladora-A
Flying Woman’ tells the story of Viviana Guerrero, a woman Voladora,
and was selected for screening at the prestigious Expresión en Corto
International Film Festival in Mexico.
Cochise Anderson
In addition, Bronitsky and associates had the pleasure of returning
Native American playwright Cochise Anderson to The Dreaming, with
his solo performance of The Only Good Poet is a Read Poet. The
performance was a voyage through Native America, past and present,
where audiences meet a multitude of memorable characters such as the
medicine men, warriors, activists and the homeless. As diverse and
distinct as each is in his own right, all share a common bond of
loyalty to themselves, their families, and their communities. They
define who they are and know who they are and are valued for their
integrity.
The Dreaming and the Drum—Indigenous Music from Around the World, Broadcast from England
A new UK radio show featuring traditional and contemporary music from the indian and aboriginal nations of America, Canada and Australia. Broadcasting in on Soundart Radio 102.5fm, every Thursday at 8pm (BST), or live via the internet at www.soundartradio.org.uk. Weekly playlist will be posted on the website, on the day - click on The Dreaming and the Drum on the Google Calendar. Presented and produced by Nell Harrison, Associate Producer, Gordon Bronitsky. Working with Canyon Records and Navajo recording artists The Plateros, Suzy J. Baldwin (SJBProductions) provided recording artists for part of the Indigenous program.
Sami Theatermaker Harriet Nordlund—US tour September 30-October 15, 2009
We are bringing Sami theatermaker Harriet Nordlund to the University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin and Wake Forest University (North Carolina), as well as to Native colleges and theatermakers, September 30-October 15. Her tour is part of ORIGINS on the Road™, developed and produced by Gordon Bronitsky to bring Indigenous theatermakers to Indigenous and non-Indigenous theaters and communities around the world. Previous tours included Australian Aboriginal playwright David Milroy's tour to the US in 2008 and Apache playwright David Velarde’s tour to Sweden in June 2009. Future tours for ORIGINS on the Road™include a US tour by Greenlandic playwright Laila Hansen (2010). If you would be interested in meeting with Ms Nordlund or arranging for her to speak or do workshops during her tour, please contact Gordon Bronitsky at .
Sami Civil Rights--Magne Ove Varsi Tour, April-May 2010
Mage Ove Varsi is the founder and director of the GÁLDU Resource Centre for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Kautokeino Norway (www.galdu.org), which is the center for defending the rights of the Sami people. We are organizing a speaking tour to the United States for Mr. Varsi in late April/early May 2010. If you are interested, please contact Gordon Bronitsky at
Mariachi Imperial de America on Taiwanese Television
Mariachi Imperial de America has been performing for about 20 years under the direction of Jose Longoria. Mariachi Imperial has conquered many people’s hearts through their wonderful music in Europe and various places in the USA. Mariachi Imperial has received various awards and accolades include winning 1st place at the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza.
The band consists of family members as well as close friends. Its members represent various regions of Mexico including Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosi. Band members’ dedication to bringing quality music and entertainment to audiences has made Mariachi Imperial a success. Their charisma and overall love for mariachi music distinguishes Mariachi Imperial from other mariachi groups. They transmit their enthusiasm and love for their music through their performances. They not only sing, but also dance and encourage audience participation. We have toured them to China and Armenia and now you can see them on Taiwanese television at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCUUdOLI7Q4
For more information about this great group, please visit http://bronitskyandassociates.com/mariachi.htm. .
Apache Playwright David Velarde tour to Sweden
Apache playwright David Velarde toured to a Sami playwrights conference in Övertorneå, Sweden, June 9-15, under the auspices of the Beaivvas Sami Theatre in Kautokeino, Norway. The tour was sponsored by the United States embassy in Stockholm Sweden.
The tour was part of ORIGINS on the Road™, mandated to bring international Indigenous theatermakers to Indigenous and non-Indigenous theaters and communities around the world. Mr. Velarde was accompanied by Gordon Bronitsky, President of Bronitsky and Associates, and Executive Producer of ORIGINS on the Road™.
