Intersections

Thank You

2010-03-08T21:40:00.003-05:00

Intersections would like to give a warm Thank You to the 4000 people (artists and audiences) that participated in this ground breaking festival. The Atlas Performing Arts center was filled with artists of different disciplines and audiences of different backgrounds. It was a beautiful, inspiring sight to behold and none of it could've been possible without all of you. Congratulations to all the performers and a special thank you to the Festival Staff and Coordinators.

Stay tuned for next year's festival. Get the word out, share your stories and we'll see you at the Atlas again soon. Same time, same place.

Until then.

Moving Art with Kevin Reese

2010-03-03T08:01:00.000-05:00

"I must say, I am so excited about this festival. It's an incredible honor to be a part of something that brings so many different artists, cultures and disciplines together in one creative extravaganza.

Although I won't be performing on a stage, I'll be in the lobby on March 5th from 2 to 5, creating spontaneous mobiles with whoever walks by. Each person will be given a piece of colored card stock that they can cut into any shape that they want. Then they'll write on the piece their own answer to the question, "what are you an intersection of?" I'll add each piece to the mobile and we'll see where it goes. I really enjoy creating these mobiles because you never know how they're going to look. The finished product is always great, but it's the process that I enjoy more than anything.

I hope to see you all there!" --Kevin Reese
~~

Balancing at the Intersection with mobile artist Kevin Reese
Participate in the creation of a moving piece of art! Make one of the many pieces that will come together to balance in a high-flying mobile built on-site at the festival. Mobile artist Kevin Reese, founder of SchoolSculptures, works with communities across the United States to envision, design and install playful visual celebrations of many parts becoming one beautiful whole. All ages are welcome to be a part of his unique INTERSECTIONS creation.
Saturday, Mar 6
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Lobby
FREE

www.schoolsculptures.com

D.C. Bluegrass? Yep, that's right!

2010-03-02T08:06:00.001-05:00

The Extension Agents

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Extension Agents: We are a bluegrass band from DC.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
EA: We were born in the living room of Amanda's urban farmstead in southeast DC a year and a half ago. We grew up playing at farmer's markets, coffee shops, bars, and hootinannies.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
EA: Banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass, guitar.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
EA: We are hoping to have some listeners who haven't heard bluegrass before and wouldn't imagine people play it in DC.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of...
EA: strings and fingers.
~~

Extension Agents
Get your feet tapping to Bluegrass tunes both classic and eclectic with this popular Atlas District Band who’ll be warming up our Café before Tom Chapin.
Sunday, Mar 7 from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free

Enjoy some down-home picking with The Extension Agents, DC’s own bluegrass band. With fiddle, banjo, bass, mandolin, and guitar they are sure to get you tapping your feet to tunes both classic and eclectic. Sit a spell in our Café and take in these Atlas District regulars who host a hoe-down every other Thursday at Sova Espresso and Wine bar.

http://www.myspace.com/extensionagents

A New Dawn with Imani

2010-03-02T08:01:00.002-05:00

Imani
New Dawn, a world music voyage with an exquisite DC-based jazz singer and her trio dubbed by the Washington Post as “the answer to jazz fans’ prayers.”
Saturday, Mar 6 at 7:30pm
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $15
For audiences of all ages.

Sooth your soul with the sounds of Imani, who has been hailed as “an espresso-voiced song-weaver of rich, earthy texture and stunning vibrancy.” Relax into the groove of this DC-based favorite who has charmed audiences at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Curaçao Jazz Festival, San Antonio Jazz Festival and the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Sink into songs from the golden age of jazz, original compositions, reinterpretations of well-loved standards and contemporary pop classics. Imani and her trio create a warm energy that captivates and connects with all audiences.

http://www.zanganomusic.com/

David Emerson Toney's Elysian Fields

2010-03-02T08:00:00.004-05:00

David Emerson Toney & Chris Youstra MusicalCome hear Act One of Elysian Fields, a vibrant new Toney-Youstra musical collaboration that resets Shakespeare’s King Lear in the deep South. Jennifer L. Nelson directs this star studded cast.
Sunday, Mar 7 at 7:30 PM
LAB 1
Tickets: $10
For audiences ages 13 and up.

Be the first to experience the compelling words of playwright David Emerson Toney and the haunting music of composer Chris Youstra in a word premier reading of Act One of Elysian Fields. Actor/singers will bring to life the story an old freed black slave in the Civil-War-Era South who, after a windfall, divides his property among his children. Inspired by Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, King Lear, this musical asks: "When can we no longer blame the world around us for our own shortcomings?" The audience will be invited to share their responses to this powerful new work in a post-reading talk-back. The Atlas is proud to welcome back the playwright-composer team who created its opening production, Coming Home.

Cast
Keith Brown
Desire Dubose
James Johnson
Omoro Omoighe
Erika Rose
Aaron Reader
Kenyatta Rogers
Jefferson A. Russell
Frederick Strother
Addison Switzer
Nick Vaughn
Craig Wallace
Brandon White
Lance Coadie Williams
and more...

FeStIvAl cLoSiNg PaRtY! Sidwell Friends Jazz Ensemble

2010-03-01T08:14:00.001-05:00

An Interview with Taylor Richard of Sidwell Upper School Jazz Ensemble
Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Taylor Richard: I am a jazz drummer.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
TR: I was born in DC, but I've lived in Arlington my whole life.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
TR: I would be a sloth, because I love relaxing.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
TR: If I could be anywhere in the world right now, I would be in San Francisco.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
TR: Mellow, dorky, generous, gentle, and irreverent.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
TR: "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
TR: Once you find what you want to do, don't stop doing it.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
TR: Jazz is a perfect form of expression; it fits in just about anywhere.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of...
TR: I am an intersection of science and soul.
~~
Festival Closing Party
Come raise a glass and move your feet to celebrate three weekends of boundary-breaking arts at INTERSECTIONS. Music by Sidwell Friends Upper School Jazz Ensemble students.
Sunday, Mar 7 at 8:30 PM
Sprenger Theatre
Tickets: $20 (includes hors d'oeuvres and one drink at a cash bar.)

Click HERE to buy tickets!

Three-time Grammy Winner, Tom Chapin

2010-03-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

An Interview
Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Tom Chapin: I am a singer/songwriter, an acoustic musician who plays guitar, banjo, autoharp, mandolin and didgeridoo.

JL: Who are your heroes?
TC: In no particular order: Pete Seeger, The Beatles, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Bonnie Raitt, my two artistic grandfathers and the incredibly strong, wise, resilient, loving women in my family.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection...
TC: musical styles, performance art, writing genres, and have spent my personal and professional life learning how to collaborate.
~~
Tom Chapin: In Concert
In Concert, a concert with this legendary folk singer celebrating the intersection of music and social change.
Sunday, Mar 7 at 7pm
Lang Theater
Tickets: $20
For audiences ages 8 and up.

Dubbed “one of the great personalities in contemporary folk music” by the New York Times, Tom Chapin is a beloved singer-songwriter, storyteller and multi-instrumentalist whose music spans styles and generations. A three-time Grammy winner, Tom has entertained and enlightened audiences of all ages for more than thirty years with life-affirming original songs told in a sophisticated array of musical styles.

www.tomchapin.com

Symphony Space: Selected Shorts!

2010-03-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Symphony Space
Selected Shorts, a rich selection of short stories in performance by Broadway and Hollywood actors, produced by the popular New York City venue Symphony Space and featured on public radio around the country tours to the Atlas. Starring actors Joe Morton (City of Hope, Eureka) and Selected Shorts host Isaiah Sheffer.
Saturday, Mar 6 at 5pm
Lang Theater
Tickets: $20
For audiences ages 14 and up.

Experience how short stories take on a new life when performed by stars of the stage and screen. Join Selected Shorts Host Isaiah Sheffer for an all-star presentation and discussion of novelist and satirist Percival Everett’s story, "The Appropriation of Cultures.” The story chronicles the adventures of a young black musician who embraces the racially charged symbols meant to degrade him and turns them back on his would-be tormentors.

www.symphonyspace.org/shorts

Glorystar Childrens Chorus

2010-02-26T06:45:00.012-05:00

Children's Chorus of Washington with Glorystar Children's Chorus
Together We Sing, a cultural intersection of two outstanding youth choruses, each launching international tours.
Saturday, Mar 6 at 2:00 PM
Lang Theater
Tickets: $10 student (ages 12 and under) / $20 adult
For audiences ages 6 and up.

Children’s Chorus of Washington
Chamber Ensemble
Joan Gregoryk, Conductor
Donald Cotton, Accompanist
Precious Achikeh
Alex Baker
Maddy Baker
David Ball
Grace Becker
Lucy Chin
Shoshanna Erlich
Isabel George
Amanda Hastings
Milvia Herrera
Micheila Jacobson
Emily Janes
Conor Kelly
Schuyler Krogh
Erin McFarland
Sasha McGee
Morgan McNair
Theresa Nakamura
Erin O’Brien
Nadia Olaciregui
Teresa Paterson
Hannah Pepus
Morgan Powell
Celeste Saddler
Andrew Skinner
Ben Skinner

Glorystar Children’s Chorus
Chamber Choir
Cherie Jeng, Conductor
Karen Jeng, Accompanist
Alice Chang
Simon Cheng
Stephen Chen
Cynthia Chiang
Jeffrey Chien
Esther Ho
Jason Hsiao
Nathan Hsieh
Ariel Hsu
Timothy Hsu
Alex Huang
Andrew Huang
Alina Hwang
Philbert Hwang
Leah Jacobs
Christopher Jou
Matthew Kannan
Maureen Kuo
Roslyn Lee
Samuel Lin
Chelsea Lo
Charlene Tai
Dennis Ting
Libby Wei
Joshua Tseng
Ross Tsiomeuko
Galene Wong
Helena Wu
Yu-Chia Wu
Andrea Yang
Jeffrey Yang
Stephanie Yang
Joseph Yu
Kathleen Yu

http://www.childrenschorus.com/
http://www.glorystar.org/

This Sunday: Vertical Voices Playback Theatre

2010-02-26T06:45:00.006-05:00

"The fact that someone is interested in what today's youth have to say is important. Vertical Voices Playback Theatre is a forum for audiences to learn about themselves and their community. I look forward to seeing what kind of community will be formed by those attending the festival.

The company members of Vertical Voices Playback Theatre capture the essence of someone's personal story quickly and concisely. Despite their age, these company members have the knack to accurately reflect the feelings of young children to older adults - a nice meeting place, or intersection, for folks to learn about one another." --Tim Reagan
~~

Vertical Voices Playback Theatre
Intersect: Let Your Life Speak, an interactive performance created by DC’s Sidwell Friends School performers probing the festival theme.
Sunday, Feb 28 at 4:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 5 and up.

Click HERE for tickets!

Prep School Negro

2010-02-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

The Prep School Negro, a film that takes a poignant and unapologetic look at the life of a young man who, through a scholarship, moved from poverty to prep school, followed by a discussion from students from DC independent schools.
Friday, Mar 5 at 5:00 PM
Lang Theatre
Tickets: $20 Adults, $5 Students
For audiences ages 12 and up.

The Prep School Negro
Step into the shoes of André Robert Lee who grew up in the ghettos of Philadelphia. At 14, André received what his family believed to be a golden ticket - a full scholarship to attend one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country. Elite education was Andre's way up and out, but at what price? In this dynamic new film, filmmaker André Robert Lee takes a journey back in time to revisit the events of his adolescence while also spending time with current day prep school students of color and their classmates to see how much has really changed inside the ivory tower. Following a Q&A with the director André Robert Lee, join students from DC independent schools in a response to the film, organized by Edmund Burke School.

Click HERE for tickets!
http://www.eburke.org/

View the trailer at:
http://www.theprepschoolnegro.org/

Word-Beat, Don't Miss it

2010-02-25T06:44:00.001-05:00

Word-Beat
The Legacy of Langston, a multi-disciplinary salute to Langston Hughes, featuring popular collaborators singer/actor Charles Williams and percussionist/composer Tom Teasley.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 7:30 PM
Lab II
Tickets: $10
For audiences ages 11 and up.

www.word-beat.com

To buy tickets, click HERE

Let the Voices be Heard

2010-02-25T06:43:00.002-05:00

An Interview with Holly Bass and Benny Blaq

"Poetry is an act of democracy, an expression of the First Amendment, a way to speak that transcends borders and barriers. I’m proud to be able to host a spoken word event that will include poets of different backgrounds and experiences-- black, white, brown, gay, straight, foreign and American-born."
--Holly Bass
~~

Voices from Busboys and Poets
The City in Words, a night at the mic when resident poets Holly Bass and Benny Blaq of the popular Busboys and Poets restaurant host a dynamic evening of spoken word and open mic.
Sunday, Feb 28, at 7:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $10
For audiences ages 15 and up.

To buy Tickets, click HERE

http://hollybass.com/

www.busboysandpoets.com

Come hear the world with Tom Teasley

2010-02-25T06:35:00.005-05:00

Tom Teasley will be presenting both a hands on workshop as well as a solo performance at Intersections. In the workshop he will focus on various hand drum techniques from India, the Middle East and Africa. These will be combined with techniques that American jazz drummers use. This intersection creates an east meets west fusion of rhythms, hand technique and compositional ideas.

His solo performance will draw on these various traditions and combine them with the magic of digital technology. Using digital looping he will create virtual ensembles that defy time and space. He has presented this material at Eastman School of Music, three PASIC conventions and throughout the U.S.,Europe and Middle East where he just returned from performing and teaching. Tom is the recipient of three time Fulbright-Hayes awards, Young Audiences Artist of the Year award, Kennedy Center Artist In Residence and recently was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for outstanding sound design.

