Monthly Archives: October 2010

Spring 2011 New Class: Integrated Media for Performance with Professor Lars Jan!!!

INTEGRATED MEDIA FOR PERFORMANCE: MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY DESIGN (THEA 004D)

PROF. LARS JAN ‘00

SPRING SEMESTER 2011

MONDAYS 1:15-4:00 PM & 4:15-6:15 PM

OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS WITHOUT PREREQUISITE

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the application of various visual and audio technologies in live theater and dance performance.  The course also will explore the emerging phenomenon of hybrid creative practices that utilize technology to further expand 21st-century storytelling, design, and genre.  Discussion of the historical and theoretical context of contemporary mixed-media performance will be combined with an orientation to the available technologies found at Swarthmore and beyond, with an emphasis on video. The class will include the conceptualization and preparation of a series of individual studio projects. The course is designed to serve all students regardless of prior experience in theater production.

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LARS JAN is a director, designer, writer, and media artist.  He will be teaching INTEGRATED MEDIA as well as directing PRODUCTION ENSEMBLE (THEA 022) in Spring 2011.

The son of first-generation émigrés from Afghanistan and Poland, Lars is committed to international artistic research and exchange.   He has studied and worked extensively in Japan (Tondo Ningyo Joruri Theatre, 2003-04), Afghanistan (2005), and Ukraine.  Lars is a 2000 graduate of Swarthmore College and completed his MFA in Directing and Integrated Media at CalArts with the support of a Jack Kent Cooke Fellowship.  Lars is the recipient of the 2008 Sherwood Award, granted by Center Theatre Group to an innovative theatre artist in Los Angeles.  He has created new work and taught in residence at Princeton University’s Atelier Program as well as at Mount Holyoke, Swarthmore, and Amherst Colleges.

In 2009 and 2010, Lars Jan researched and created new works while a resident fellow at The MacDowell Colony (Peterborough, NH), EMPAC (Troy, NY), Brookfield Properties Arts Program (Los Angeles, CA) and The Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC; Tallahassee, FL). His work has been supported several times by the Swarthmore Project in Theater.  His original performance, film, and installation works have been seen at The Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, 2005/2010), Symphony Space (New York, 2005), REDCAT (Los Angeles, 2006/2009), PianoSpheres (Los Angeles, 2010), The Kirk Douglas Theatre (Los Angeles, 2010), The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival (2004-2010), and The Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at RPI (Troy, NY, 2010).

He is the founding artistic director of Early Morning Opera, a multi-disciplinary art lab based in Los Angeles that specializes in live performance. He will premiere selections of a new opera, Makandal, at Art Basel (Miami) in December 2010.

Alumni in the News: Katia Lom (Class of 2006) opens in London

Katia’s latest London performance of “Elvis I Love You” on Thursday 18 November as part of an evening that was curated at Rich Mix
entitled “The Feminine Body”, which will also see work by choreographers Kamala Devam and Niall Cullen (Preface Morn).

Following a great reception in London at The Place at the Resolution! platform earlier this year, “Elvis I Love You” went on to be performed at the Siobhan Davies Studios, the West London Synagogue and St-Paul’s Church in Bristol.

Marking the 75th Anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth this year, “Elvis I Love You” pays tribute to The King and sees five performers rediscover a passion for dance and love.  “Imagine Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker having a pink-toned fever-dream … and you’ll have an inkling” (Donald Hutera – *Dance Europe*).

For bookings and additional information please follow this link: http://www.richmix.org.uk/aandc_femininebody.htm
For more on Katia:  www.katialom.co.uk

Alumni in the News: Katia Lom (Class of 2006) opens in London

Katia’s latest London performance of “Elvis I Love You” on Thursday 18 November as part of an evening that was curated at Rich Mix
entitled “The Feminine Body”, which will also see work by choreographers Kamala Devam and Niall Cullen (Preface Morn).

Following a great reception in London at The Place at the Resolution! platform earlier this year, “Elvis I Love You” went on to be performed at the Siobhan Davies Studios, the West London Synagogue and St-Paul’s Church in Bristol.

Marking the 75th Anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth this year, “Elvis I Love You” pays tribute to The King and sees five performers rediscover a passion for dance and love.  “Imagine Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker having a pink-toned fever-dream … and you’ll have an inkling” (Donald Hutera – *Dance Europe*).

For bookings and additional information please follow this link: http://www.richmix.org.uk/aandc_femininebody.htm
For more on Katia:  www.katialom.co.uk

Sharing Stories: Nonviolent Actions and Movements Over the Last 50 Years, a Talk by David Hartsough

We are looking forward to a visit and guest lecture by David Hartsough, a Quaker peace and civil rights activist, former Swattie, and Co-Founder of Nonviolent Peaceforce, an unarmed civilian peacekeeping organization with projects in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Sudan.

Please join us on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 4:15 p.m. in the Scheuer Room of Kohlberg Hall

Maps and directions to campus are available.

