Folk
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Teams Up with Golden Lotus Winner Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company for Lunar New Year Celebration, Chinese Music Ensemble of New York to Play
How Re-Establishing Diplomatic Ties with Cuba Will Change the Arts
The restoration of diplomatic and commercial ties between the United States and Cuba will not only hit us politically but will also have a profound effect on music and the arts.Though battling bureaucratic laws, the cultural exchange between the U.S. and Cuba has not been lost in recent years. Even before this week’s announcement, musicians have been traveling to perform in the previous out-of-bounds nation. Arturo O’Farrill, a New Yorker, was performing at the Havana International Jazz Festival with his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, while Cuban flutist Maraca was in New York preparing to play this weekend at Jazz at Lincoln Center.President Barack Obama’s “new approach” to Cuban policy will make it easier for American artists to travel to Cuba to perform and vice versa. Cuba could even plausibly become a profitable tourist destination for the first time in five decades. The new policy can end need for time-consuming security checks that often leave Cubans who want to perform in the United States in limbo. Easing commercial restrictions could allow American presenters to begin paying fees to the Cuban artists they bring to the United States, who by law are now allowed only smaller per diem payments and travel reimbursements. Maida Withers Dance Construction Company Creates Kickstarter Campaign for 'MindFluctuations,' Neuro Headsets Used on Dancers to Create Visual Animation
The Maida Withers Dance Construction Company, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary season, has created a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the world premiere of "MindFluctuations," an amazing night of dance and technological innovation.Choreographed by Maida Withers, recipient of this year’s 29th annual Washington, D.C., Mayor’s Special Recognition Arts Award, "MindFluctuations" is the cornerstone of the 40th anniversary of MWDCCo, a group known for their extensive and bold integration of cutting-edge technology mixed with dance."MindFluctuations" is a unique work involving dancers wearing an Emotiv neuro headset, which uses their brainwaves to influence computer art. This creates a startling interactive experience combining dance, projected 3-D visual animation by computer artist Tania Fraga and live electronic music by composers Steve Hilmy and John Driscoll.