Reviews of Tom’s work:
"The evening's dazzler..." -- The Washington Post

"No Instrument has a limitation for him" -- Modern Drummer Magazine

"Fusions between American and Eastern schools are old news, yet seldom has any percussionist drawn so deeply from both wells and come up with a blend as bewitching and original as this." -- Drum! Magazine

"Latin, Brazilian, and Middle Eastern flavors abound, yet they're blended in such a way that the resulting dish hits the palate as wonderfully different, toying with each composer's original recipe to great effect."-- Jazziz Magazine

" ... a highly imaginative conceptualist... a colorful, intellectual musician, employing his talents in the orchestration of sound... ingeniously deploys unusual uses of unusual percussion... unlimited talents. " -- Allaboutjazz.com

Check out the Videos below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaqCnppWWEs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9av45o9X0BQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83oFMGnR5Co
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZjdoXU5mO8

For more info, visit http://www.tomteasley.com/

Washington Performing Arts

2010-02-24T18:01:00.002-05:00

An Interview with Brandon Felder, Director for the WPAS Children of the Gospel Choir

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Brandon Felder: Musician, Vocal Director, Music Educator

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
BF: Buffalo New York. I got here through School, Practice, and hard work

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
BF: Geniuine, Commited, Humble, Humourous, Risk-Taker

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
BF: The exchanging of ideas and collaboration with other individuals that may or may not have similar backgrounds. And for that reason alone, this experience will truly be an intersection!
~~
Washington Performing Arts Society

Summer Academy Live! WPAS presents a concert of their up and coming youth performers in Children of the Gospel, the Capital Jazz Project and Summer Steps with Step Afrika!
Saturday, Feb 27 at 2pm
Lang Theater
Tickets: $5
For audiences of all ages.

www.wpas.org

Voices of Now, Arena's Top Youth Ensemble

2010-02-24T07:00:00.003-05:00

Voices of Now
Encounter, a musically poetic look at young peoples' lives devised and performed by Arena's top youth ensemble.
Sunday, Feb 28 at 2:30 PM
Sunday, Mar 7 at 2:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 11 and up.

http://www.arenastage.org/

Og Ceol this Saturday!

2010-02-24T06:42:00.001-05:00

Og Ceol with Oran Sandel and Tom Teasley
Two Café Concerts featuring a duo of young traditional Irish Musicians intersecting with guitarist Oran Sandel on eclectic acoustic sets. Look for world percussionist Tom Teasley to sit in, too. Og Ceol with Oran Sandel
Saturday, Feb 27 at 4:00 PM & at 6:00 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free
For all ages
~~
" Be able to say “I knew them when” after delighting to the traditional Irish tunes of Og Ceol, a duo of teen musicians – fiddler Jamie Sandel and Irish flute and whistle player Malinda Reese. Intersecting with folk guitarist Oran Sandel, Og Ceol will share the tunes they’ve learned at the knee of players in both Ireland and the US, but with a distinctive, contemporary twist. Other festival musicians, including percussionist Tom Teasley, will sit in on this lively session, too. Enjoy a unique festival collaboration of musicians of diverse ages, traditions and styles."

To buy tickets click HERE!

Music Meets Film on Sunday: Carmen

2010-02-24T06:41:00.001-05:00

Three musicians of extraordinary skill and international renown join forces to salute the romance and beauty of Carmen in an exquisite prelude to Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura’s stunning resetting Bizet’s opera.

Soprano Anastasia L. Robinson; Versatile tenor Peter Joshua Burroughs; and Venezuelan-born pianist Carlos César Rodríguez, will present a program of selections from Carmen and Zarzuela as well as the Carmen Fantasie. Saura’s Carmen (1983) spins a story with passionate dance as a Flamenco company reinterprets the opera as the choreographer (Antonio Gades) and his alluring leading lady (Laura del Sol) fall in love. Enjoy a night at the opera like never before!

~~
Music Meets Film: CARMEN at the Intersection
Inspired serenade by soprano Anastasia Robinson, tenor Peter Joshua Burroughs and virtuoso pianist Carlos César Rodriguez paired with a screening of Carlos Sauro's film that resets the world's most famous opera in the passionate world of flamenco dance.

Sunday, Feb 28 at 5:00 PM
Lang Theatre
Tickets: $15
For ages 12+

Try Your Hand with Adair and Ahiagble

2010-02-24T06:40:00.000-05:00

Artisans at the Intersection
Interact with two artisans, William Adair and Chapuchi Bobbo Ahiagble, in projects inspired by the Atlas’ Art Deco style – an internationally renowned gilder-conservator and a master weaver from Ghana.

Interactive Demonstrations
Saturday, February 27 from 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Sunday, February 28 from 1:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Kogod Lobby & Cafritz Promenade

Workshop: Try Your Hand at Gilding
Saturday, Feb 27 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Lab 1
Free
For all ages

For more info, CLICK HERE
http://www.goldleafstudios.com/

Fall in Love with Lulu Fall

2010-02-24T06:00:00.002-05:00

"This project is about self-love and self-exploration. I find that generally, people tend to keep themselves in a box, especially when listening to music. I try to use my music as a vehicle to allow this self-exploration to happen. It's about airing your dirty laundry and releasing those skeletons from you closet. The music I'm performing at Intersections touches on things that humans, especially young women like me, experience everyday, but are afraid to reveal in everyday conversation. Things like self-esteem and loss of identity, lust, heartbreak, fear, abortion, things like that. Embrace your strenghts, fears, and fantasies everybody!!" --Lulu Fall

Lulu Fall
Two Cafe Concerts by a dynamic new Senegalese-Cameroonian-American vocalist and her guitarist Andy Fahs.
Saturday, Feb 20 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Friday, Mar 5 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Lobby
FREE

Video link ('Senegal' debut video) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cJH_hcYxbc _hcYxbc
www.myspace.com/lulufall

Don't Miss Christylez in Action

2010-02-23T07:00:00.002-05:00

"I call myself a Progressive Hip-Hop Artist, mixing traditional elements of Hip-Hop, like Human-Beatboxing & Rhyming, with World-Music instrumentation. I wanted to take-on this project with Patrick Crowley to merge my Hip-Hop Concert with his Theater Expertise, to create a totally new experience for myself and others. The music itself will merge Hip-Hop, Classical, Jazz, & World Music, and the production as a whole merges Hip-Hop concert with Theater." --Christylez Bacon

~~
In Pursuit of Me: The Story of Christylez Bacon, a world premier merging of music and theatre by one of Washington hip-hop's rising stars.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 9:30 PM
Friday, Mar 5 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, Mar 6 at 9:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $15
For audiences ages 13 and up.

Family Performance:
Saturday, Feb 20 at 1:30 PM
Lobby
Tickets: FREE

Dance Party:
Saturday, Mar 6 at 11:00 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5

To Buy Tickets, click HERE.

http://www.christylez.com/
http://www.itsthebeatbox.com/

Get Your Blues on this Sunday

2010-02-23T05:59:00.000-05:00

How I might have gotten to the Blues
Walter “Wale” Liniger, 2010

"I grew up with trains in my life: my grand-father and my father both were railroad engineers, driving trains for the Swiss railroad system. Our lives were ruled by train whistles and the odd hours of father’s work. As we didn’t have a car, connections with other people always seemed to start and end at a train station; that is where we said “hello” and “good-bye.”
Blues is a story of amorphous content. I believe that most of us will experience moments of the blues, and yet we find ourselves quite often at a loss when invited to explain. Music and other artistic expressions help us give voice to such moments. "The blues are not about anything new. For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard,” wrote James Baldwin.

In my life the blues are always connected to trains, and vice versa. Trains carried me to the warmth of my grandmother’s kitchen and her stories, trains took my father’s time and mind. Trains are about arriving and leaving. Needless to say that when I heard my first old time blues-music, my body felt the underlying train rhythms and recognized that “huge something” that couldn’t be stopped. But my heart also embraced the emotions that rode on the whistles, boisterous in the day and lonesome at night.

Eventually life brought me to Mississippi and South Carolina where I hardly found any similarities with the tightly-stitched Swiss system I knew so well. Most of “my teachers of the blues” did not know where Switzerland was, and I had no clue how to deal with a mule. Trains once again connected our stories. Whilst their whistles sound very differently, trains on either side of the Atlantic are metaphors for motion, and with it metaphors for coming and going, for gain and loss.

I never became a railroad engineer, it required too much diligence, too much adherence to regulations. However, the young boy’s dream is still with me: it lives in my story’s breath and beat!" --Wale Liniger
~~
Blues Professor Wale Liniger
Take a unique journey into the blues with a Swiss-born artist who has made this distinctly American sound his own, weaving harmonica, guitar and voice into a rich musical tapestry. A celebrated artist featured in blues festivals on both sides of the Atlantic, this professor is a true believer in the creativity of the human mind when the heart is in trouble.

Sunday, Feb 28
6:00-7:30pm
Lobby
FREE!!!

This performance is sponsored by The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
http://www.bluesprof.com/

Click the link below to watch a video of Blues Professor Wale Liniger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YkVE0q0ocE

Breakin' Boundaries with DCypher Dance

2010-02-23T05:58:00.000-05:00

"DCypher Dance focuses on developing new and innovative works of pure hip hop and fusion that are high energy, provocative, and “culture specific” for audiences of all ages and walks of life. DCypher Dance produces works that enrich and empower community through dances of understanding, tolerance, and celebration!" -- Natasha Hawkins
~~

DCypher Dance
DCypher 10.2: Co-Ed, A high-voltage hip-hop performance event by a boundary-breaking DC ensemble that will invite festival-goers to a new cultural crossroads -- step up and in!
Friday, Mar 5 at 9:30 PM
Tickets: $15
Sprenger Theater
For audiences ages 13 and up.

Dance Party:
Friday, Mar 5 at 11:00 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5

To Buy Tickets, click HERE.

For a six-week performance class leading to advanced participation in the show, go to: http://www.joyofmotion.org/

Join Jon and the Jay Walkers this Friday

2010-02-22T07:00:00.008-05:00

"It promises to be a real celebration, an unleashing of creativity. My favorite album projects are the ones where a set group of players and singers are at the studio every day for a week or so. A touring company gets to explore a process that is seldom possible with one-off gigs and sessions. The circus bus pulls up, and all the clowns and acrobats come tumbling out to feel at home for a while. This is when magical things happen."
-- Jon Carroll

~~
Jon Carroll and the Jay Walkers
Jay Walkers at the Intersection, a concert explosion of stylistic connections among Grammy-winner Jon Carroll's signature pop and R & B, Nigerian artist Tosin Aribisala's jazz and Michael Shereikis' Afro-Funk.
Friday, Feb 26 at 7:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $15
For audiences of all ages.

Dance Party:
Saturday, Feb 27 at 11:00 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5

Workshop:
Saturday, Feb 27 at 5:00 PM
Lab I
Tickets: FREE

http://www.joncarroll.org/
http://www.tosinmusik.com/

Words Collide with The Folger

2010-02-22T07:00:00.006-05:00

The Folger Shakespeare Library
When Words Collide, a poetic response to life in today's America by professional and student writers, including poets Kim Roberts and Sami Miranda.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 5:00 PM
The Loft
Tickets: $10
For audiences ages 10 and up.
www.folger.edu/poetry

To Buy tickets, click HERE.

Delta Players & NE Senior Singers

2010-02-22T07:00:00.005-05:00

Northeast Senior Singers and Delta Players
Come and hear, "Freedom Journey,"a performance of songs and stories by H Street community elders, highlighted by selections from a stellar 20th century intersection-- Porgy and Bess.
They will perform a variety of well loved popular, spiritual and original songs, including Old Ship of Zion, Duke Ellington’s Compensation, a combination of Precious Lord, along with You’ve Got a Friend. Perhaps one of the most exciting selections will be Lord, Let Me Be a Light, composed by the group’s pianist, Michael Terry.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 4:30 PM
Lab II
Tickets: $5
For ages 8+
~~

The Delta Players is a readers' theatre group consisting of older Americans, ranging in age from 55+ to 96 years young. The Players have been in existence for over 3 years under the direction of Charles H. Clyburn, a professional actor/director. Most of the group resides in the Delta Towers building on Florida Avenue in the H Street corridor. The piece to be performed for INTERSECTIONS is entitled "Freedom Journey" and is a compilation of stories, poems, and songs which takes us on a journey from the days of slavery to the election of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Northeast Senior Singers
Founded in Fall, 2002, the Northeast Senior Singers is a vibrant chorale made up of dedicated members living at Delta Towers, Capitol Hill Towers, and the broader H Street and Capitol Hill communities. Since its inception, the group has been the subject of a feature article in the Senior Beacon and has had the opportunity to perform on Capitol Hill with Ysaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock in an effort raise awareness of the need of funding arts programs for older Americans. The group performs regularly at Delta Towers, Levine School of Music and the Atlas Performing Arts Center. The Northeast Senior Singers rehearse weekly at Delta Towers under the direction of Charles Williams, their director since 2004, and Michael Terry, accompanist. The Northeast Senior Singers have been generously sponsored by Paul Sprenger, Jane Lang, and the Atlas Arts Access Fund since 2002.

Click HERE to watch a video clip.

Click HERE to buy tickets.

It get's Sticky this Friday

2010-02-22T06:59:00.000-05:00

Sticky Mulligan
Sink into the soulfulness of "the most exciting new artist on the scene" (Baltimore City Paper) . Sticky Mulligan is an Irish-American soul singer and multi-instrumentalist who just released his debut album, "Showtime," filled with soulful grooves and beautiful melodies that draw from Celtic, jazz and funk fluences. Relax in the festival café with this intriguing intersection of musical styles.
www.cdbaby.com/cd/stickymulligan
Friday, February 26
6:30 - 8:00 PM
10:30 - 11:30 PM
Lobby
FREE

"I am bringing Irish lineage, and ethno-music influences together with a little bit of soul on the side." -- Joe “Sticky Mulligan” Smith

CLICK HERE to Watch a video of Joe "Sticky Mulligan" Smith.

Great Opening Weekend!

2010-02-21T23:24:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everyone for coming out to support the first weekend of Intersections. You might've missed the first weekend, but you still have a chance to catch some ground breaking, barrier shaking, culture colliding work.

Is anyone out there guilty of making a mental note about something they want to do and then totally forgetting about it? You say to yourself, "That looks like fun, I have to check that out!" Then you look at your calendar again and realize that the event has passed, and not only did you miss it, but you missed it by a month! Don't let Intersections be that for you. Get out of your house, get in your car, take the metro and spend a weekend with us. You don't have to spend the whole weekend with us. Go jogging first, then top it off with an amazing cultural experience, the likes of which D.C. has never seen. I'm being grandiose, but I'm serious. I guarantee you'll be glad you came.

Erika Rose
Festival Programming Committee

The Washinton Informer Features Intersections

2010-02-19T09:59:00.004-05:00

“Intersections: A New America Arts Festival” at the Atlas Performing Arts Center
Arts & Entertainment
By Larry Saxton
Thursday, February 18, 2010

Southeast, D.C. native Christylez (r) performs in the arts extravaganza, Intersections: A New American Arts Festival, at the Atlas Theater. The performances fuse live music, dance and drama and run each weekend between Fri., Feb. 19, through Sun., March 7.Courtesy Photo
The Atlas Performing Arts Center in Northwest presents Intersections: A New American Arts Festival, a cornucopia of artistic creativity that promises to energize even the most winter-weary among us through music, theater, visual arts, film, poetry and dance.