A flyer is available for download.

Read more about David Hartsough and his work in this 2004 interview in the New Internationalist magazine.

Photo: David Hartsough (seated at right end of counter) with fellow students at a lunchtime sit-in Arlington, Virginia – circa 1960

Sponsored by Peace and Conflict Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, Political Science, and the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility

Contact:

Lee Smithey or Anna Everetts

Peace and Conflict Studies Program

610-690-2064

peacestudies@swarthmore.edu

The William J. Cooper Foundation and the Department of Music and Dance present SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA

The Department of Music and Dance at Swarthmore College and the William J. Cooper Foundation will present SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA on Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 8PM in the Lang Performing Arts Center’s Pearson-Hall Theater.  The event will be free and open to the public without reservations.

Founded in 1997 by Martin Santangelo and his wife, Soledad Barrio, the award-winning SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA is Spain’s most successful and authentic flamenco touring company.  Performances feature Soledad Barrio, who has received awards for her riveting performances in over twelve countries including the prestigious Bessie Award from New York City.  Soledad Barrio was born and lives in Madrid, Spain and has appeared with many notable flamenco companies throughout her career including Ballet Espanol de Paco Romero, Cristobal Reyes, and El Toleo.  She has performed throughout the world with artists such as Alenjandro Granados, Isabel Bayón, Jesus Torres, Rafael Campallo, Belen Maya and numerous others.

All aspects of flamenco: dance, song, and music, are integrated and given equal weight in the presentations of SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA, creating a true communal spirit within the company that reflects the very heart and soul of flamenco. Flamenco’s cultural heritage includes the music and rhythms of the ancient Romans and the folk music of the Gypsies, Jews and Arabs who fled expulsion into Andalucia, Spain during the tumultuous Middle Ages.  Flamenco, as we know it today, evolved slowly over time until the 19th century, when it rapidly gained in artistic stature as well as popularity. Under the artistic direction of Martin Santangelo and Soledad Barrio, NOCHE FLAMENCA draws on the rich traditions of flamenco music and dance, offering audiences the unique opportunity to feel the emotional impact of this ancient art.  SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA is recognized as one of the most exciting flamenco companies in the field today. The company brings to the stage the essence, purity, and integrity of one of the world’s most complex and mysterious art forms.

SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA will hold a Lecture/Demonstration in the LPAC Pearson-Hall Theater (Mainstage) on Thursday October 28th at 10AM.  Please contact Susan Grossi (sgrossi1@swarthmore.edu), Administrative Assistant for Music and Dance in LPAC 004 or at x2019 for more information.

SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA will also host a Master Class in the LPAC Boyer Dance Studio (LPAC 003) on Thursday October 28th at 4:30PM. This event is free and open to students, but please contact Professor Kim Arrow (karrow1@swarthmore.edu) at x8670 or Susan Grossi (sgrossi1@swarthmore.edu) Administrative Assistant for Music and Dance in LPAC 004 at x2019 to reserve a space.

For further information about these events, contact Tara Webb at 610-328-8260 or twebb1@swarthmore.edu.

The William J. Cooper Foundation and the Department of Music and Dance present SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA

The Department of Music and Dance at Swarthmore College and the William J. Cooper Foundation will present SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA on Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 8PM in the Lang Performing Arts Center’s Pearson-Hall Theater.  The event will be free and open to the public without reservations.

Founded in 1997 by Martin Santangelo and his wife, Soledad Barrio, the award-winning SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA is Spain’s most successful and authentic flamenco touring company.  Performances feature Soledad Barrio, who has received awards for her riveting performances in over twelve countries including the prestigious Bessie Award from New York City.  Soledad Barrio was born and lives in Madrid, Spain and has appeared with many notable flamenco companies throughout her career including Ballet Espanol de Paco Romero, Cristobal Reyes, and El Toleo.  She has performed throughout the world with artists such as Alenjandro Granados, Isabel Bayón, Jesus Torres, Rafael Campallo, Belen Maya and numerous others.

All aspects of flamenco: dance, song, and music, are integrated and given equal weight in the presentations of SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA, creating a true communal spirit within the company that reflects the very heart and soul of flamenco. Flamenco’s cultural heritage includes the music and rhythms of the ancient Romans and the folk music of the Gypsies, Jews and Arabs who fled expulsion into Andalucia, Spain during the tumultuous Middle Ages.  Flamenco, as we know it today, evolved slowly over time until the 19th century, when it rapidly gained in artistic stature as well as popularity. Under the artistic direction of Martin Santangelo and Soledad Barrio, NOCHE FLAMENCA draws on the rich traditions of flamenco music and dance, offering audiences the unique opportunity to feel the emotional impact of this ancient art.  SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA is recognized as one of the most exciting flamenco companies in the field today. The company brings to the stage the essence, purity, and integrity of one of the world’s most complex and mysterious art forms.

SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA will hold a Lecture/Demonstration in the LPAC Pearson-Hall Theater (Mainstage) on Thursday October 28th at 10AM.  Please contact Susan Grossi (sgrossi1@swarthmore.edu), Administrative Assistant for Music and Dance in LPAC 004 or at x2019 for more information.

SOLEDAD BARRIO AND NOCHE FLAMENCA will also host a Master Class in the LPAC Boyer Dance Studio (LPAC 003) on Thursday October 28th at 4:30PM. This event is free and open to students, but please contact Professor Kim Arrow (karrow1@swarthmore.edu) at x8670 or Susan Grossi (sgrossi1@swarthmore.edu) Administrative Assistant for Music and Dance in LPAC 004 at x2019 to reserve a space.

For further information about these events, contact Tara Webb at 610-328-8260 or twebb1@swarthmore.edu.

Thinking about State Aggression and the Right to Peace

Kathleen Malley-Morrison, Ed.D.

Department of Psychology

Boston University

“Thinking about State Aggression and the Right to Peace”

The Group on International Perspectives on Governmental Aggression and Peace (GIPGAP) has been collecting qualitative responses to the Personal and Institutional Rights to Aggression and Peace Survey (PAIRTAPS) from ordinary people around the world for approximately five years. The survey includes both rating scale and open-ended items designed to assess people’s views concerning such issues as the extent to which governments have a right to invade another country, torture prisoners in times of war, and disobey international laws and agreements. The survey also includes items asking whether individuals have the right to protest against war and in favor of peace, and whether they and their children have the right to live in a world of peace. Thousands of participants from every continent except Antarctica have responded to the survey. In coding their qualitative responses we have been particularly interested in how they frame justifications for war and torture as well as how they frame rejection of government-sponsored aggression. We have found George Lakoff’s work on framing to be quite useful, along with Albert Bandura’s work on moral disengagement and engagement.

In this talk, I will focus on insights from these theoretical approaches, and the extent to which they help us understand the level of tolerance for inhumane behavior that we often find in U.S. responses as compared with those from many other nations.

Wednesday, November 3rd, 4:15 p.m.

Science Center 101. Swarthmore College.

(maps and directions to campus are available)

Co-sponsored by Dept. of Psychology, Intercultural Center, the Alumni Relations, Dept. of Political Science, Dept. of Religion, Educational Studies, and Peace & Conflict Studies

Contact:

Etsuko Hoshino-Browne, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology

Papazian 224

610-957-6127

Quakers and Slavery, 1657-1865 – An International Interdisciplinary Conference

Quakers and Slavery, 1657-1865

An International Interdisciplinary Conference

November 4-6

November 5, All day at Swarthmore College

More than two dozen scholars will participate in this conference, which aims to examine the history, literature, and culture of the Quaker relationship with slavery, from the Society of Friends’ origins in the English Civil War to the end of the American Civil War.

In 1657, George Fox wrote to “Friends beyond sea, that have Blacks and Indian Slaves” to remind them that Quakers who owned slaves should be merciful and should remember that God “hath made all Nations of one Blood.” His argument may seem far from radical today, but it initiated more than two centuries of Quaker debate and activism over the problem of slavery that would ultimately see Friends taking key roles in abolition and emancipation movements on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.

It was, however, by no means inevitable that Quakers would embrace antislavery. In the 17th century and most of the 18th century, Quakers were divided on the issue–particularly in the British American colonies–with some denouncing slavery and others owning slaves. In the 19th century, Quakers were more unified in their opposition to slavery but encountered a range of spiritual, political, and personal challenges while taking their antislavery message to a wider world.

Keynote Speakers: Gary B. Nash, University of California??os Angeles, J. William Frost, Swarthmore College James Walvin, University of York. Conference Details:

The event is free and open to the public. See the conference website for registration details.

  • Quakers and Slavery, 1657-1865 – An International Iterdisciplinary Conference: November 4-6, All day at Swarthmore College
More than two dozen scholars will participate in this conference, which aims to examine the history, literature, and culture of the Quaker relationship with slavery, from the Society of Friends’ origins in the English Civil War to the end of the American Civil War.

In 1657, George Fox wrote to “Friends beyond sea, that have Blacks and Indian Slaves” to remind them that Quakers who owned slaves should be merciful and should remember that God “hath made all Nations of one Blood.” His argument may seem far from radical today, but it initiated more than two centuries of Quaker debate and activism over the problem of slavery that would ultimately see Friends taking key roles in abolition and emancipation movements on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.

It was, however, by no means inevitable that Quakers would embrace antislavery. In the 17th century and most of the 18th century, Quakers were divided on the issue??articularly in the British American colonies??ith some denouncing slavery and others owning slaves. In the 19th century, Quakers were more unified in their opposition to slavery but encountered a range of spiritual, political, and personal challenges while taking their antislavery message to a wider world.

Keynote Speakers: Gary B. Nash, University of California??os Angeles, J. William Frost, Swarthmore College James Walvin, University of York. Conference Details:

The event is free and open to the public