Friday, October 10, 2008

Tucson: POCHA NOSTRA workshops in Tucson

From TPAC…

 

Thursday, October 09, 2008

          Call to Artists: POCHA NOSTRA workshops in Tucson

CONVOCATORIA: LA POCHA NOSTRA'S INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE INTENSIVE WORKSHOP WINTER 2009

La Pocha Nostra's International Performance Intensive Workshop returns to MOCA in Tucson, Arizona from January 5th to 17th, 2009.

Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Roberto Sifuentes, Michele Ceballos and Emma Tramposch of the legendary performance troupe La Pocha Nostra will conduct a 12-day intensive winter workshop on performance art with a focus on the human body as a site for creation, reinvention, memory and activism. This cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary and cross-generational workshop will host up to 24 performance artists and students from around the world, the United States, and Arizona. It is La Pocha's most important pedagogic endeavor of the year.

The prestigious Pocha workshop is an amazing artistic and anthropological experiment in which artists from several countries and every imaginable artistic, ethnic and sub-cultural background begin to negotiate common ground. Performance becomes the connective tissue and lingua franca for our temporary community of rebel artists.

 Where will it take place?

La Pocha Nostra International Workshop continues on its nomadic journey around the world (Wales, Oaxaca, London, Portugal) by returning to Tucson. The spectacular city of Tucson, located in the Sonora desert, 40 miles from the Mexican border, was chosen because its rich cultural diversity (Native American, Mexican, border) directly complements the troupe's aesthetic and poly-cultural perspectives and interests. This winter workshop is co-sponsored by the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Tucson, and will take place in a huge warehouse studio, equipped with lights, sound, costumes and props. 

What will be taught?

The exciting 8-hour per day workshop will offer two parallel processes: Participants are exposed to La Pocha Nostra's most recent performance methodologies, an eclectic combination of exercises borrowed from multiple traditions including experimental theater and dance, the Suzuki method, ritual performance, shamanism, performance games and live jam sessions. Parallel to this hands-on process, the group will analyze the creative process, the issues addressed by the work, its aesthetic currency, cultural impact and political pertinence. The workshop will culminate with a full performance open to the public.

Who should attend?

Performance artists, experimental actors, dancers, theorists, and students interested in the topics addressed by La Pocha Nostra. Applicants must have some performance experience, and must be familiar with La Pocha Nostra's work. The workshop is fun but rigorous.

Application process:

Participants will be chosen by a selection committee comprised of Pocha and MOCA staff.

Applicants must submit: (a) A half-page statement (in English or Spanish,) stating why they are interested in taking the workshop; (b) A one page resume; and (c-optional) A letter of recommendation from a curator, director, producer or senior artist familiar with your work.

 

Please submit your application directly to La Pocha Nostra: c/o Emma Tramposch, Special Projects Coordinator:

pocha@pochanostra.com

Please write "APPLICATION: Pocha/Tucson 09" in subject line.

**Please note that we will consider applications as they arrive to us. We encourage you to submit materials as soon as you are ready.

Cost:

The workshop tuition is 650 US dollars. The fees do not include room or board. After the selection process has been completed, La Pocha will provide a list of low cost accommodations and contact information, so that participants can arrange to share rooms in order to defray costs.

For more information on La Pocha Nostra please visit www.pochanostra.com

Partners for the La Pocha Nostra International workshop include MOCA Tuscon, Circuit Network and La Pocha Nostra.  This project is made possible in part through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

 

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