For more details and photos of the tour, visit my blog at http://bronitskyandassociates.com/wordpress/
ORIGINS™ Festival of First Nations, London
The ORIGINS™ Festival was a culmination of eleven years of dreaming, hoping, meeting, talking, persuading and fundraising. For me, it was a dream come true, and I’m grateful to Michael Walling as Artistic Director.
For details and photos, visit my blog at http://bronitskyandassociates.com/wordpress/
For Your Diary
If you would like to list an event, activity or publication with us, please forward details to before the 28th of each month to ensure its inclusion in the next FROM ALL DIRECTIONS newsletter.
Events
Summer Aboriginal Dance Training
Intensive
August 10-23, 2009
New Zealand Guest Teacher Neil Ieremia from Black Grace
Kaha:wi Dance Theatre Presents:
Location:
National Ballet School
400 Jarvis Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y 2G6
Intensive physical training for individuals pursuing or considering a professional career in contemporary and/or Aboriginal dance.
Artistic Faculty:
Santee Smith, Artistic Director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre
Michel Faigaux (Ballet)
Louis Laberge-Côté (Contemporary)
Michael Greyeyes (Viewpoints Seminar)
Guest Traditional Aboriginal Dance Instructors:
Rosa and Crystal John (Pow wow styles)
Neil Ieremia (Pacifica Indigenous contemporary Dance*
Halau I Ka Wekiu: Karl Baker & Micheal Casupang (Hawaiian Dance)*
Questions/How to Register and More Information Go To:
www.kahawidance.org/training for downloadable application forms
and information.
e-mail:
* In partnership with Harbourfront Centre's Planet IndigenUS.
World Summit on Arts and Culture
September 22-25, 2009
Johannesburg, South Africa
On the evening of Tuesday 22 September 2009 the National Arts Council of South Africa and IFACCA will host the opening ceremony of the 4th World Summit on Arts and Culture. The following day, all delegates will travel to Museum Africa, in Newtown – the cultural heart of Johannesburg – for the opening keynote speech, and will have three days to discuss and debate the theme: Meeting of Cultures: Creating Meaning through the Arts.
The Summit will incorporate South Africa’s Heritage Day on Thursday 24 September, and throughout the week delegates will have the opportunity to attend performances at Arts Alive – Joburg’s annual art and culture festival.
The Summit will be co-hosted by the National Arts Council of South Africa and IFACCA, with the support of the South African Department of Arts and Culture, the Gauteng Provincial Government, Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation and the City of Joburg: Directorate of Arts, Culture and Heritage and the Johannesburg Tourism Company.
For more information, please visit http://www.artsummit.org/programme/about/
20th Anniversary for Tewa Women United – Hosts Celebratory INDIGENOUS Benefit Concert
Friday, July 31, 2009
Reception – 6:00 pm, Show 7:00 -10:00 pm
James A. Little Theater
NM School for the Deaf
1060 Cerrillos Rd.
Santa Fe, NM, USA
Tewa Women United (TWU) and its First Annual Indigenous Benefit Concert will feature native artists Larry Mitchell, Joy Harjo, Shelley Morningsong and Indigie Femme. Come and enjoy TWU’S 20th anniversary celebration of providing holistic community services and programs in northern New Mexico. We are honored to highlight Larry Mitchell (musician/producer), for making significant contributions and achievements for Native American artists in the southwest region. Joy Harjo, Shelley Morningsong and Indigie Femme will also be featured guests.
Tewa Women United is a collective of intertribal and culturally diverse women’s voices from the Tewa Indian homelands of northern New Mexico. Their mission is to provide safe spaces for Indigenous women to uncover the power, strength and skills they possess to become positive forces for social transformative change in their families and communities.
Tickets are on sale at the Lensic Box Office for $40 and $60. Contact 505-988-1234 or www.ticketssantafe.org. Ticket sales at the door will be $45 and $65.
Contact: Kathy Sanchez or Elena Higgins
Phone: 505-747-3259,
Email:
or
Festivals
The 2009 Monument Valley Film Festival
This year’s festival will be held July 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Screenings
for the film festival will begin each day at 10:00 am at the Kayenta
Town Hall Meeting Room. All screenings are FREE and open to the
public.