The multi-disciplinary celebration of the arts which opens Fri., Feb. 19, will showcase events in six different venues each weekend through Sun., March 7.

The festival includes a world premiere by Washington hip-hop artist Christyles Bacon; performances of Scott Joplin’s opera “Treemonisha” by the Washington Savoyards; a documentary exploration of identity through drumming by Nigerian-American filmmaker, Ekene Okobi; songs and stories by H Street community elders known as The Northeast Senior Singers and the Delta Players; plus a play, “The Bridge of Bodies,” written and performed by Haitian-American, Kathleen Gonzales.

“If you think about it, people come to see a theater performance or hear music. You are taken to a new place when you come and experience an arts event emotionally and mentally. I think that creates an energy and opportunity for people to see one another in a new light, stand in each other’s shoes, and achieve new understandings,” said Mary Hall Surface, 51, the festival’s artistic director.

A new perspective is exactly what playwright Kathleen Gonzales, 34, hopes that Washington audiences walk away with after seeing her one-woman play about her beloved homeland recently devastated by a cataclysmic earthquake in January.

Her monologue, “The Bridge of Bodies,” she said, dispels myths and stereotypes about the people of Haiti. Proceeds from her performances will benefit Haitian earthquake relief efforts and recovery.

“As an artist I have always felt that it was my responsibility to help people who are not Haitian understand about Haiti, and what it is to be Haitian,” Gonzales said.

“For me, writing about Haiti is something that I am passionate about, something that I am moved by. In many instances the play wrote itself through me,” the artist said.
The vision for Intersections originated with Jane Lang, founder and chair of the Atlas Center’s board of directors. Lang said that she wanted to host a festival that would bring artists of different genres and audiences of different ages, races and cultures together.

That’s why she enlisted Surface, the award-winning playwright and director who lives in the District to pull the festival together. Once on board, Lang said that Surface jumped right in. Last summer, Surface put out calls to artists about the project. She received more than 80 proposals for the festival and narrowed them down to the 57 actual performances.

Surface has spent most of her artistic career creating art experiences that are inter-generational, events that both young people and adults are able to enjoy together.

“Being able to gather in a forum that the art provides lets us do something that is to wrestle with some things that might be harder to talk about in other circumstances.

But the arts give you a place where you can meet on common ground and most importantly you can imagine together,” Surface said.

Visit the Washington Informer to view the article.

Photo: Christylez (on right)

Intersections in The Washington Post Today!

2010-02-19T09:52:00.003-05:00

Atlas Performing Arts Center stages diverse Intersections arts festival

The Washington Post
By Lavanya Ramanathan
Friday, February 19, 2010

The Atlas Performing Arts Center's new Intersections arts festival -- a three-week event with more than 50 performances beginning Friday at the H Street NE complex -- celebrates a nation characterized by myriad convergences of culture.

But for inspiration, the organizers had to look only so far as the Atlas District itself.

"H Street has historically been an intersection," says Mary Hall Surface, the festival's artistic director, citing the various communities -- Italian, Jewish, African American -- that have called the neighborhood east of Union Station home.

To stage the festival, which continues weekends through March 7, Surface and Atlas put out a call for shows that combine genres or cross the boundaries of race, age and class. The Washington Savoyards responded with "Treemonisha," a rarely performed opera by Scott Joplin; Speakeasy DC culled a diverse cast for the monologue show "Wetbacks, Aliens and Towelheads: Stories From the First Generation"; and Haitian American Kathleen Gonzales offered her one-woman show about homecomings, "The Bridge of Bodies," with a pledge to donate proceeds to Haiti relief efforts. There are also plenty of free concerts, children's performances and even visual art as part of the festival, of which The Post is a sponsor.

"You think about it as a menu," Surface says. "We really were looking for pieces that had an intersection of styles, or we were looking for collaborations, where companies were coming together in a way they have never done before.

"So you've got your fusion cuisine, then you've got your contrasting things -- ones that taste better when you put them together -- and your classic dishes."

To read the entire Washington Post article, Click HERE
~~

To read our article in The Washington Informer

SpeakeasyDC

2010-02-19T07:00:00.001-05:00

SpeakeasyDC
Wetbacks, Aliens and Towelheads: Stories from the First Generation, Come hear humorous and edgy autobiographical offerings by DC's popular company of storytellers.Five artists tell true stories about being children of immigrant parents or immigrants themselves. In true SpeakeasyDC style, the stories are expertly crafted and combine humor, honesty, and insight to create an unforgettable night of riveting entertainment.
Friday, Feb 26 at 9:30 PM
Saturday, Feb 27 at 7:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $18.50
For audiences ages 16 and up.
Click HERE to buy tickets.
http://www.speakeasydc.org
~~~
ABOUT THE STORIES AND STORYTELLERS

Poet Regie Cabico tells the story of trying to fulfill the American Dream for his Filipino mother in "My H'Oprah."

TV News Reporter Delia Perry tells her story about negotiating the New and Old World rules of her Cape Verdean parents in "Tough Love."

Activist Claire Nelson tells her story about changing her plans of becoming Jamaica's first female prime minister in "Counting Myself American."

Video artist and graphic designer Ayo Okunseinde tells his story about being a Nigerian transplant trying to be cool in suburban New Jersey high school in "International Day."

Comedian and solo performer, Vijai Nathan tells her story of trying to balance life as an Indian girl in Potomac, MD in "Beware."

~~~

Get a feel for the Speakeasy. Watch Vijai Nathan's story.

All Our Neighbors, This Sunday

2010-02-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Rachel Grossman with Mitch Mattson
All our Neighbors, a hands-on experience for artists who work in schools focusing on classroom cultural awareness.
Sunday, Feb 21 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Lab I
Registration: $10

"We believe the festival to be the perfect platform for a larger conversation about the relationships Teaching Artists, particularly white ones, have with the youth they interact with in area schools. We're both passionate about theatre and civic dialogue, and are on the look-out for more conversations about race and culture." -Rachel Grossman

http://www.intersectionsdc.org/

INTERSECTIONS: Opening Weekend Specials -- 24 hours only!

2010-02-18T09:09:00.003-05:00

Start your festival engine and roar into INTERSECTIONS with $10 tickets to:
Jason Ignacio Garcia's, The Mountain (2/19 @ 7:30 PM)
Grabielismo Productions' Bemcha Latin Jazz Band (2/19 @ 9:30 PM)
Kathleen Gonzales's, The Bridge of Bodies (2/19 @ 7:30 PM & 2/20 @ 7:30 PM)
Use promo code: "READY"

For $15 adult/$10 student see Coyaba Dance Theater/Tappers With Attitude/Urban Artistry's, ORIGINS (2/20 @ 2PM & 2/21 @ 7 PM).
Use promo code: "SET"

For $20 (adult) see Washington Savoyard's, Treemonisha by Scott Joplin (2/20 @ 8 PM & 2/21 @ 2 PM shows only).
Use promo code: "GO"

Order on-line only by 6pm on Thursday, February 18th. http://www.intersectionsdc.org/

Race you ... to INTERSECTIONS!

The Sound of Ekene Okobi

2010-02-18T07:00:00.013-05:00

The Sound of the Drums, a documentary exploration of identity through drumming by a first-generation Nigerian-American filmmaker, with special guest performers including choreographer and master of African Dance, Melvin Deal.
Sunday, Feb 21 at 5:00 PM
Lang Theatre
Tickets: $5
For ages 12+

http://www.ekeneokobi.com/

Click HERE to watch The Sound of the Drums trailer online.

Photos:

Top Right: Ekene's mother shows her how to tie a wrapper (pronounced "lappa").

Bottom Left: Footage recorded at a Return to Goree dance class in Baltimore, MD.

Capital City Symphony: It's More Than You Think

2010-02-18T07:00:00.012-05:00

Capital City Symphony and the Young Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
Classical Connections, a concert highlighting connections among diverse classical composers – including Pulitzer Prize winning, Washington native George Walker.
Sunday, Feb 21 at 4:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Ticket: $5 suggested donation
For audiences ages 5 and up.

"I hope to show that classical music is made up of more than just dead white guys. "
--Victoria Gau

http://www.capitalcitysymphony.org/
http://www.dcyop.org/

NY Times best-selling author, Steven Roberts

2010-02-18T07:00:00.010-05:00

"I am a storyteller, and I focus on the people who had the heart and heroism to leave their home countries and make new lives in a new and often strange land.

I speak of my own grandfather, Abe Rogow, who stole money from his father to became an early pioneer in Israel and then settled in the working class town of Bayonne, N.J. I speak of my parents, who lived one block away from each other when they met on my mother's 17th birthday, but wrote letters to convey their feelings because they were too shy to talk in person. I speak of Pablo Romero, who dropped out of school in rural Mexico at age 11, came to America as a farm worker, and eventually became a doctor in Salinas CA where most of his patients are farm workers, the children and grandchildren of the immigrants he worked with in the fields years ago.

When I tell these stories, I hope to open a conversation with my audience. I hope you will be moved to celebrate the heroes in your own families who made the journey to America, and to gather and preserve their stories for generations to come."
--Steve Roberts

Politics and Prose Bookstore
From Every End of This Earth, a reading and book signing by the New York Times best-selling author, Steven Roberts, capturing the stories of thirteen immigrant families and their lives in the new America.
Saturday, Feb 20 at 5pm
Lang Theatre
Tickets: $5
For ages 14+

http://www.politics-prose.com/

Audiocasts:
Interview on WOR News Talk Radio
Interview on The Diane Rhem Show

TV Appearances:
Riz Kahn Interviews Steve Roberts
Politico.com Video Clip
This America Interview (Once there, scroll down page)

Book Review:
The Washington Post Reviews, From Every End of This Earth

The Reverb is Wild this Saturday!

2010-02-17T07:04:00.004-05:00

Reverb
Harmony Crossing, an a cappella romp from gospel to “road-tunes” from DC’s Wammie-winning sextet.

Saturday, Feb 20 at 2:30 PM
Lab II
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 5 and up

http://www.reverbmusic.com/

Hip Hop and Bollywood? Come see for yourself!

2010-02-17T07:00:00.006-05:00

JOMDC’s Hip Hop, Bollywood Studio to Stage Performance Class will perform a piece choreographed by JOMDC faculty and DCypher Dance member, Nikki Gambhir at DCypher 10.2:Co-Ed.

Here is what Nikki had to say about her piece:

"The piece I’m presenting at Intersections is a fusion of Hip Hop and Bollywood dance set to music that remixes the more traditional Hindi and Punjabi sounds with American Hip Hop. The costumes reflect that intersection using flavors of India combined with Western styles while the movement comes from blending the signature moves of Bollywood with Hip Hop choreography.

I am an intersection of American & Indian culture. My father is from India and my mother is American. I’ve grown up enjoying the advantages of such a cultural mix, overcoming the challenges it sometimes presented and sincerely appreciating how it has made me who I am today. Dance is an innate part of Indian culture, at Indian celebrations everyone dances and kids are on the dance floor alongside their parents, aunts and uncles! I connected with Hip Hop because of its appeal through pop culture, I grew up with its influences through music and dance and I love its original messages of peace, love, unity and having fun!

I truly believe that the arts are an essential part of the community, of creating and maintaining us as people and I hope that my teaching and performing will help to promote positive and healthy expression through dance. The intersections of diverse dance styles and cultures, broadens understanding, speaks to a greater variety of people and heightens the enjoyment of the audience."

http://intersectionsdc.org/

Watch a compilation of our Adult and Youth Companies who you'll see at Intersections this year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7MhDEBblc

A Message from Marva Hicks

2010-02-16T09:11:00.004-05:00

"I have been blessed to be in on the ground floor of a production that was in it’s developmental stages. I was in CAROLINE OR CHANGE, by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori for a total of two and half years. That time period covered the workshops, the Off-Broadway run and the Broadway production. Talk about exciting! The work was hard, and the process was extremely informative.

I now find myself in the development of my own project and I must say, having experienced this process in the past, have made it easier for me. What will ultimately end up on the stage is an unknown factor. There are daily rewrites and other production aspects to consider in building a show. And you must stay on track with telling the story you want to tell. I love it! During the first workshop last month, that was held in the Drama Department of the Division of Fine Arts at Howard University, I had an amazing time. I looked forward to showing up at rehearsal everyday. And to return to my HU roots was energizing and so very special. The interaction with the staff and our production team was priceless. This journey as it turns out is now about more than developing a show to encourage others, but it has become a vehicle of inclusiveness that informs and continues to teach us all, about how special the world of theatre is." --Marva Hicks
~~

Arena Stage's Musical Artist Marva Hicks
An Evening with Marva: Celebrating the Gospel Truth, a rich musical journey through song with singer Marva Hicks from her gospel roots to Broadway and beyond.
Saturday, Feb 20 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, Feb 21 at 2:00 PM
Sunday, Feb 21 at 7:30 PM
Sprenger Theatre
Tickets: $25
For ages 13+

http://www.arenastage.org/

Photos:
Top Left--Marva Hicks
Bottom Right--Composer, E. Harper and Director, Denise Burse Fernandez

Don't miss Bemcha Latin Jazz Band

2010-02-16T07:05:00.003-05:00

Bemcha is a Latin jazz ensemble that prides itself in both adding the feeling, rhythm and language of jazz to latin standards as well as in adding the latin and afro-cuban rhythms and feeling to jazz standards. The group is known for playing a variety of styles and for it's all star lineup of DC's finest.

Saturday 2/19 9:30pm
Sprenger Theatre
Tickets: $15 (Cash bar)
For ages 15+
~~

Ensemble Members:
Pablo Grabiel - Guitar
Duff Davis - Guitar
Josh Carr - Tenor Sax
Elijah Balbed - Alto Sax
Alvin Trask - Trumpet
Roderick Johnson - Drums
Mark Merella - Percussion
Justin Parrot - Bass

Bemcha video clips you shouldn't miss:
Mambo Influenciado - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp1S8xrWZxs
My Little Suede Shoes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoQvpz2RR2I

Check out these links:
www.grabielismo.com/bemcha
http://www.bemcha.net/
Facebook Page

Your "BodyMoves" This Saturday!

2010-02-16T07:00:00.005-05:00

Dance Through the Decades, a lively journey through the history of black dance presented by this Maryland-based youth performance company.
Saturday, Feb 20 at 4:30 PM
Saturday, Feb 27 at 4:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $10
For audiences of all ages.

