Antoine Hunter's blessing to Share!

Antoine hunter share his thought and word to the people!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Remembering Deaf night out at YBCA



OVERVIEW | EVENTS | RELATED PROGRAMS
MAY 28, 2011
Grand Lobby
Main Galleries


OVERVIEW

Sometimes analogies are the best descriptive device. If Big Idea Night is a Camaro, then Smart Night Out is an Aston Martin. At our debut SNO, we'll explore the concept of quiet as it relates to contemporary art and performance. Joanna Haigood, choreographer and Artistic Director of Zaccho Dance Theatre, will create a series of short movement meditations where visitors/participants will follow simple, yet evocative movement scores that interact with the gallery artwork and architecture. Guests can also participate in a silent dance party, enjoy culinary delights (for an additional fee), eardrum preserving ambient sound art, and engage in workshops with artists featured in our Daily Lives exhibit. SNO is a decidedly different affair that retains the same boisterous and aesthetically promiscuous spirit as our Big Idea Nights. So nevermind the weather and come play in the SNO! And, as always, your donations and purchases at our free events help to keep them free!
ACTIVITIES
Silent Disco | You've seen the pictures. You've read the CNN article. Now experience a headphone dance party yourself! In collaboration with promotional and event sponsor Silent Storm Sound System, YBCA brings you the ultimate quiet dance experience. For $5, you can rent a headset and twist to classic soul spun by the Hard French geniuses, or wild out with international bass enthusiast Kid Kameleon! Can't decide what to listen to? Fear not — there are two channels, so switch it up!Limited headset availability — first come, first served! $5 rental fee includes a $1 drink discount! To prevent loss, YBCA will need to hold your ID while you enjoy your Silent Disco headset experience.
Get High Now with James Nestor | Trippier living without chemistry! Alter your consciousness via hallucinatory breathing and far-out sound frequencies in this workshop led by renowned author and adventurer James Nestor [LINK: ], who has written about architecture, alternative fuels, popular culture, and more for National Public Radio and The New York Times, and more. His column, "Too Much Tech," appears in ReadyMade Magazine. He is currently finishing the book, OUT THERE: A Year in the Weird Science of Enlightenment to be released in late-2011. Space is limited!
Movement Meditations with Joanna Haigood | Acclaimed choreographer Joanna Haigood has created a score of DIY movement exercises designed to be performed in unspoken dialogue with the Song Dong exhibition. Participants will select cards illustrating these movements and will be encouraged to perform them alone or together. Space permitting, all are welcome to participate in this unique hybrid of performance and visual art!
Body Harmonics with Grand Master Greg Yau | A research paper published in the National Academy of Sciences demonstrated that hand gestures, or mudras, stimulate the same regions of the brain as language. Join Greg Yau, founder of the Grand Harmony Wing Chun School, in an interactive workshop where participants can hone their mudra skills and get psychically centered.
Silent Dance with Antoine Hunter | Oakland-based choreographer/dancer Antoine Hunter is a founder of two celebrated local dance companies and has performed worldwide with several troupes. His Deafness has not stopped him from making his art—it’s arguably enhanced the intuitive, sensual nature of his work. This workshop will be free of any auditory stimulation and will focus on the nonverbal power of bodily expression and gesture.
Incidental Soundscapes: High and Low by Steve Rowell |
Internationally exhibited artist Steve Rowell assembled field recordings from a recent trip to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. This remote location proved to have a surprising soundtrack both natural and engineered. Kick back in our Screening Room with his audio-visual exploration of these aural landscapes and ponder the meaning of silence. An intermission piece will feature incidental ambience of the supersonic airspace of the Mojave desert. Generously co-presented by Long Now Foundation.
And as always...
Food! For sale from a delicious and sustainable (and affordable!) local food cart!
Drink! Creative cocktails, beer and wine for the 21+ crowd!
Exhibits! Our three Visual Arts exhibits will be open late: Song Dong, Euan Macdonald , and Daily Lives!
Special thanks to our silent disco sponsor, Silent Storm Sound System, and our co-presenters, the Long Now Foundation.
Back To Top

EVENTS


  • Smart Night Out
    May 28, 2011 7:00pm – 11:30pm
    Grand Lobby
    FREE
    FREE WITH RSVP
Back To Top


‹

May 2011

›
SMTWTFS
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
01
02
03
04



    •  
Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , ,

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Antoine Hunter in Dance Magazine 2013 "Why I Dance"


  • |
    •  


Why I Dance: Antoine Hunter

By Antoine Hunter


An award-winning dancer/choreographer and beloved figure in the Bay Area, Antoine Hunter has danced with Savage Jazz Dance Company, Nuba Dance Theatre, and Robert Moses’ Kin dance company. He founded Urban Jazz Dance Company and is co-director/founder of Iron Tri-Angel Urban Ballet. He teaches at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, Dance-A- Vision Entertainment, and Ross Dance Company, where he also serves as rehearsal director. Hunter has performed and taught in Rome, London, Cuba, and Africa.

Photo by Matt Haber, Courtesy Hunter.

I am an African-American Deaf dance artist. My desire for dance began at the age of 4. I can remember seeing everyone break dancing and I wanted to try. I got on the cardboard and did a spin and a kick—but then there was a bam!—I wound up in the hospital with an injured knee.

That knee injury was painful, but not as much as the idea of not ever being able to dance again. My passion for dance was put on hold until I was 5 and my mother took me to see Oakland Ballet. I was so in awe of the dancers’ poise, grace, and their ability to use their bodies to tell a story. They touched the hearts and souls of the audience—of me.

But my mother couldn’t afford to take me to any kind of dance class. We were very poor. At the same time, I found it harder and harder to fit in with the other kids—to be understood, to be heard.

I would want to play outside with the other kids, and their parents wouldn’t let them play with me. Maybe it was because I was black. I wanted to hang out with the other kids of color, but they didn’t want to play with me either. Maybe it was because I was Deaf. I tried to socialize with deaf people, and they didn’t want to hang out with me either.

I began to feel very alone and, at one point, suicidal. But soon, there was a beacon of hope. Dance. It wasn’t until I enrolled in Skyline High School in 1995 that my passion for dance was reignited. At first, the classes were very hard and I felt intimidated. And just like during my childhood years, no one wanted to dance with me. But then my dance teacher, Ms. Dawn James, approached me and told me to create a solo. I decided to dance to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”
 
When the music started, I began rocking my head side to side as if a boat were rocking me. I grabbed my shoulders as if I were cold and alone in the dark. Then, letting the music take me over, I was moving all over the room. During the instrumental break of the song, I began to dance as if lightning, fire, wind, water, and finally the earth were attacking me.

When I finished dancing, everyone had so many different expressions on their faces—even before they clapped. Many people told me that they could understand me and feel me.

From that day forward, I went on to learn other “languages of dance”—like African, ballet, and so much more. Soon I began to teach these languages to others. Dance is so powerful. Not only does it have the ability to bring people together, but it also has the power to heal.
 
I dance because I’m happy. I dance because I’m free. Lordy hallelujah, for the spirit of dance has saved me!


ShareThis Copy and Paste


- See more at: http://dancemagazine.com/issues/September-2013/Why-i-dance-antoine-hunter#sthash.27owLDuv.dpuf
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)