This year the films will focus on over 40 Native-themed documentaries, feature films, and short film. Question & Answer Sessions will be held after the screening for We Shall Remain: Navajo, Field Day In Kayenta Circa 1936, Journey To Wellness, The Chief’s Prophecy: Survival of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, Nightfall, and Out of Your Back Pack Media by its Producers, Directors, and film notables.
The Monument Valley Film Festival, now entering its third year, is the only film festival of its kind that is held on the Navajo Nation. The purpose of the film festival is to bring Native made films to the people of the Navajo Nation who would, otherwise, be unable to find a venue to view Native made films. Most of these films are usually not readily available to the general public and are primarily screened at other Native American film festivals far away from most Indian reservations.
The 2009 Monument Valley Film Festival schedule is now available on the web site at http://www.monumentvalleyfilmfest.com.
Also added the festival is free live entertainment.
Saturday July 4th – 6:30 pm @ The Kayenta
Town Hall
Levi and the Plateros
Sunday July 5th – 6:00 pm @ The Kayenta Town Hall
All Star Acoustic Jam with Special Guests
If you have any questions, please contact:
Shonie De La Rosa at +1 (928) 429-0671
email , or
Malcolm Benally, +1 (928) 697-8451
email: .
The 3rd Annual Film Festival is sponsored by Sheephead Films and the Kayenta Township.
In the Spirit: Northwest Native Arts
Market & Festival
August 8 and 9
Washington State History Museum
Tacoma, Washington
The Washington State History Museum presents the fourth annual In the Spirit: Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, Market and Festival. The exhibit’s featured artwork is selected by a three-member jury comprised of local experts in Native American art. The exhibit opens July 9 and will be on display through August 30.
In the Spirit: Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit will showcase the work of 30 contemporary Native American artists, all living and working in the Pacific Northwest. A weekend festival August 8 and 9 will offer guests an opportunity to partake in Native American traditions and to purchase art and support these local artists. In the Spirit is a celebration of how today’s Native art connects traditional artistic heritage and contemporary forms of expression.
Exhibit opening reception FREE and open to the public On July 16, beginning at 5 p.m., come to an exhibit opening reception. Light refreshments will be served. Awards will be presented to the artists’ whose work is being displayed in the exhibit.
Funding
The Funding Information Service (FIS),
New Zealand
www.fis.org.nz
The FIS maintains comprehensive information on sources of funding
available in New Zealand. Its Fundview database provides information
for iwi, voluntary and community groups, and the Breakout database
provides a guide to scholarships, awards and grants for individuals.
FIS also provides advice about making funding applications, and a
guide to corporate sponsorship.
The information is available by subscription, or you can view the databases free of charge at many local libraries or citizens’ advice bureaus.
Association of Performing Arts
Presenters Announces Cultural Exchange Fund Application Schedule
Funded by the
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by the
Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the Cultural Exchange
Fund is a travel subsidy program that assists U.S.-based presenters
working to build partnerships and collaborations with international
touring artists, companies, and their collaborators to promote the
display of work by artists from around the world in its own cultural
context. In promoting cross-cultural arts programming, Arts
Presenters strongly encourages travel to the following locations
(including but not limited to): the Middle East, Asia, Latin
America, and Africa.
Arts Presenters will award travel subsidies to individual presenters, presenting organizations, and to groups of presenters traveling to see the work of artists, companies, and/or to develop and advance projects with international artists and their collaborators. All applicants must be active members of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters.
For-profit organizations are not eligible for Cultural Exchange funds. Cultural Exchange does not fund artists that are performing or traveling to meet with international presenters about performance opportunities, nor does it fund managers, agents, or producers working to expand business rosters.
Arts Presenters will fund individual travel subsidies and group travel subsidies. The maximum amount awarded per individual organization, inclusive of travel costs and per diem, is $2,000. Group travel subsidies will be awarded only to groups of three or more presenters from different member presenting organizations. The maximum award for a group is $10,000, with no more than $2,000 awarded per organization.
There will be four rounds of funding between June 2009 and December 2010. Application deadlines vary according to the planned travel period.