"This production depicts the history of black dance, its richness & culture; and pays tribute & homage to those who have paved the way for all people to be free to dance." --Katherine Smith
www.bodymovesfitness.com

Washington Savoyards

2010-02-15T08:35:00.003-05:00

Treemonisha by Scott Joplin, an intersection of classical opera form and the ragtime genius in a new production of a rarely performed American treasure, presented by DC’s favorite light opera company.
Friday, Feb 19 at 8pm
Saturday, Feb 20 at 8pm
Sunday, Feb 21 at 2pm
Friday, Feb 26 at 8pm
Saturday, Feb 27 at 8pm
Sunday, Feb 28 at 2pm
Friday, Mar 5 at 8pm
Saturday, Mar 6 at 8pm
Sunday, Mar 7 at 2pm

Lang Theatre
Tickets: $40/Adult, $35/Senior, $15/Child, $10 Student rush
For audiences ages 8 and up.

Heralded as “an entirely new phase of musical art” when Scott Joplin played for its first performance in 1915, Treemonisha was rediscovered in the 1970s and went on to triumph on Broadway. Last seen in DC in 1976, the Washington Savoyards will present an all-new production of this “thoroughly American opera” for a new generation, under the direction of Michael J. Bobbitt. Set in late 19th century Arkansas, the opera follows Treemonisha, a young, educated African American woman, in her quest to free her community from fearful superstitions. A story filled with conjurers, capturers and the power of love rings out from a romantic, ragtime-inspired score. Embrace the opportunity to see this charming production by a giant of American music, Scott Joplin.

www.savoyards.org

Jason Garcia Ignacio / City Dance Ensemble

2010-02-15T08:34:00.001-05:00

The Mountain, a dance fusion of east and west by an award-winning Filipino choreographer.
Friday, Feb 19 at 7:30pm
Sprenger Theatre
Tickets: $15
For audiences ages 14 and up.

Commissioned and premiered by the Kennedy Center, The Mountain is a choreographic intersection of art and science – of the traditional and the contemporary. This provocative work for fifteen dancers was envisioned and realized by Philippine-born choreographer, Jason Garcia Ignacio, winner of the 2009 Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist. A veteran of the American Repertory Ballet and the Martha Graham Ensemble, Mr. Ignacio fuses Filipino mythology with contemporary choreography to capture the 1998 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in Manila. Set to music inspired by the patterns in volcanic activity, The Mountain vividly explores our evolving relationship to the environment. The program will feature other works by Mr. Ignacio as well as an audience talk-back following the performance.

www.volcanodance.org

Coyaba Dance Theater, Tappers With Attitude & Urban Artistry

2010-02-15T08:24:00.009-05:00

ORIGINS, a joyful collaboration among three top DC dance companies celebrating the heritage and soul of African American dance.
Saturday, Feb 20 at 2pm
Sunday, Feb 21 at 7pm
Lang Theatre
Tickets: $15 student / $20 adult
For audiences of all ages.

Joining forces for a one-of-a-kind dance celebration, three DC Dance companies will intersect their distinctive powerhouse styles to tell the story of African American dance. Take Coyaba Dance Theater’s high energy drumming and traditional West African dance. Add Tappers With Attitude’s sassy blend of popular percussive dance steps from the past. Mix with Urban Artistry’s hot funk, pop, lock and hip-hop. Season with Latin flavors, and you have a recipe for an unforgettable retrospective of the dance that defines America. Ideal for the whole family, this show will get you on your feet!
www.coyabadance.org
www.tapperswithattitude.org
www.urbanartistry.org

INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival

2010-02-14T07:00:00.004-05:00

Program Notes

“Each of us is on our own journey. But as we travel, we reach crossroads—the points at which our journeys meet—launching the possibility that we will go in new directions as individuals, as a community, as a society.” Festival Curator, Mary Hall Surface

Welcome to the debut of “INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival” at The Atlas Performing Arts Center ("the Atlas"). This boundary-breaking festival showcases the power of the arts to cultivate understanding, to unite communities, and to honor the dignity of the human experience, while empowering the individual. INTERSECTIONS offers a rich and varied body of artistic styles. In addition to works of visual art, film screenings, literary readings, dance performances, musical showcases, and dramatic productions, INTERSECTIONS will also provide audiences with the opportunity to engage directly with the artistic process through workshops, discussions and informal performances.

With these unique performances and presentations, INTERSECTIONS not only delights, educates, and entertains, but it also asks us important questions about the America identity: Who is America? What does it mean to be an American? How do we honor those who came before us? Who will America be in the future? INTERSECTIONS Festival addresses these provocative and deeply personal questions through an offering of artistic exploration and discovery that is absolutely exhilarating!

Throughout the festival, you will see works that are ethnically, racially, culturally, and stylistically diverse. So much so, that it is profound to find many common threads amongst the performances. Of course, America is a nation of immigrants. Whether they were forced here through slavery or they came by choice in search of new opportunities and independence, America is nation of people living along artistic and cultural continuums that links them from their own country of ethnic origin to their current home in America. In this Festival, you will learn about Austria, Southeast DC, the ghettos of Philadelphia, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Haiti, Philippines, the Ibo People of West Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through song, dance, spoken word, hip hop, and theater performances.

As the only community-based performing arts center in DC, the Atlas is the perfect venue to host a festival of this magnitude and significance. Located in a historic movie theatre, the Atlas opened its doors in November 2006 and since opening, has helped to revitalize the H Street Corridor, which was devastated by the riots of 1968. Part of its mission is to foster the artistic growth of professional and aspiring performing artists throughout the region. It is home to a diverse group of locally renowned theatre and dance companies, symphony orchestras, choral groups and arts education programs. In fact, several Atlas resident companies, such as the Capital City Symphony, Joy of Motion Dance Center and the Levine School of Music, are a part of the Festival.

Thank you for joining us today! We invite you to stay and see more performances!

Enjoy!
Jacqueline Lawton, Dramaturg

Two Interactive Artist/Audience Exchanges with Peter DiMuro

2010-02-13T07:00:00.015-05:00

An Interview with Peter DiMuro

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Peter DiMuro: I’m the type of artist that has been doing it so long- I don’t remember what I do...really. Started out in theatre, moved to dance, back to dances with text, and now I move a little and make some dances, direct some theatre, and get people talking about their art, and try to get them curious...

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
PD: At this moment, with the snow, maybe Paris. Maybe Venice. If I could change years, it would be 1984 New York.

JL: What is your personal theme song?
PD: The theme from the old “Mary Tyler Moore Show” (Who Can Turn the world on with a smile....you’re gonna make it after all!)

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
PD: I know that the most interesting things happen when the mix of interest, of people, and backgrounds come together- this has been true in all the work I have made-especially in the thousands of people I came into contact with making art with Liz Lerman Dance Exchnage...when we become too much the same, there is nothing new created.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
PD: Well, since my purpose in being involved is to instigate some dialogue about what happens, I hope that I am really listening well and connecting some dots for audiences and performer/creators.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of...
PD: A Danish machine-shop working Mother, an Italian small town chief of police Father, a Mayberry like upbringing in northern Illinois fastforwarded through decades of wonder and curiosity, function and dysfunction, detached observation and full participation.
~~

Two Interactive Artist/Audience Exchanges
led by Peter DiMuro of Dance/Metro DC
Part 1: “Point Me Toward the Crossroads, But, Please, Somebody, Give Me A Map!”
This experiential dialogue among festival artists and audiences will prime our active curiosities to be a tool for making the experience of a performance (both on the stage and in the audience) an integral step in meaningfully intersecting our lives and art. The session will feature the artists who have collaborated to create “Origins”, a melding of artistic styles, cultures and aesthetics from three movement-based companies, along with other festival artists.
February 21 at 6:00 PM
Lab 1
Free

Part 2: “After the Intersection, Where Do I Go?”:
INTERSECTIONS invites festival artists and audiences (both new-to-the-arts and avid fans) to gather on the festival closing day. Now that we’ve connected, crossed, collided and collaborated, how do we extend the experience of the festival – helping us to see down the road through an “intersections” lens? We’ll delve into some of the best interactions that occurred in creating and experiencing the Intersections Festival, as well as learn from some of our best mistakes. Join us as the journey continues.
Mar 7 at 4:00 PM
Sprenger Theatre
Free

http://www.dancemetrodc.org/

Project Dance

2010-02-13T07:00:00.013-05:00

An Interview with Angella Foster and Richelle Dickerson

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Angella Foster: Dancer, choreographer & costume designer.
Richelle Dickerson: Liturgical Dancer and Choreographer.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
AF: I am was born in Lexington, Ky. Now, I live in Greenbelt, MD. My husband and I came here for a new job and grad school respectively, and we've decided to make it home.
RD: How did you end up where you are now? Hard work and Faith in God.

JL: Who are your heroes?
AF: My mother who taught me to live creatively in midst of hardship.
RD: Mom and Alvin Ailey.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
AF: Afghanistan. My husband is there right now.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
AF: You haven't got something to dance about until you're over 35 anyway. -Bert Balladine
RD: “Beloved I wish above all things that you should prosper and be in good health along with your soul’s growth” I John 1:2 Bible

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
AF: I love the idea of so much great art happening in such a short time. It is really exciting...and something that can't happen enough!

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
AF: We're like a grace note. We're performing a series of short site-specific pieces in the Lobby, so we're hoping to be a pleasant surprise for people who might have come to see a show in one of the traditional venues.
~~

Project Dance
Artists from four liturgical dance companies bring the hope and joy of the universal language of dance to surprising spaces within the Arlene and Robert Kogod Lobby.
Sunday, Feb 21 from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Sunday, Mar 7 from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free

Enjoy an inspiring prelude to your Sunday matinee with a unique performance from dancers from Project Dance/DC Team. Project Dance was founded by Cheryl Cutlip in New York City after 9/11 with a mission to bring a message of hope and healing to the city through the universal language of dance. The vision has grown, and Project Dance now serves dancers worldwide through classes, performances and events, including a major 2011 Washington, DC event. This unique Café Concert includes dancers Clarissa Stroud, Masters Movement Dance Company; Richelle Dickerson, Worship Explosion Dance Company; Ronya-Lee Anderson, Dancing by the Power Ministries and Angella Foster, alight dance theater.

http://www.projectdance.com/

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

2010-02-12T07:00:00.010-05:00

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
A Raisin in the Sun: A Community Read
Sign up at the door to read a part in Lorraine Hansberry’s classic drama and the inspiration for Woolly’s upcoming production – Clybourne Park.
Saturday, Mar 6 at 4:30 PM
Lab II
Free
For Audiences ages 13 and up.

In conjunction with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park (March 15–April 11), the theatre has created a variety of opportunities to explore the play’s sources of inspiration, investigate the social and political issues it tackles, and wrestle with the implications to the changing urban landscape in DC. Woolly is delighted to partner with Intersections in offering one of these events – A Raisin in the Sun: A Community Read. This event puts a book-club spin on the staged-reading format: everyone who attends the Community Read is encouraged to bring a copy of Lorraine Hansberry’s play with them and whoever wishes to read aloud signs up at the door for a character and scene. Attendees can participate by reading aloud, reading along, or sitting back and listening. The reading will be followed by a facilitated dialogue exploring reactions to the play, and its relevance to our changing city.

A Raisin in the Sun was an initial point of inspiration for playwright Bruce Norris in writing Clybourne Park. The play explores how racism and gentrification have evolved over the past half-century in America by imagining the conflicts surrounding the purchase of a house in a white neighborhood in the 1950s by an African American family, and then the re-design of that house in “post-racial” 2010. The setting of Clybourne Park, and the house the action revolves around, is the one purchased by Mama for the Younger Family in A Raisin in the Sun; one of the characters from the Raisin features prominently in the first act of Clybourne.

As part of its 30^th Anniversary Woolly Mammoth is exploring the way it intersects with the city and its citizens, and working to create increasingly more connections between the theatre and civic dialogue. A Raisin in the Sun: A Community Read is just one of many different programs the theatre is offering. For more information on what Woolly Mammoth is up to, or for details on Clybourne Park, visit woollymammoth.net, or contact Rachel Grossman, Connectivity Director, via rachel-at-woollymammoth.net or 202-289-2443, ext 284.

A Raisin in the Sun: A Community Read is a free and open event.

GALA Hispanic Theatre presents Paso Nuevo Youth Performance Program

2010-02-12T07:00:00.009-05:00

GALA Hispanic Theatre presents Paso Nuevo Youth Performance Program

The Legend of Izquic (2006), a compelling documentary-fiction tracing the lives of teenagers from a theatre collective in Columbia Heights DC who tell true stories of their coming to America mixed with their visions for the future, all through the unfolding of an ancient Mayan legend.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 5pm
Lang Theatre
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 12 and up.

Get inside the hearts and minds of the youth who comprised a 2006 at-risk theatre collective – Paso Nuevo – at DC’s GALA Hispanic Theatre in Columbia Heights. Filmed on location in July 2006 and directed by Mattias Kraemer and Italian filmmakers GG Roccatti and Giandomenico Muso, this new-form film is both documentary and fiction. The students share the true and often violent stories of their legal and illegal migration to the US set in a magical unfolding of an ancient Mayan legend which helps give voice to their visions for the future. Mattias Kraemer will introduce the film and Quique Aviles, director of GALA’s Paso Nuevo, will lead a post-screening exchange on the film, as well as on issues of immigration especially affecting young people and families and Paso Nuevo’s ongoing vision.

www.galatheatre.org

Cultural Tourism DC

2010-02-11T07:30:00.003-05:00

Tell Your H Street NE Stories
Come record your stories of H Street NE and help shape the Neighborhood Heritage Trail of one of DC’s greatest cultural intersections.
Saturday, Mar 6 from 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free

Cultural Tourism DC invites you to contribute your personal historic tales of Washington life to upcoming DC Neighborhood Heritage Trails on H Street NE and around the city. Stop by and tell your story, or share your ideas for others whose stories should be told. Neighborhood Heritage Trails are produced in collaboration with community groups and the District Department of Transportation. Cultural Tourism DC is an independent nonprofit organization that invites Washington area residents and visitors to experience and celebrate DC’s authentic culture and heritage. We are best known for our website promoting Washington culture and for our Neighborhood Heritage Trails, now in ten historic DC neighborhoods.

http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/

The Extension Agents

2010-02-11T07:00:00.009-05:00

The Extension Agents

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Extension Agents: We are a bluegrass band from DC.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
EA: We were born in the living room of Amanda's urban farmstead in southeast DC a year and a half ago. We grew up playing at farmer's markets, coffee shops, bars, and hootinannies.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
EA: Banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass, guitar.

JL: What's the Best Advice you have to give?
EA: If your sheep has got the foot rot, and your corn won't fill the back plot... ask Asel!

