DANCEfirst! Modernity/Humanity November 18, 2010

DANCEfirst! Modernity/Humanity
featuring Byb Chanel Bibene/Studio Rue Dance and Paco Gomes/Paco Gomes & Dancers
THU NOV 18: 6pm-9pm
OPEN Rehearsal: FRI NOV 12 : 3pm-6pm
All programs are free w/museum admission ($10 adults - $5 students/seniors - free for members)

In the final DANCEfirst! salons of 2010, see. think. dance. partners with MoAD to present the vision of international performance artist, Byb Chanel Bibene.
As dancer and architect of experience, Byb constructs a living response to the current MoAD exhibit, Art/Object: Re-Contextualizing African Art.
Over the course of 2 salons, Byb calls upon the larger dance community to help explore some of the questions of the modern human experience: Why should we care about the traditions that came before us? How can we fully claim this moment? Where are we headed?

The November 18 salon features an excerpt of, “Clinic” a solo from the repertory of Byb’s dance-theater company, Studio Rue Dance.

“Clinic presents the question – How does one speak, loudly and clearly, of the degradation of
societies led by people who ignore the strength of their inner character? Gazing upon what
is happening across all the horizons of the world, the dance in Clinic seeks to be a societal
dance that examines the human being in all its judgments, ignorance and most unjustified
acts.

“Clinic calls for the restoration of the Mbongui (pronounced bonghee), the Bantu
word that refers to the central square in traditional African villages. The Mbongui served as
a communal meeting place where neighbors and families passed on stories and legends
that served to teach and to preserve knowledge.”

Joining Byb on the November 18 program is Paco Gomes, a recognized dancer, choreographer, musician and teacher from Bahia, Brazil.
Paco adds to the dialogue an original work for a trio of dancers and then turns inward with a solo piece that attempts to balance his deep engagement with folkloric dance/ritual and contemporary life.

About DANCEfirst!
see. think. dance. + MoAD revive the artist salon to turn up the lights on DANCE.
Local choreographers present original INTERACTIVE work for an intimate audience.
The evening wraps up with a discussion + reception to facilitate DIRECT artist/audience exchange.
DANCEfirst! is made possible by individual donors and the Zellerbach Family Foundation