Visit the Arts Presenters Web site for complete program information, http://www.artspresenters.org/
Conferences
Regina Showcases First Nations Languages
June 10, 2009 REGINA - The "2009 Regina First Nations
Language Festival" will be held on June 16 at Scott Collegiate in
Regina. Language learners and other special guest performers will
perform songs, skits, and monologues in Cree, Dene, Nakota, Dakota,
Saulteaux and Anishnabemowin. The festival is free admission and
begins at the Scott Collegiate auditorium at 6:30 pm. Many of the
participants are children and adults speaking a First Nations
language for the first time. The festival is meant to encourage
others to continue to speak First Nations languages in Regina.
The host organization, the "Regina First Nations Language Speaking Circle Group" has organized the festival to showcase First Nation language learners and fluent speakers. The group has been offering free lessons at the Albert library since April 2009. Many of the participants are now speaking a First Nation language for the first time. One of the languages has than 20 fluent speakers in the province so anyone who learns to speak increases its future dramatically. For many of these languages, the majority of fluent speakers are now over age 60 and are in jeopardy. It is vital to support the increase of younger speakers to maintain their existence.
The festival is expecting a visiting grade 10 Cree class from a
reserve high school near Regina to perform a song and Bill Cook, a
Cree language instructor and professional musician will also perform
in addition to other special guests.
Contact Cathy Wheaton or Allan Adam for more information at (306)
924-4177. Cathy's email is and Allan's email
is . The festival has a website at
www.allanadam.com
2009 Young Leaders' Summit on Northern Climate
Change
http://www.climateleaders.ca/
August 17–20, 2009
Inuvik, Northwest Territories
Are you concerned about climate change and what it means for the future? Do you want to make your voice heard and be part of the solution? The Young Leaders' Summit on Northern Climate Change is your opportunity!
For four days this August, young leaders will converge in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, to discuss climate change, share their stories and build their skills. The summit will empower young leaders to tackle the greatest challenge facing the planet—climate change. The four action-packed days will be a mixture of outdoor field-trips, indoor lectures and participatory activities.
Now is the time to get involved. Governments from around the world will meet at the United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen this December to finalize a new global climate agreement. You can make a difference! The Young Leaders' Summit on Northern Climate Change will show you how.
At the summit you will:
- learn to effectively communicate the impacts of climate change in our community and around the world
- connect with youth across the North and around the globe and learn how young people can influence policy
- create a set of recommendations for climate change negotiators at the United Nations talks
- stimulate stronger climate action by leaders in the North.
Get Involved! Visit the 2009 Summit Details page for more information: http://www.climateleaders.ca/summit-details
Questions? If you have any questions about the Young Leaders' Summit on Northern Climate Change, please contact Katherine Mackenzie at or (867) 873 4309.
Publications
Going Native—New Mexico Business Weekly
article about Gordon Bronitsky and Bronitsky and Associates
Preview the article at
http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/06/15/story7.html
Call for Submissions and Papers
Spier Contemporary 2010
Africa Centre
The Spier Contemporary 2010 is inviting all artists living in South Africa to reflect their experiences, aspirations and visions through new work submitted to this competition/exhibition. The deadline for submissions is the 30th October 2009.
The Spier Contemporary was born in 2007/08, immediately becoming the largest biennale art competition and exhibition in South Africa. The inaugural exhibition received over 2,500 submissions from around the country, exhibited 95 artists in Cape Town and Johannesburg, hosted 25,000 visitors and awarded R1,000,000 in prize money.
To be kept up-to-date about the Spier Contemporary 2010 or other Africa Centre programmes and events, please update your contact details here.
To find out more, please visit www.spiercontemporary.co.za.
News
Commission for Playwright Rhiana Yazzie
The Public Theater is delighted to announce that it has
joined the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in a co-commission of Native
playwright Rhiana Yazzie. OSF announced the latest round of its
American Revolutions: the United States
History Cycle commissions on June 12, 2009.
American Revolutions, inspired by
the scale and scope of Shakespeare’s history cycle of plays, will
bring together more than 100 artists, historians and institutions
from around the country. Up to thirty-seven new plays are slated to
result in up to 15 full productions at OSF between 2010 and 2019.