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
EA: The diversity of performers is very exciting. We look forward to hearing some new sounds.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
EA: We are hoping to have some listeners who haven't heard bluegrass before and wouldn't imagine people play it in DC.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of...
EA: strings and fingers.
~~

Extension Agents
Get your feet tapping to Bluegrass tunes both classic and eclectic with this popular Atlas District Band who’ll be warming up our Café before Tom Chapin.
Sunday, Mar 7 from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free

Enjoy some down-home picking with The Extension Agents, DC’s own bluegrass band. With fiddle, banjo, bass, mandolin, and guitar they are sure to get you tapping your feet to tunes both classic and eclectic. Sit a spell in our Café and take in these Atlas District regulars who host a hoe-down every other Thursday at Sova Espresso and Wine bar.

http://www.myspace.com/extensionagents

A String Ensemble from "The President's Own" US Marine Chamber Orchestra

2010-02-11T07:00:00.004-05:00

A String Ensemble from "The President's Own" US Marine Chamber Orchestra
This small ensemble featuring the virtuoso musicians of “The President’s Own” will offer a sampling of composers and styles, with something sure to entice every music aficionado.
Sunday, Mar 7 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free

Founded in 1798 by an Act of Congress, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization. Today, “The President’s Own” is celebrated for its role at the White House and its dynamic public performances. “The President’s Own” encompasses the United States Marine Band, Marine Chamber Orchestra, and Marine Chamber Ensembles, and performs regularly at the White House and for more than 500 public performances across the nation each year.

Levine School of Music

2010-02-10T07:20:00.004-05:00

Levine School of Music
Enjoy a Café Concert intersection of classical to contemporary sounds from outstanding students of guitar.
Sunday, Feb. 28 from 3:30 – 5:00 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free
For all ages

Levine School of Music, based in Washington, DC, is one of the nation's leading nonprofit community music schools, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, certified as exemplary by the National Guild, and is the largest "All-Steinway" community music school in this country. Founded in 1976, Levine serves more than 3,500 students on campuses in Northwest and Southeast DC, Maryland and Virginia, with 900 of these students receiving subsidized music instruction through Levine's scholarship and outreach programs. Levine offers individual and ensemble instruction in more than 20 instruments and voice taught by an international roster of more than 150 faculty-artists.

http://www.levineschool.org

John Hurd

2010-02-10T07:00:00.003-05:00

John Hurd
The keyboard is a busy intersection of Gershwin, Cole Porter and gospel sounds when this versatile DC piano-man takes the Café Concert stage.
Saturday, Mar 6 from 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free

This versatile DC piano-man can take a tune down many a road with a style that embraces the best of old jazz standards, the show tunes of Gershwin and Cole Porter and rousing gospel sounds. Come hear your favorites before your afternoon show with the talented John Hurd at the keyboard.

National Children’s Museum

2010-02-09T07:37:00.003-05:00

National Children’s Museum
Celebrating Our Global Neighborhood, an interactive art activity designed especially for our Festival Family Day.
Saturday, Feb 20 from 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free

Scheduled to open in 2013, the National Children’s Museum (NCM) will be a world-class cultural and educational center dedicated to engaging children and empowering them to make a difference. The mission of NCM is to inspire children to care about and improve the world. Through its interactive exhibits, online community, and unique national programs and partnerships, NCM is transforming the concept of a traditional museum by becoming a catalyst and forum for a national movement to inspire and empower kids to speak up, take action, and get engaged in their communities.

www.ncm.museum

Artists from the In Series

2010-02-09T07:30:00.005-05:00

Artists from the In Series

Two Café Concerts of simmering Ameircana soul spiced with DC Latin flavoring, serving up traditional and contemporary grooves.
Sunday, Feb 21 from 6:00 – 7:30PM Saturday, Mar 6 from 6:00 – 8:00PM
Kogod Lobby
Free

Slip into the sounds of artists who will offer a simmering of Americana soul spiced with DC Latin flavoring and mantra percussion. Imagine traditional and contemporary grooves with varied instrumentations. Experience artists from The In Series, an Atlas partner that specializes in presenting DC artists in an inspiring and eclectic blend of opera, cabaret, theater, dance, chamber music, poetry, and Latino heritage productions.

Click HERE for more info.

Northwest Convergence

2010-02-08T10:07:00.003-05:00

Northwest Convergence
An exhibition of drawings, paintings and mixed media works by teens from Cardozo High School and Sidwell Friends School illustrating “intersections” in their lives.
Feb 19 – March 7
Fridays: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturdays: Noon – 8:00 PM
Sundays: Noon – 7:30 PM

Reception
Friday, Mar 5 from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
The Loft
Free

High school students from Cardozo High School and Sidwell Friends School come together in Northwest Convergence, an exhibition of drawings, paintings and mixed media works. The students reflected on the themes of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival, learned about artists and art movements that dealt with similar issues, and created an artwork that illustrated intersections in their own lives. Works by the respective teachers, Kimberly King and Anna Tsouhlarakis, will also be on display.

The Paintings of José Allen

2010-02-08T10:04:00.001-05:00

The Paintings of José Allen
An exhibition introducing the work of artist José Allen, a painter in the naïve style with an intersection of Latin and Caribbean inspirations.
Feb 19 – March 7
Fridays: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturdays: Noon – 8:00 PM
Sundays: Noon – 7:30 PM

Reception
Saturday, Feb 27 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Bernstein Gallery
Free

Haitian-American, Kathleen Gonzales, dedicates her festival performances to Earthquake Relief

2010-02-05T08:09:00.014-05:00

A Letter
On January 12th, 2010 a 7.1 magnitude earthquake ripped the lives of millions of Haitians apart, killing approximately 200,000 people and injuring thousands more. You've heard Anderson Cooper talk about the "stupid death" he saw all around him in the days following this horrific event. People who survived the earthquake were dying of infection and lack of medical care all around. People who had no injuries were on the way to death with no food or water.

My initial reaction to this event, as a Haitian person with strong ties to my native country, was to find out if my family was ok. We heard from some right away, thanks to the internet. Others, we waited days to find out their status. Miraculously, no one in my family was injured, although what they have witnessed has changed them forever.

I felt so helpless. I wanted to do something for my people. I dropped everything to be able to help with the relief efforts. I knew I had no medical skills to contribute, so I busied myself with what I could do here in the US to impact my country -- volunteering for the earthquake kit drive at the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti, translating SOS text messages from Haiti so that relief workers who only spoke English could understand and respond to them, and finding flights for doctors, medical supplies and food, etc. January went by in a strange "too fast, yet not fast enough" way. Before I realized it, the end of January had arrived and February began, and I received an email reminding me about a meeting that was scheduled for the preparation of my one woman play THE BRIDGE OF BODIES, scheduled to be performed starting February 19th in Washington, DC!!!!! For a split second the words "I can't" popped into my mind. Those words were quickly replaced with "I MUST". I must perform my play which is about the journey a young woman takes to rediscover herself, her culture and her country of origin- HAITI.

So it is officially on -- again! I have re-focused my relief efforts towards performing my play in order to raise money for the people of Haiti. As an artist, it is my responsibility, my obligation and I gladly and humbly demand it! Please come and see Haiti through the eyes of Marie-Therese, a Haitian-American woman, who returns to her native country after leaving at the age of six, to uncover the mystery of why she left.

I thank you all for your support. I ask that you continue to support the relief efforts by coming to see this play. Proceeds will go towards Haiti earthquake relief efforts.

In Service,
Kathleen Gonzales

THE BRIDGE OF BODIES
A Haitian-American Tale of Self and Cultural Discovery
February 19-21 and 26-28 @ Intersections - A New America Arts Festival
Atlas Performing Arts Center
Washington, DC

For Tickets click HERE
www.KathleenGonzales.com

Intersections Staff: Jennifer L. Nelson

2010-02-05T07:09:00.002-05:00

An Interview
Jacqueline Lawton: What is your job for the INTERSECTIONS Festival?
Jennifer L. Nelson: I served as a consultant in the planning phase and as one of the proposal review team that selected participants.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
JN: I was born in Cleveland. Came to Washington from California in the 70's to work with the Living Stage Theatre, Arena's former community outreach program. Didn't intend to stay more than 2 years....

JL: Who are your heroes?
JN: My heroes include Paul Robeson, Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Keckly, Robert Alexander (Living Stage), my parents, my sister, Abe Lincoln, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger....artists who care as much or more about others than themselves.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
JN: Maybe an elephant or a humpback whale: big, smart, compassionate.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
JN: Somewhere warm near the ocean.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
JN: “What a wonderful privilege, to be allowed to breathe. To see. To feel. To smell. To love. It’s baffling, the sweetness of what we’re allowed.” Jack Gilbert

JL: Why did you want to be a part of INTERSECTIONS?
JN: I'm a believer in the arts being an active part of community life for people of all ages and backgrounds. I love that the Atlas has that as part of its mission.

JL: Finish this sentence:
JN: I am an intersection of history.

Intersections Staff: Kara Barnes

2010-02-05T07:00:00.007-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What is your job for the INTERSECTIONS Festival?
KB: I am the Director of Development for the Atlas Performing Arts Center, so I help build financial support for the Atlas and its INTERSECTIONS Festival.

JL: Who are your heroes?
KB: My Dad (I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true!), the Vietnamese Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh, and the late Samuel Mockbee, the architect/teacher who created the Rural Studio in Hale County Alabama …there are many more, but I’ll stick with the first three that came to mind!

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
KB: I’d be in Rome at a trattoria in the Trastevere neighborhood.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
KB: Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? – from the poem The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

JL: Why did you want to be a part of INTERSECTIONS?
KB: I love that INTERSECTIONS puts forward in a significant way the extraordinary and diverse artistic talent in the DC area. These are the performers I want to see and celebrate.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
KB: Seeing crowds of people of diverse races, ages and cultures enjoying the numerous Café Concerts in the Atlas’ Kogod Lobby…the innovative programming occurring on the Atlas’ stages…audience members being inspired by some of DC’s finest emerging artists

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of ...
KB: small town America girl and global citizen or apple pie and baklava.

Intersections Staff: Paul Douglas Michnewicz

2010-02-05T07:00:00.006-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What is your job for the INTERSECTIONS Festival?

Paul Douglas Michnewicz: I am the Festival Manager. I handle all the contracts and technical needs of the participants and help schedule the productions.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
PDM: Wichata Falls, TX. I grew up in Chicago, IL and spent time in Connecticut as well.

JL: Who are your heroes?
PDM: Xena

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
PDM: A duck. They fly and swim and float and have a good sense of humor.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
PDM: In the woods.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
PDM: Relaxed. Funny. Big. Kind. Clear.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of INTERSECTIONS?
PDM: To work with very cool people.

Intersections Staff: Scott Kenison

2010-02-04T07:00:00.012-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What is your job for the INTERSECTIONS Festival?
Scott Kenison: I manage all the spaces at the Atlas and work to keep them filled with music, dance, theatre and anything else the arts community can think of and at the same time, make sure that we meet our operating costs with rental income.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
SK: New Jersey. After living for 20 years in New York, I moved to DC when my partner was appointed Head of School at Edmund Burke School.

JL: Who are your heroes?
SK: George Clooney – because he does the right things and with a great deal of humility and flair (and being George Clooney doesn’t hurt)

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
SK: A dog – it’s a dog’s life – lazing and being loved.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
SK: Shy, Irreverent, Funny, Helpful, Caring

JL: What is your favorite quote?
SK: “But maddest of all - to see life as it is and not as it should be.” – Cervantes in Man of LaMancha

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of ...
SK: business and the Arts.

Intersections Staff: Jen de Mayo

2010-02-04T07:00:00.011-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What is your job for the INTERSECTIONS Festival?
JM: I am the Communications Director for the Atlas Performing Arts Center, which means for Intersections I am intersecting with the festival staff to ensure the festival in well-publicized, understood and attended.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of INTERSECTIONS?
JM: I am thrilled for any opportunity to help showcase the Atlas and its mission. I am so excited for the festival because I believe it is Atlas' moment to shine!

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
JM: The number of performances, the variety, the spotlight that will shine on the Atlas and H Street NE I can't wait to see ALL of the performances!

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
JM: Enthusiastic, humorous, idealistic, loving, and also wee bit sarcastic

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
JM: Always remember you are a beautiful, unique individual who is just one of 6 plus billion beautiful individuals sharing this planet....

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
JM: A house cat of course. They are clearly the superior species.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of ...
JM: the dowdy, boring Mommy and H Street hipster; of the insular, old-school NYC Italian with the contemporary and worldly DC.

Intersections Staff: Doug Yeuell

2010-02-04T07:00:00.003-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What is your job for the INTERSECTIONS Festival?
Doug Yeuell: I was a part of the adjudication panel, responsible for selecting artists for inclusion.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
DY: Tuscaloosa, Alabama – I moved to DC after college.

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
DY: Always take the road least travelled, it makes for a much better story in the end.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
DY: On a beach in the Caribbean.

JL: What is your personal theme song?
DY: All That Jazz

JL: Why did you want to be a part of INTERSECTIONS?
DY: To be a part of something thing new.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
DY: All the many different talents that will be connected through the festival

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of...
DY: I am an intersection of the creative and purposeful self.

Intersections Staff: Mary Hall Surface

2010-02-03T16:38:00.005-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What is your job for the INTERSECTIONS Festival?
Mary Hall Surface: My job is to create an event that will bring artists and audiences of all races, ages and cultures together to see where we meet, collide, cross, collaborate, intersect -- and discover the energy that is fueling the changing of America.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
MHS: Bowling Green, Kentucky. My father is a third generation Washingtonian. I spent every August here as a child. I began touring here in the early 80s with my theatre from California to the Kennedy Center. Then I was asked to write/direct for the Kennedy Center, so we moved here as our "base" and have stayed.

JL: Who are your heroes?
MHS: All those who live their lives with integrity and purpose.

JL: What is your personal theme song?
MHS: Imagine (if I'm feeling deep) or more often anything off of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra's first album (look it up!)

JL: What is your favorite quote?
MHS: "Be honest. The results will be sensational." Virginia Woolfe

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
MHS: All the coming together of people, art forms, genres, traditions, ages and perspectives.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of ...
MHS: hopes, visions, art and a lunatic work ethic.

Intersections Staff: Jane Lang

2010-02-03T16:35:00.005-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What is your job for the INTERSECTIONS Festival?
Jane Lang: I originated the concept of the INTERSECTIONS festival, and then turned it over to Mary Hall Surface and the program committee to fill in the interstices. They’ve given it life!

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
J. Lang: I was born in New York City, in the boroughs of Queens at Kew Gardens Hospital. I came to DC after graduating from University of Pennsylvania Law School, because I got a good job with a law firm here. I was excited about living in DC after having spent a summer here.

