[log in to unmask]" rel=File-List>
Folks
–
My
office at the University of Michigan-Flint just recently sponsored a staged
performance-reading entitled “Her in 7 parts” and I’m writing to share with and
invite all of our colleagues throughout the state to engage what I consider a
phenomenal play.
“Her
in 7 parts” was conceptualized and written by Dr. Traci Currie, a University of
Michigan-Flint Professor in Communication and Visual Arts (who is also an
accomplished poet, spoken word artist and vocalist) and Jennifer White, the
Director of our local PBS Television Station (who is also an accomplished actor,
writer and performer).
I
first saw performed an early, much smaller version of the play several months
ago and was so impressed by its powerful message that I approached them to
determine when they would complete it and be prepared to stage the full
performance. We then arranged to have “Her in 7 parts” performed as a
culmination of Women’s History Month in late March.
We
invited a cross section of campus and community members, including students from
our college and pre-college KCP
programs, and filled one of our campus theaters. It was a truly wonderful
evening! It is a moving and evocative experience that weaves together powerful
and revealing stories in its exploration of… women…in 7 parts.
I
was so impressed that I encouraged them to consider taking the performance “on
the road” and at least around the state and offered to help…and hence, this
message.
I
urge you to consider it for any group at high school and above (but no, it does
not contain what one would consider anything offensive). Get in on this
phenomenon early. I really believe that this is a winner that will go far.
Please
review the message of invitation below and the
attachments.
If
I can answer any questions, please feel free to contact
me.
Tendaji
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tendaji
W. Ganges
Assistant to the Chancellor and
Executive
Director
Educational Opportunity Initiatives
University of
Michigan-Flint
University Center - Suite 280
303 East Kearsley
Street
Flint, MI 48502-1950
Voice and Voice Mail:
810-762-3365
Facsimile: 810-762-3190
Email: [log in to unmask]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From:
Currie, Traci
Subject: "Her in 7
parts"
My name
is Traci Currie, and I am a faculty member at University of Michigan Flint in
the Communication and Visual Art Department.
November
2008, a colleague and good friend, Jennifer White (PBS/WFUM Station Manager) and
I created an original work called the “Love Suite” which is an excerpt to a
longer original performance. The audience reception was well received and
Tendaji Ganges (Educational Opportunity Initiatives at University of Michigan
Flint) asked us to perform the full reading Friday, March 20th 2009
on UM Flint campus. The performance that evening, Her in 7 parts, also
received such a powerful reception, and it was suggested that we continue our
work on stage and expand this performance.
Her in
7 parts is a
choreographed performance reading that takes a look at the woman’s body in 7
sections:
Foot,
Head, Hand, Heart, Back, Tongue, and Eye
In each
section we explore different topics that women have experienced.
Few
examples:
-the
fellowship of food and how eating other’s food is a sacred experience
-the
scars on our bodies and how we heal from them
-music
and its impact
-spirituality
-the
things we have seen with our eyes and heart
-the
power of saying NO and YES
-how we
use language…
Some of
the stories are funny and some are grave. This is an eclectic mixed media
performance that includes music and black and white photographs of the various
parts of the woman’s body, specifically Black Women, although this performance
speaks to ALL WOMEN. This performance also delves into various social justice
topics/ media/ cultural studies/ performance poetry/ and oral
history.
The
performance is a little over 1 hour. Immediately afterwards, we have a Q&A
or talk-back session with the audience.
So, now
that the March 20th performance is done our next step is
two-fold:
1)
We are
publishing a book called, Her in 7 parts, which should be
completed by the
end of 2009 Summer.
2)
We are
looking for universities that would be interested in this
performance.
I have
attached a flyer of our performance, as well as the program we created. If you
have any questions, PLEASE feel free to contact me:
[log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
Thank
you,
Traci
Currie
Traci E.
Currie, Ph.D.
Communication and Visual Arts
Department
University
of Michigan Flint
Flint, MI
48502
810-424-5344