The plays of American Revolutions
will look at moments of change in America's past, helping to
establish a shared understanding of our national identity and
illuminate the best paths for our nation's future.
RHIANA YAZZIE is a Navajo playwright based in Minnesota. Her recent plays included Rainbow Crow, a commission by Stepping Stone Theatre for Youth Development in St. Paul; Las Madres commissioned by Teatro del Pueblo for their 2009 Political Theatre Festival; Red Ink, a commission by Mixed Blood Theatre; and ADY, a commission by Pangea World Theatre.
Rhiana received a 2008 Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Expressive Arts grant to develop ADY and it was a 2009 SPF finalist. She received a Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellowship in 2006. She is also an award-winning writer of plays for radio and for youth. She is the three time winner of the Native Radio Theatre annual new play contest; her TYA radio play The Best Place to Grow Pumpkins received an Honorable Mention at the ImagiNative Film Festival in Toronto for Best Radio. An appreciated voice in her community writing about the contemporary Native American experience, she was honored by “First Americans in the Arts” in Los Angeles, California, with an award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing in 2007. Her other plays include Asdzani Shash: The Woman Who Turned into a Bear, The Long Flight, and This Land Had Seen War Before. Rhiana is also very active as a radio/audio theatre writer and director. She is now a co-host of First Nations Radio.
The Retirement of Phil
Fontaine as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations
Marketwire. June 4, 2009. © Copyright 2009
Marketwire. All rights reserved. Full text available at:
http://in.sys-con.com/node/990923
“Ottawa Ontario-- The following statement was released by the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians: Today Phil Fontaine announced that he will be retiring as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. This is truly a significant event, the symbolic passing of the torch from a man who has made a tremendous contribution to First Nations communities in particular, and all Canadians. Under Phil Fontaine's passionate and persistent leadership, Aboriginal people have forged a strikingly new relationship with non-Aboriginal people, and with the Government of Canada. Were it not for his undying fervour and his commitment to correct the injustices of the past, it is unlikely that there would have been such a groundswell of compassion and forgiveness on the occasion of the Prime Minister's historic apology to survivors of the Indian Residential School system…"
Indigenous TV Network Launches
Programming Initiatives
A global alliance of indigenous television broadcasters is launching
two major initiatives for its members – an international indigenous
current affairs series and a programme exchange scheme.
The World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN) aims to unify television broadcasters worldwide to retain and grow indigenous languages and cultures. The nine foundation Council members are National Indigenous Television (NITV), Australian Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), Canada; TG4, Ireland; Maori Television, New Zealand; NRK Sámi Radio, Norway; BBC ALBA, Scotland; South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), South Africa; Taiwan Indigenous Television (TITV) / Public Television Service (PTS), Taiwan; and S4C, Wales.
The inaugural chairman of WITBN, Jim Mather – who is chief executive of Maori Television – says the development of collaborative relationships between the indigenous broadcasters creates opportunities for increased audiences, better access to resources, enhanced knowledge transfer and enhancement of schedules through the exchange of programming.
The second ever World Indigenous Television Broadcasting
Conference (WITBC ’10) will be hosted by Taiwan Indigenous
Television (TITV) / Public Television Services
(PTS) – under the umbrella of the Taiwan Broadcasting System – in
Taiwan from Tuesday March 9 to Friday March 12, 2010. Membership
application forms for WITBN are available on the website www.witbn.org.
For more information, contact the WITBN secretariat co-ordinator Vanessa Horan at Māori Television on +64 9 539 7159; fax +64 9 539 7199; mobile +64 21 928 007; or email
The Plateros—New Music Video
The Plateros just released their 2nd official music video “Without
You” from their latest album “Hang On”.
You can check it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srpd9qX6PGM
Sites of Interest
For more information please contact:
World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network
(see article above)
http://www.witbn.org/
If you would like to contribute an item to FROM ALL DIRECTIONS, the monthly e-newsletter of Bronitsky and Associates, please forward your listing before the 28th of each month to .