JL: Who are your heroes?
J. Lang: My mother. My husband. All non-violent protestors.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
J. Lang: Basically hopeful, caring, anxious, grateful, awed.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
J. Lang: "Don’t cry because it is over. Smile because it happened.” Dr. Seuss

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
J. Lang: Giving up is not an option.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
J.Lang: The collaborations and intersections of artists.

Intersections Artist: William Adair and Chapuchi Bobbo Ahiagble

2010-02-01T07:00:00.040-05:00

Intersections Artist: Music Meets Film

2010-02-01T07:00:00.039-05:00

Music Meets Film: CARMEN at the Intersection
Inspired serenade by soprano Anastasia Robinson, tenor Peter Joshua Burroughs and virtuoso pianist Carlos César Rodriguez paired with a screening of Carlos Sauro's film that resets the world's most famous opera in the passionate world of flamenco dance.

Sunday, Feb 28 at 5:00 PM
Lang Theatre
Tickets: $15
For ages 12+

Intersections Artist: Og Ceol with Oran Sandel and Tom Teasley

2010-02-01T07:00:00.032-05:00

An Interview with Jamie Sandal, Malinda Malineka Reese of Og Ceol and Oran Sandal

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Jamie Sandal I'm an unformed artist - one who is constantly looking for "his art". I create visual pieces, act and play music in order to improve myself and communicate with those who share my passions.
Malinda Malineka Reese: Irish flute player, singer, actress, dancer/choreographer, film maker. I like doing lots of things.
Oran Sandal: I am primarily a theater artist, which is why playing Irish music with young people is such a special new focus for me.

JL:Who are your heroes?
JS: Those who create incredible pieces of art or processes of creativity that speak to people's emotions, and at the same time serve to educate them or motivate them. Musical theater visionaries like Jonathan Larson and Lin-Manuel Miranda accomplish this, as well as people like my parents.
OS: Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Martha Graham, Rebecca Rice, Roberta Alexander, Leonard Bernstein, Viola Spolin, Keith Johnstone, to name a few.
MMR: Matt Malloy, Eva Cassidy, Karan Casey, Sam Tsui (The Duke's Men of Yale), Sutton Foster, my parents and lots of other awesome artists.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
JS: I'd love to be anywhere on the cliffs in Ireland. It's a country that can always inspire you, no matter what.
MMR: I would either be in New York because I love the action in the city, or I would be taking a break in Dingle or Doolan, Ireland, jamming with the musicians there. And watching out for the "hilly sheep" on the cliff sides "that look like they're going to drop right on to your car."
OS: Brazil, state of Bahia, city of Salvador.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
OS: To be nobody-but-yourself, in a world which is doing its best, night and day,to make you everyone else, means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight and never stop fighting.-EECummings
JS: "Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing." - Oliver Wendell Holmes.
MMR: "We're theater people. We understand everything.....except math....2+2......stage left?

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
MMR: Jamie, Oran and I will be playing with Tom Teasley, who apparently plays the Irish drum, the bodhran, but he uses a middle eastern fingering technique. We also play some non-Irish stuff as well.
JS: I'm an amateur musician, but I carry a different perspective of an old tradition. I feel like the music I play still holds great weight in a contemporary setting, and I think that it can help other performers look at their own art in a different way.
~~
Og Ceol with Oran Sandel and Tom Teasley
Two Café Concerts featuring a duo of young traditional Irish Musicians intersecting with guitarist Oran Sandel on eclectic acoustic sets. Look for world percussionist Tom Teasley to sit in, too.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 4:00 PM & at 6:00 PM
Kogod Lobby
Free
For all ages

Intersections Artist: Grabielismo Productions’ Bemcha Latin Jazz Band

2010-01-29T07:00:00.015-05:00

An Interview with Pablo Grabiel

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Pablo Gabriel: I am Jazz Guitarist.

JL: Who are your heroes?
PG: Django Reinhardt is one of my heroes...he only had 3 fingers on his left hand.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
PG: Realistic, Adventurous, Tease ...

JL: What is your personal theme song?
PG: Ella Fue...Fania Allstars

JL: What is your favorite quote?
PG: "One hundred percent of the shots I do not take don't go in" Wayne Gretzky

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
PG: Nicely :)
~~
Jazz at the Intersection with Bemcha Latin Jazz Band
A festival kick-off event featuring a gumbo of Latin and Jazz styles and Afro-Cuban rhythms in a casual café atmosphere.
Friday, Feb 19 at 9:30pm
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $15 (Cash bar)
For audiences ages 15 and up.

"Bliss out to the sounds of the popular DC band, Bemcha, a Latin jazz ensemble that prides itself in sliding the feeling, rhythm and language of jazz into Latin standards as well as spicing up the standard of Jazz with Latin and afro-cuban rhythms. Imagine Salsa, Cha Cha, Bossa, Samba, Mambo, Rumba, Tango, Boleros and Jazz, all in one fantastic night. Start INTERSECTIONS out right with Bemcha."

www.grabielismo.com/bemcha
http://www.dcmusicentertainment.com/
http://www.bemcha.net/
Visit our: Facebook Page

Intersections Artist: Arena Stage

2010-01-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

An Interview with Marva Hicks

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
MH: I am a singer, actor, songwriter, writer.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
MH: Petersburg, Virginia. I attended Howard University and from there I moved to New York. I lived in Los Angeles for ten years and now I'm back in New York.

JL: Who are your heroes?
MH: My grandparents, my mother, my Aunt Virgie President and Mrs. Obama. And my friends and loved ones who have overcome cancer and other extremely challenging health and life issues.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
MH: I would be in Paris on my way to the Caribbean for the holiday.

JL: What is your personal theme song?
MH: BLESSED, by Fred Hammon

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
MH: Protect your Character. It will sustain you in all situations.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
MH: To share the cultural aspects of my family and my faith.

~~
Marva Hicks
Gospel Truth, the stirring, real-life story of musical artist Marva Hicks' journey from her rural Virginia roots to Broadway and beyond.
Saturday, Feb 20 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, Feb 21 at 2:00 PM
Sunday, Feb 21 at 7:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $25
For ages 13 and up.

http://www.arenastage.org

Intersections Artist: The Washington Savoyards

2010-01-29T06:59:00.002-05:00

An Interview with Michael Bobbitt, Director of Treemonisha

Jacqueline Lawton: Why did you want to be a part of Intersections?
Michael Bobbitt: It's a great way to celebrate many parts of what makes up my art. I believe in the Atlas and what it's trying to do to H Street. I also grew up 2 blocks away and saw my first movie at the Atlas.

JL: What type of artist are you?
MB: I think I'd rather let others decide. If I had to label it, I would say a "tall" artist. Sometimes, I like to direct, choreograph, and write plays.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
MB: Even though I always wanted to say that I was born, the son of a share cropper, my birth is not so romantic. Born and raised in Washington DC. Studied in Pennsylvania and NY. Traveled the country and world touring and doing regional theater and came back to DC in 1996.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
MB: "Costumes don't have Calories" - Reggie Ray

JL: Who are your heroes?
MB: Anyone that has more than one child. There are many artists that I look up to Jerry Whiddon, Nick Olcott, Rob Marshall, Joe Calarco...the list is endless.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
MB: Treemonisha celebrates the history of a culture of people. Our production will heighten that by casting "the best person" for each role, regardless of race. And it's amazing Scot Joplin Music.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of ...
MB: Black, White, Native American, Asian son, classical and folk training; all of which I hope comes out in theatre that is Joyous!
~~
The Washington Savoyards
Treemonisha by Scott Joplin, an intersection of classical opera form and the ragtime genius in a new production of a rarely performed American treasure, presented by DC’s favorite light opera company.

Friday, Feb 19 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, Feb 20 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, Feb 21 at 2:00 PM
Friday, Feb 26 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, Feb 27 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, Feb 28 at 2:00 PM
Friday, Mar 5 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, Mar 6 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, Mar 7 at 2:00 PM
Lang Theater
Tickets: $10 - $40
For audiences ages 8 and up.
http://www.savoyards.org/

Intersections Artist: CityDance Ensemble

2010-01-29T06:59:00.001-05:00

An Interview with Jason Garcia Ignacio, Choreographer

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Jason Garcia Ignacio: I am a choreographer and a performer.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?

JGI: I was born in Manila, Philippines. I moved to New York City in 2001 to pursue my career as a performer. I joined CityDance Ensemble in November 2007.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
JGI: Intersection is about bringing people together to make a difference. My dance speaks about environmental preservation and economic moderation. It also patches the gap between art and science which plays a vital part to a healthy planet. We need to be cognizant of what is hurting our environment but we also need to unite in order for us to succeed and that is what Intersections for me is all about.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
JGI: I have done “Mistoffolees” in Cats several times and I think there is a reason for that. I am a very playful person and I am easily distracted with shiny objects.

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
JGI: Allow yourself to make mistakes and follow what your heart tells you.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
JGI: This unique festival will educate people of different cultures. The festival will engender a deep understanding of beauty of all races and will bring unity in our community.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of ...
JGI: I’m an intersection of different types of dance and cultures.
~~
CityDance Ensemble
The Mountain, a dance fusion of east and west by an award-winning Filipino choreographer.
Friday, Feb 19 at 7:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $15
For audiences ages 14 and up.
http://www.volcanodance.org/

CLICK HERE to watch a trailer of The Mountain.

Intersections Artist: Kevin Reese

2010-01-28T07:03:00.002-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Kevin Reese: I would call myself a “collaborative artist,” that is, I have the ability to do the work myself but I choose not to. I like to involve other people in my process.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
KR: I was born in California. I got a degree in theatre but I’ve been making mobiles since college. My wife and I met in California and moved to DC in 1989. We created a solo performance piece inspired by the work of Alexander Calder and that led to doing workshops and residencies.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
KR: Probably Hawaii. I spent a year there working with a theatre company and it was pretty nice!

JL: What is your favorite quote?
KR: “When you think you know everything, you’re stuck with what you know.”

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
KR: Well, first of all my wife is the artistic director and she asked me. But I also think that the festival is an incredibly exciting event and totally unique to DC

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the production?
KR: My mobile workshop will hopefully give people a chance to participate creatively and reflect on what they’ve seen and heard. Mobiles can do a lot of intersecting
~~
Balancing at the Intersection with mobile artist Kevin Reese

Participate in the creation of a moving piece of art! Make one of the many pieces that will come together to balance in a high-flying mobile built on-site at the festival. Mobile artist Kevin Reese, founder of SchoolSculptures, works with communities across the United States to envision, design and install playful visual celebrations of many parts becoming one beautiful whole. All ages are welcome to be a part of his unique INTERSECTIONS creation.
Saturday, Mar 6
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Lobby
FREE

www.schoolsculptures.com

Intersections Artist: Lulu Falls

2010-01-28T07:00:00.006-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Lulu Falls: I am a jazz and alternative soul vocalist. I studied jazz in college, and evolved my sound since to incorporate alternative soul and experimental/acoustic elements.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
LF: I was born in Takoma, MD, and raised in Washington, DC. My parents moved to DC from France in the early 80's...so that's how I got here.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
LF: If I could be anywhere in the world, I'd split my time between Cameroon and Senegal. My parents are from there and the majority of my extended family still lives there.

JL: What is your personal theme song?
LF: My personal theme song would be Miles Davis' Flamenco Sketches. Beautiful song...makes you reflect...

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
LF: I wanted to be part of Intersections because these 3 words attracted me: race, art and culture. Especially because of my background, I am an extremely cultural person by nature, and I directly reflect that element in my music. Intersections is so different from other festivals in that this festival is almost like a melting pot of cultural art forms. Whether it's film, visual art, or music, Intersections will allow all of these art forms to merge into each other in the most creative way. I MUST be part of that mending, molding and merging!

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
LF: This festival is attracting and merging a wide variety of artists with vast backgrounds. In a creative environment such as this, there is no choice but to learn something new, different, and apply it to your respective craft.
~~
Lulu Fall
Two Cafe Concerts by a dynamic new Senegalese-Cameroonian-American vocalist and her guitarist Andy Fahs.
Saturday, Feb 20 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Friday, Mar 5 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Lobby
FREE

www.myspace.com/lulufall

Intersections Artist: Imani Gonzalez

2010-01-27T07:00:00.003-05:00

An Interview
Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Imani Gonzalez: I'm a world/jazz vocalist and musician and my husband Pepe, an acoustic/electric bassist of all music.

JL: Who are your heroes?
IG: Our heroes are Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, and Einstein.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
IG: For me, a small exotic songbird, then I could soar and sing forever. For Pepe, an eagle because of the gliding factor.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world, where would you be?
IG: We would love to be in southern Spain and Italy after I go back to India.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the production?
IG: Bringing all genres of art together in sending the message of healing and social change.

JL: Finish this sentence; I am an intersection of…
IG: Music is the universal language and it is socially interactive. We are an intersection of universal sounds.
~~
Imani
New Dawn, a world music voyage with an exquisite DC-based jazz singer and her trio dubbed by the Washington Post as “the answer to jazz fans’ prayers.”
Saturday, Mar 6 at 7:30pm
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $15
For audiences of all ages.

Sooth your soul with the sounds of Imani, who has been hailed as “an espresso-voiced song-weaver of rich, earthy texture and stunning vibrancy.” Relax into the groove of this DC-based favorite who has charmed audiences at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Curaçao Jazz Festival, San Antonio Jazz Festival and the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Sink into songs from the golden age of jazz, original compositions, reinterpretations of well-loved standards and contemporary pop classics. Imani and her trio create a warm energy that captivates and connects with all audiences.

www.zanganomusic.com

Intersections Artist: David Emerson Toney

2010-01-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
David Emerson Toney: I would say that I’ve made every effort to use my art to lead me to a truth of the human condition.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
DT: I was born in Cleveland, Oh. I came to DC straight after graduate school a long time ago. I really love this city. It took me 18 years to come back after I left. But I’m so glad I did.

JL: Who are your heroes?
DT: Ralph Waldo Emerson and Cleo Reginald Pizana.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
DT: I think I’d be a giant mutt of a dog. Brown with a black face. At heart I’m a care taker guardian and I’m loyal to a fault.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
DT: Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles. “Ralph Waldo Emerson”

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
DT: I feel it is going to be an uplifting event not only for those who come to see it but for those who participate directly. Since the thrust of it is to understand our connectedness.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of...
DT: America, Hope, Pride, Blackness, Manhood.
~~
David Emerson Toney & Chris Youstra Musical
Elysian Fields, Act One of a vibrant new Toney-Youstra musical collaboration that resets Shakespeare’s King Lear in the deep South.
Sunday, Mar 7 at 7:30 PM
LAB 1
Tickets: $10
For audiences ages 13 and up.

