A monthly BIPOC- only space for self -identified Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
(Online)
January, 10th, February 14th, March 14th, 2021 (future dates TBD)
A space & time held by Taja Will and supported by Brian Evans
What territory have we encountered over the last 7-8 months, or a lifetime, or a generation, or many generations? Who has access to rest? How does one build resilience? How do individuals weave connections to community, resources, wealth, and tools? How do we find each other in mutual resistance to systems that have oppressed the spirit, voices and bodies of BIPOC folks? In this shared experience, I hypothesize that we need rested and expressed bodies, we need affinity spaces, we need each other and we deserve each other.
This virtual space is held by Taja Will, with support from Brian Evans and in collaboration with resources and interest provided from Earthdance leadership. With 2.5 hours reserved, we, the collective of participants may decide to spend 20 minutes together or the full 150 minutes. This space is offered in order to exclusively center Black, Indigenous, and people of color. This is not a space for white allies. Amongst BIPOC identity demographics we hold the potential of intersectional privilege and marginalization. This time together will also hold space for the intersections of queerness, disability justice and the class/wealth inequities America’s contract with capitalism has oppressed on those with marginalized identities.
The centerpoint of our time together will be a proposal to focus on our own bodies, in stillness and movement, and our connections with each other. We will have no goals, we will not need to share what we accomplish, there is no need for success in our time together. This is not a class, this is an invitation for building connections together across distance.
Beginning Agreements:
- We start together, on time and with a small buffer margin, you may leave at any point.
- We can collectively decide to end the experience at any time.
- I request we start with cameras on, if possible. You may then choose to participate camera off or on, and are not required to share.
- This session will not be recorded.
Things to bring (optional):
- A beverage, tea, water, juice. (I prefer it’s not noticeably alcoholic.)
- An object that holds meaning for you.
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A notebook and something to write with.
Brian J. Evans is a Citizen Artist, defined by the Aspen Institute Arts Program as:
Individuals who reimagine the traditional notions of art-making, and who contribute to society either through the transformative power of their artistic abilities, or through proactive social engagement with the arts in realms including education, community building, diplomacy and healthcare.
Mixing disciplines, mixing professions, and of mixed race, Brian J. Evans unpacks the “moments of suspension” that reside in the spaces between spaces. Convinced that connections exist between us all and it is the responsibility of the Arts to remind us to be holistically human, lest we forget. Courageous vulnerability and intentional equity keeps him aloft as he finds ways to give back and add to the communities, mentors, and ancestors who blazed trails and continue to do so! Evans believes it is the responsibility of the Arts to rediscover existing connections within humanity. A recent graduate from the Dance MFA program from the University of Washington (UW) Seattle Campus, he was awarded the Howard P. Dallas Endowed Fellowship for his service on the UW dance department’s newly founded diversity community and his service as a liaison on the Divisional Arts Diversity Committee.His next adventure includes a tenure-track professorship in the Theater and Dance department at Bates College in Lewiston, ME. www.brianjevans.org
Photo credit to Nanne Sorvold (featuring Brian Evans)