Be the first to experience the compelling words of playwright David Emerson Toney and the haunting music of composer Chris Youstra in a word premier reading of Act One of Elysian Fields. Actor/singers will bring to life the story an old freed black slave in the Civil-War-Era South who, after a windfall, divides his property among his children. Inspired by Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, King Lear, this musical asks: "When can we no longer blame the world around us for our own shortcomings?" The audience will be invited to share their responses to this powerful new work in a post-reading talk-back. The Atlas is proud to welcome back the playwright-composer team who created its opening production, Coming Home.

Intersections Artist: Tom Chapin

2010-01-26T08:08:00.000-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Tom Chapin: I am a singer/songwriter, an acoustic musician who plays guitar, banjo, autoharp, mandolin and didgeridoo.

JL: Who are your heroes?
TC: In no particular order: Pete Seeger, The Beatles, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Bonnie Raitt, my two artistic grandfathers and the incredibly strong, wise, resilient, loving women in my family.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
TC: Rose Bay, South Coast, Nova Scotia.

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
TC: The Golden Rule, and "This too, shall pass."

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
TC: Connecting, crossing paths with, performing, listening to, and learning from many different artists, most of whom are new to me.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection...
TC: musical styles, performance art, writing genres, and have spent my personal and professional life learning how to collaborate.
~~
Tom Chapin: In Concert
In Concert, a concert with this legendary folk singer celebrating the intersection of music and social change.
Sunday, Mar 7 at 7pm
Lang Theater
Tickets: $20
For audiences ages 8 and up.

Dubbed “one of the great personalities in contemporary folk music” by the New York Times, Tom Chapin is a beloved singer-songwriter, storyteller and multi-instrumentalist whose music spans styles and generations. A three-time Grammy winner, Tom has entertained and enlightened audiences of all ages for more than thirty years with life-affirming original songs told in a sophisticated array of musical styles.

www.tomchapin.com

Intersections Artist: Symphony Space

2010-01-26T07:00:00.001-05:00

Intersections Artist: The Edmund Burke School

2010-01-25T07:00:00.004-05:00

View the trailer at:
http://www.theprepschoolnegro.org/

Intersections Artist: Children's Chorus of Washington

2010-01-22T07:01:00.004-05:00

An Interview with Joan Gregoryk
Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Joan Gregoryk: I am a choral director

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
JG: I was born in North Dakota, and majored in music in college in St. Paul, Minnesota. I represented my college at a conference here in Washington, and decided to come here to teach music after graduation.

JL: Who are your heroes?
JG: Sister Mary Davida, who was a music instructor in college and Doreen Rao a choral director from Canada.

JL: List five words that describe your personality:
JG: upbeat, responsible, dedicated, hard-working, and fun-loving.

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
JG: Make certain your life's work is something about which you are passionate

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
JG: The opportunity to see a wide variety of artists from across the DC area.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
JG: We are sharing a concert with Glorystar, whose members are primarily of Asian descent.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of ...
JG: two cultures, Ukranian and Czechoslovakian.
~~

Children's Chorus of Washington with Glorystar Children's Chorus
Together We Sing, a cultural intersection of two outstanding youth choruses, each launching international tours.
Saturday, Mar 6 at 2:00 PM
Lang Theater
Tickets: $10 student (ages 12 and under) / $20 adult
For audiences ages 6 and up.

www.childrenschorus.com
www.glorystar.org

Intersections Artist: Vertical Voices Playback Theatre

2010-01-22T07:00:00.004-05:00

An Interview Tim Reagan

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Tim Reagan: I am a theatre educator and director. I also dabble in music and visual art.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
TR: I was born and raised in the one traffic light town of Marcellus, NY - a small suburb of Syracuse. I moved to DC to attend graduate school, where I met my wife, Lisa Agogliati. After working in non-profit arts and theatre management, I returned to my calling as a teaching artist as the director of the Middle School Drama Program at Sidwell Friends School, where I have been since 1995.

JL: Who are your heroes?
TR: My heroes are stroke survivors, and people who work with young children and people with disabilities.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
TR: "Just keep swimming." Dori's mantra from Finding Nemo.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
TR: The fact that someone is interested in what today's youth have to say is important. Vertical Voices Playback Theatre is a forum for audiences to learn about themselves and their community. I look forward to seeing what kind of community will be formed by those attending the festival.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
TR: The company members of Vertical Voices Playback Theatre capture the essence of someone's personal story quickly and concisely. Despite their age, these company members have the knack to accurately reflect the feelings of young children to older adults - a nice meeting place, or intersection, for folks to learn about one another.
~~

Vertical Voices Playback Theatre
Intersect: Let Your Life Speak, an interactive performance created by DC’s Sidwell Friends School performers probing the festival theme.
Sunday, Feb 28 at 4:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 5 and up.

Intersections Artist: Tom Teasley

2010-01-21T07:01:00.003-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Tom Teasley: I am a world percussionist who combines playing styles, instruments and techniques from Africa, India and the Middle East with American jazz. I also combine instruments of ancient origin with contemporary digital technology.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
TT: I was born in Washington, DC!! After playing in rock bands during my teens I went to Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, MD. After graduation while my colleagues were going for orchestra auditions I was touring nationally in blues bands. After several tours to New Orleans I began to notice that western percussion is only the beginning. I then began to seek out master drummers from Africa, India, and the Middle East and combine those styles with my experience with western classical music and American jazz.

JL: Who are your heroes?
TT: I have many heroes. Personally, my parents, Gandi and Martin Luther King. Musically they would be Joe Morello, Max Roach, Igor Stravinsky, Zakir Hussain and many, many more...

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
TT: I would be right here-In the Washington, DC area!! I just returned from several tours to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem. I am delighted to be home for a while!

JL: What is your favorite quote?
TT: “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”- Henry David Thoreau

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
TT: My music is an intersection between the ancient music of the Middle East, India and Africa filtered through my experience as an American musician combined with the latest developments in digital technology.
~~

Tom Teasley
The Drum: Ancient Traditions Today, a journey from ancient times to the future with an internationally renowned world music percussionist.
Sunday, Feb 28 at 5:30 PM
Lab II
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 6 and up.

Percussion Workshop:
Sunday, Feb 28 at 3:30 PM
Lab II
Tickets: FREE

www.tomteasley.com

Intersections Artist: Word Beat

2010-01-21T07:00:00.002-05:00

An Interview with Charles Williams

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
CW: I am a singer and an actor (spoken word)

JL: Where were you born? And how did you get here?
CW: I was born in Haynesville Louisiana- After spending several decades in Europe, it was time to come home. We wanted to be on the East Coast, but not in NY.

JL: Who are your heroes?
CW: My heroes are Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and all the ancestors that came before me.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
CW: What animal would I be? I think some kind of mutt dog. They are loved and are loving.

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
CW: Listen!!

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
CW: Word-Beat does a repertoire that is perfect for the festival.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of...
CW: deep friendship, and being together with like minded people.
~~

Word-Beat
The Legacy of Langston, a multi-disciplinary salute to Langston Hughes, featuring popular collaborators singer/actor Charles Williams and percussionist/composer Tom Teasley.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 7:30 PM
Lab II
Tickets: $10
For audiences ages 11 and up.

www.word-beat.com

Intersections Artist: Voices from Busboys and Poets

2010-01-20T07:00:00.008-05:00

An Interview with Holly Bass and Benny Blaq

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Holly Bass: I am a multi-disciplinary artist. My work draws from spoken word, dance theater and performance art.
Benny Blaq: Spoken Word.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
HB: I was born and raised in California. I went to school in New York and had planned to live out my days there. A summer internship in DC turned into a long-term stay and now I love it here.
BB: Brooklyn Ny and i was in the military and was stationed @ the Pentagon.

JL: Who are your heroes?
HB: My favorite artists are those who have committed to making art until their last breath, who continue to innovate and even become more outrageous and provocative over time.
BB: My mother

JL: What is your personal theme song?
HB: (Living My Life Like It’s) Golden, by Jill Scott
BB: A change is going to come - Sam Cooke

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
HB: Art is a great way to build and enhance community. I support anything that brings more voices into the dialogue.
BB: I think its a dope concept

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
HB: It’s taking place in an amazing space in an incredible neighborhood in DC. I hope that long-time residents will be excited about the festival and feel that they own it as much as the artists and newcomers to H Street do.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
HB: Poetry is an act of democracy, an expression of the First Amendment, a way to speak that transcends borders and barriers. I’m proud to be able to host a spoken word event that will include poets of different backgrounds and experiences-- black, white, brown, gay, straight, foreign and American-born.
BB: I bring a lot of energy and a different perspective than most.
~~

Voices from Busboys and Poets
The City in Words, a night at the mic when resident poets Holly Bass and Benny Blaq of the popular Busboys and Poets restaurant host a dynamic evening of spoken word and open mic.
Sunday, Feb 28, at 7:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $10
For audiences ages 15 and up.

http://hollybass.com/

www.busboysandpoets.com

Intersections Artist: Arena Stage presents Voices of Now

2010-01-19T07:01:00.009-05:00

An Interview with Taelor A. Price, DeLante Fludd, Ashley H., Laneisha McCauley and Adrienne C. Marvritte

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Taelor: I am a transformed artist.
DeLante: I am an Actor and Visual Artist
Ashley: I am a literal artist.
Laneisha: I am a performer and a writer.
Adrienne: I am a crazy, loveable artist who loves to make people
laugh.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
Taelor: I would be in my own little world with my own little house and car with a bunch of little people who love me dearly.
DeLante: I would be in Australia.
Ashley: California.
Laneisha: I would be on 13th Street, talking to Elizabeth.
Adrienne: I would be travelling from Spain to France to Italy to Hawaii. I can always imagine myself there.

JL: What is your personal theme song?
Taelor: My theme song is Moving Forward by Hezekiah Walker
DeLante: Hero by Mariah Carey.
Laneisha: The Sign
Adrienne: Follow Me by Uncle Kracker because it’s like how I feel on life man.

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
Taelor: Pray
DeLante: Label the food you put in the refrigerator.
Ashley: Life goes on no matter what, so don’t dwell on what tomorrow won’t hold.
Laneisha: Don’t force. If the shoe doesn’t fit, get a different size.
Adrienne: Don’t wear any boy shorts or thongs on stage. It will give you major wedgies.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
DeLante: Because you have encounter encounters at intersections or crossing points in your life and we will show some in our performance.
Laneisha: Our performance is called Encounter, so I feel it fists pretty well.
Adrienne: Voices of Now is a great fit because as artists we are constantly exploring the intersections of life.
~~

Voices of Now
Encounter, a musically poetic look at young peoples' lives devised and performed by Arena's top youth ensemble.
Sunday, Feb 28 at 2:30 PM
Sunday, Mar 7 at 2:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 11 and up.

http://www.arenastage.org/

Intersections Artist: Washington Performing Arts Society

2010-01-19T07:00:00.007-05:00

An Interview with Najee Thompson and Monet Gooch

Jacqueline Lawton: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
Najee Thompson: I was born in Baltimore City, I ended up where I am now by God, first and foremost. But I ended up here by singing at my church and going to performing arts schools for middle school and high school.
Monet Gooch: I was born in Washington, DC. and ended up where I am now because my family wanted better for our life.

JL: Who are your heroes?
NT: My heroes are Barack Obama, and Stevie Wonder
MG: My heroes are my Mom because she I believe she work so hard just to make a better life for me and helps me to rise above everything

JL: What is your personal theme song?
MG: Never Would Have Made It - Marvin Sapp

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
NT: Strive to reach your goal. Never settle for less no matter what, don't let anybody tell you can't because you can and you will, you and God control your future.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
NT: I want to be a part of intersections because I feel that I can give to the community. I feel that maybe that certain performance on that certain day someone may realize that HEY they want to start singing and they may decide that is their career path to start singing. To bring the main frame together, I feel that I can be the influence that someone lives their dream.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
MG: I think seeing the different performances and the discipline that goes on in the different performance groups. Each performance has a story and history and I think being able to experience the history of each performer/performance is what makes it cool.
~~

Washington Performing Arts Society

Summer Academy Live! WPAS presents a concert of their up and coming youth performers in Children of the Gospel, the Capital Jazz Project and Summer Steps with Step Afrika!
Saturday, Feb 27 at 2pm
Lang Theater
Tickets: $5
For audiences of all ages.

www.wpas.org

Intersections Artist: DCypher Dance

2010-01-18T07:02:00.005-05:00

An Interview with Natasha Hawkins

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Natasha Hawkins: I’ve been dancing since I was four years old and my mom had me in every dance class you could think of from Ballet to Tahitian. Even today I like to dabble in lots of different styles, so in that case I can’t say I’m one type of artist. I’m just a person with a passion for performing.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
NH: I was born and raised right here in Washington, DC. Funny thing is I live less than two minutes from the hospital where I was born.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
NH: I love the water and swimming so any type of aquatic animal would be just fine with me!

JL: What is your favorite quote?
NH: I say a lot of things, “I support…” and “YESSSSSSS!!!!” but no particular quote.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
NH: As the Rehearsal Director for DCypher Dance, being in this festival is an opportunity for our company to share hip hop and our experiences in exchange for listening and learning from others.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
NH: Our mission statement speaks directly to what this festival wants to accomplish. DCypher Dance focuses on developing new and innovative works of pure hip hop and fusion that are high energy, provocative, and “culture specific” for audiences of all ages and walks of life. DCypher Dance produces works that enrich and empower community through dances of understanding, tolerance, and celebration!
~~

DCypher Dance
DCypher 10.2: Co-Ed, A high-voltage hip-hop performance event by a boundary-breaking DC ensemble that will invite festival-goers to a new cultural crossroads -- step up and in!
Friday, Mar 5 at 9:30 PM
Tickets: $15
Sprenger Theater
For audiences ages 13 and up.

Dance Party:
Friday, Mar 5 at 11:00 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5

For a six-week performance class leading to advanced participation in the show, go to: http://www.joyofmotion.org/

Intersections Artist: Blues Professor Wale Liniger

2010-01-18T07:01:00.009-05:00

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Wale Liniger: I enjoy a curious mind and look for pertinent expressions through oral & written narratives, through the sounds of guitar and harmonica, through the Blues.

JL: Where were you born?
WL: I was born in Bern, Switzerland.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
WL: A bear. I wonder how it feels waking up after hibernation: a brand-new world every time?

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
WL: In a nation that rallies around a necessary common goal, in a warm place.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
WL: "It all depends on how we look at things, and not on how they are themselves." -Carl Jung

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
WL: As an immigrant I live with the sense of 'permanent transition,' with questions about our points of departure and our points of arrival. I believe there will be others like me at Intersections.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the production?
WL: I believe the Blues to be an important human energy. Alas, more often than not we try to silence it instead of giving it a voice. Intersections promises to be a platform for a wide variety of artistic perspectives on life.
~~

Blues Professor Wale Liniger
Take a unique journey into the blues with a Swiss-born artist who has made this distinctly American sound his own, weaving harmonica, guitar and voice into a rich musical tapestry. A celebrated artist featured in blues festivals on both sides of the Atlantic, this professor is a true believer in the creativity of the human mind when the heart is in trouble.
Sunday, Feb 28
6:00-7:30pm
Lobby
FREE

This performance is sponsored by The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
http://www.bluesprof.com/

Click the link below to watch a video of Blues Professor Wale Liniger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YkVE0q0ocE

Intersections Artist: Christylez Bacon

2010-01-15T07:01:00.007-05:00

An Interview with Christylez Bacon and Director, Patrick Crowley

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Christylez Bacon: I call myself a Progressive Hip-Hop Artist, mixing traditional elements of Hip-Hop, like Human-Beatboxing & Rhyming, with World-Music instrumentation.
Patrick Crowley: I am a director, deviser, writer, and agitator.

JL: Where were you born?
CB: I am a native Washingtonian, born & raised.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
CB: I wanted to take-on this project with Patrick Crowley to merge my Hip-Hop Concert with his Theater Expertise, to create a totally new experience for myself and others.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
CB: The music itself will merge Hip-Hop, Classical, Jazz, & World Music, and the production as a whole merges Hip-Hop concert with Theater. This festival and I share the same mission statement!!
PC: In Pursuit of Me is going to be a Hip Hop/Comedia dance theatre mash up, and a contemporary, urban hero’s journey. If that’s not an intersection then punch me in the kidney.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
PC: I’m looking forward to seeing a wide array of people rub elbows and experience art together. I’m especially hoping we get a generational alchemy brewing.

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
CB: Czech Republic learning their folk music!

JL: What is your favorite quote?
CB: The usefulness of a cup is its emptiness, Be prepared to accept new knowledge and not be hindered or biased by old knowledge.
~~
In Pursuit of Me: The Story of Christylez Bacon, a world premier merging of music and theatre by one of Washington hip-hop's rising stars.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 9:30 PM
Friday, Mar 5 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, Mar 6 at 9:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $15
For audiences ages 13 and up.

Family Performance:
Saturday, Feb 20 at 1:30 PM
Lobby
Tickets: FREE

Dance Party:
Saturday, Mar 6 at 11:00 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5

http://www.christylez.com/
http://www.itsthebeatbox.com/

Intersections Artist: The Folger Shakespeare Library

2010-01-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

An Interview with Teri Davis Cross and Kim Roberts

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Teri Davis Cross: I am a poet.
Kim Roberts: I am a writer, primarily of poetry, although I have also written plays and nonfiction.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
TDC: It is such a great mix of artistry that I knew Folger Poetry could contribute something.

JL: Who are your heroes?
TDC: My mom, my grandmothers for all that they have been through and still manage to love and laugh.
KR: Walt Whitman, Marianne Moore, Gwendolyn Brooks.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
TDC: I have no clue, perhaps a snake. I want some venom in my bite! And I want a sense of movement, ownership that would be all my own.
KR: I'd like to come back in another life as my cat. No one else has got it so good.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
TDC: All the various performances, I think the energy will just be intoxicating and inspiring!

JL: What is your favorite quote?
KR: This is from John F. Kennedy, 35th US President: “When power leads a man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.”

~~
The Folger Shakespeare Library
When Words Collide, a poetic response to life in today's America by professional and student writers, including poets Kim Roberts and Sami Miranda.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 5:00 PM
The Loft
Tickets: $10
For audiences ages 10 and up.
www.folger.edu/poetry

Intersections Artist: Jon Carroll and The Jay Walkers

2010-01-14T08:00:00.004-05:00

An Interview with Jon Carroll and Michael Shereikis

Jacqueline Lawton: How did you end up where you are now?
Jon Carroll: I began playing music at an early age, playing classical, boogie and gospel, and after a brief stint in college, studying Jazz, I accepted an invitation join a singing group. Linda Ronstadt recorded my song, Get Closer. Some other songs of mine have been recorded by Tom Jones and Kenny Rogers, among others. In 2006, I recorded and released my first solo work after many years called Love Returns, which won the Washington Area Music Association’s Wammie for Recording of the Year for 2006, along with Song and Songwriter and Musician of the Year. In 2007. I released a double CD live recording, Live Returns which I was proud to see become the recipient of 7 more Wammies, including Pop/Rock Recording of the Year.

JL: What type of artist are you?
Michael Shereikis: I’m a guitarist, songwriter, singer & producer, mostly of African music.

JL:Who are your heroes?
JC: In no particular order: Muhammed Ali, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Jerry Wexler, Little Richard, Martin Scorsese, Ahmet Ertegun, my wife, my mother, all my brothers and sisters.

MS: Truthfully, anyone who understands what respect means, and lives his or her life honestly and even courageously in that spirit.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
MS: I am an animal, and if I could choose, I’d stick with my current species f’sho. Thumbs man, thumbs…

JL: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
JC: In India, where my son Ben will be for 2 more months or so. I miss him terribly. My favorite thing is playing duo shows with him. He is a sublime and beautiful talent, with a saintly soul.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
MS: I like the openness of the thing. It’ll be fun and interesting to see what happens when artists come together over a project they wouldn’t normally undertake with one another.
JC: It promises to be a real celebration, an unleashing of creativity. My favorite album projects are the ones where a set group of players and singers are at the studio every day for a week or so. A touring company gets to explore a process that is seldom possible with one-off gigs and sessions. The circus bus pulls up, and all the clowns and acrobats come tumbling out to feel at home for a while. This is when magical things happen.

~~
Jon Carroll and the Jay Walkers

Jay Walkers at the Intersection, a concert explosion of stylistic connections among Grammy-winner Jon Carroll's signature pop and R & B, Nigerian artist Tosin Aribisala's jazz and Michael Shereikis' Afro-Funk.
Friday, Feb 26 at 7:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $15
For audiences of all ages.

Dance Party:
Saturday, Feb 27 at 11:00 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $5

Workshop:
Saturday, Feb 27 at 5:00 PM
Lab I
Tickets: FREE

http://www.joncarroll.org/
http://www.tosinmusik.com/

Intersections Artist: Delta Players

2010-01-14T08:00:00.003-05:00

An Interview with Charles Clyburn

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
CC: We are a readers' theatre group of older Americans

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
CC: I wanted to be part of Intersections because the Delta Players are a part of the H Street community and as such need to be exposed to the greater community.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
CC: The cool thing about the festival is the bringing together of over 400 artists of various disciplines.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of...?
CC: We are intersection of older Americans, ranging in age from 60ish to 95 years young, who have come together to display their talents.

JL: Who are your heroes?
CC: My heroes are President Barack Obama, my sister, Elaine, and Samuel L. Jackson

JL: What is your favorite quote?
CC: The mission of the African Methodist Episcopal church "Loving God, loving self, and loving community."

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
CC: Dance like no one is watching you.
~~
Northeast Senior Singers and Delta Players
A performance of songs and stories by H Street community elders, highlighted by selections from a stellar 20th century intersection-- Porgy and Bess.
Saturday, Feb 27 at 4:30 PM
Lab II
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 8 and up.

http://www.levineschool.org/

Intersections Artist: Speakeasy DC

2010-01-13T08:18:00.011-05:00

An Interview with Eva Salvetti

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Eva Salvetti: A part-time one.

JL: Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
ES: Argentina. Long story, full of serendipities. Come to our SpeakeasyDC show and you will find out.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
ES: I am a rat in the Chinese Horoscope, rats are sneaky and nasty. I take that.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
ES: My name is Maria Eva.

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
ES: I am terrible at giving advice. I usually go to “Carolyn Hax” for it.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of…?
ES: Raquel and Tati (my parents).
~~
SpeakeasyDC
Wetbacks, Aliens and Towelheads: Stories from the First Generation, humorous and edgy autobiographical offerings by DC's popular company of storytellers.
Friday, Feb 26 at 9:30 PM
Saturday, Feb 27 at 7:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Tickets: $18.50
For audiences ages 16 and up.
http://www.speakeasydc.org/

CLICK HERE to watch storyteller Vijai Nathan in"The Road Less Traveled: Stories about Being Different" - Sept 12, 2009

Wetbacks, Aliens and Towelheads: Stories from the First Generation

Intersections Artist: Sticky Mulligan

2010-01-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

An Interview with Joe “Sticky Mulligan” Smith

Jacqueline Lawton:Where were you born? How did you end up where you are now?
Joe Smith: I was born in Washington D.C. I travelled the country and world, and now I'm back in the area reconnecting with artists from my past.

JL:Who are your heroes?
JS: Duke Ellington, Sweet Honey in the rock, unknown singers and unknown poets, banjo players, people who love to jam until 3:30am.

JL: What is your favorite quote?
JS: "Make it Funky!"

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
JS: It will be a wide variety of songs, expressions, and stories from people of all different backgrounds. Now is the time to intersect and dive into patience and respect.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
JS: I am bringing Irish lineage, and ethno-music influences together with a little bit of soul on the side.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of?
JS: Ireland and Motown.
~~
Sticky Mulligan
Sink into the soulfulness of "the most exciting new artist on the scene" (Baltimore City Paper) . Sticky Mulligan is an Irish-American soul singer and multi-instrumentalist who just released his debut album, "Showtime," filled with soulful grooves and beautiful melodies that draw from Celtic, jazz and funk fluences. Relax in the festival café with this intriguing intersection of musical styles.
www.cdbaby.com/cd/stickymulligan
Friday, February 26
6:30 - 8:00 PM
10:30 - 11:30 PM
Lobby
FREE

CLICK HERE to Watch a video of Joe "Sticky Mulligan" Smith.

Intersections Artists: Rachel Grossman and Mitch Mattson

2010-01-12T08:13:00.004-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Mitch Mattson: Teaching Artist.
Rachel Grossman: DC-based creative and performing artist focused on theatre.

JL: Where were you born?
MM: We were both born in the Midwest (Mitch from Minnesota; Rachel from Michigan) and we both came East to be free.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
RG: We believed the festival to be the perfect platform for a larger conversation about the relationships Teaching Artists, particularly white ones, have with the youth they interact with in area schools.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
MM: A Narwal, because they are the unicorns of the sea.
RG: I can't compete with that.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
MM: A Cancer (but what I really mean is indecisive), educator, people-pleaser, smiley, naïve.
RG: Bossy-pants, overly-sensitive, self-deprecating, thinker, lover (but what I really mean is naive).

JL: What is your favorite quote?
RG: "All power to the imagination." "Art saves lives." "Never be haughty to the humble or be humble to the haughty." "Army had half-day.” "Yes, and..." (We wish we used that last one more).

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
MM: Us. ... Really, though... all of it. We're both passionate about theatre and civic dialogue, and are on the look-out for more conversations about race and culture.
~~
Rachel Grossman with Mitch Mattson
All our Neighbors, a hands-on experience for artists who work in schools focusing on classroom cultural awareness.
Sunday, Feb 21 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Lab I
Registration: $10

http://www.intersectionsdc.org/

Intersections Artist: Capital City Symphony

2010-01-12T08:07:00.007-05:00

An Interview with Victoria Gau

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Victoria Gau: Classical Musician - Orchestra Conductor

JL: Who are your heroes?
VG: Marin Alsop, for bursting through the Women Conductors' glass ceiling, and Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama for bringing the idea of a strong woman more into the mainstream!

JL: What is your favorite quote?
VG: Eleanor Roosevelt: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
VG: Make your own opportunities - don't wait for them to come to you.

JL: Why did you want to be a part of intersections?
VG: I love things that go out of the box and expand our perceptions of what we do.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
VG: I hope to show that classical music is made up of more than just dead white guys.
~~
Capital City Symphony and the Young Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
Classical Connections, a concert highlighting connections among diverse classical composers – including Pulitzer Prize winning, Washington native George Walker.
Sunday, Feb 21 at 4:30 PM
Sprenger Theater
Ticket: $5 suggested donation
For audiences ages 5 and up.

http://www.capitalcitysymphony.org/
http://www.dcyop.org/

Intersections Artist: Politics and Prose

2010-01-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

An Interview with Steven Roberts

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Steven Roberts: I am a storyteller; I write books that use stories to help people understand their own lives and families.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
SR: Adjectives are boastful so I’ll give you nouns: father, grandfather, husband, teacher, and friend

JL: What is the best advice you have to give?
SR: Believe in yourself, and stay in touch.

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
SR: Being part of a new idea that I hope will eventually become a tradition.

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
SR: Every artist tries to explain what life is all about. Some do it with their voice or their hands or their feet; others with a horn or a lute or a brush. I use words to paint and play and sing.

JL: Finish this sentence: I am an intersection of...?
SR: generations. My grandparents were born in Europe, my children and grandchildren are fully American. I stand between them, trying to understand the past and the future, the journeys my family has made, and the journeys that lie ahead.
~~
Politics and Prose Bookstore
Steven Roberts: From Every End of This Earth, a reading and book signing by the New York Times best-selling author capturing the stories of thirteen immigrant families and their lives in the new America.
Saturday, Feb 20 at 5pm
Lang Theater
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 14 and up

www.politics-prose.com

Intersections Artist: Ekene Okobi

2010-01-11T07:00:00.005-05:00

An Interview

Jacqueline Lawton: What type of artist are you?
Ekene Okobi: I am a multi-media story-teller.

JL: If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
EO: I'd either be an owl, because I'd get to stay up all night and fly, or a dragon, because I could fly and breathe fire.

JL: List five words that describe your personality.
EO: enthusiastic, impatient, stubborn, inquisitive, sensitive

JL: What is your personal theme song?
EO: It changes every day, today is "Frank Mills" from the musical Hair, but it usually alternates between Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and "That's Life"

JL: What do you think will be cool about the festival?
EO: Access to so many amazing artists under one roof. Oh, and the dance parties!

JL: How do you feel your performance fits into the festival?
EO: It is about my immigration assimilation experience as a woman in limbo, haunted by the drums of my ancestors, but not always being able to understand what they're saying.
~~
Ekene Okobi
The Sound of the Drums, a documentary exploration of identity through drumming by a first generation Nigerian-American filmmaker.
Sunday, Feb 21 at 5:00 PM
Lang Theater
Tickets: $5
For audiences ages 12 and up.