Thursday, November 20, 2008
USAforeigner
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Ten PM Dream
(From left to right), Rebecca Johnson, Shannon Preto (The Wonderful Musician)and Jorge Luis Morejon (Storyteller).
Iron Hans
(From left to right) Mantra Plonsey, Jorge Luis Morejon and Sarah Kliban (Storytellers),
(Center) Travis Rowland ( Iron Hans)
From left to right, Sarah Kliban, Mantra Plonsey and Jorge Luis Morejon (Storytellers)
Friday, August 15, 2008
Divide Light: A New Opera
Monday, July 21, 2008
Planetary Dance 2008: Making Peace with the Planet
Movement Ritual Practices are in tune with Jorge Luis Morejon's doctoral research focus, which is to investigate how the practice of Art Rituals can help violently displaced communities, without return, to integrate culturally with a new and unfamiliar environment.
As expressed by Jorge, "experiential learning is not readily available. One has to go out in the world and search for those rare opportunities where one can find it. Finding the Planetary Dance has given me the privilege of intenalizing the practice of an art ritual. The Planetary Dance was scored by teacher, choreographer, and community leader Anna Halprin. During the dance I was able to witness its healing and artistic potential.
“The Planetary Dance is an annual all-day ritual of healing and community renewal. It brings people of all ages and abilities together in a beautiful setting to “dance for a purpose.” As Anna Halprin has said: “it's going to take the willing commitment of enough people to say, we will heal this earth. Every step is a prayer, and we must pray together for the healing of the earth... The circle is an act of unity, and the four directions give it stability. It's the squared circle which is the archetypal mandala of harmony.”
"I say, concludes Jorge, that it is through the community’s practice of art rituals that displaced peoples would begin to heal their sense of otherness in order to reintegrate with the larger community. In the same way that “the Planetary Dance Community invites people all over the world to join in a dance for peace in their own communities, I think it would be wonderful if displaced communities join efforts in the practice of all inclussive Art Rituals in order to recover a new sense of belonging."
Empowering Creativity Through Dance
Closing Ceremony. Tamalpa Institute, Mountain Studio, Kentfield, California. June 26th, 2008
Empowering Creativity through Dance Workshop. Tamalpa Institute, Mountain Studio, Kentfield, California. June 25th, 2008
"For me ritual means dancing for a purpose"
Anna Halprin
Jorge Luis Morejon
Mirrored Spaces
Monday, April 7. Toronto, 2008.
Monday, April 7. Toronto, 2008.
The resultant work invited the audience to reflect upon the complexity of romantic relationships. It developed from the artistic interaction of pianist Adam Sherkin, cellist Angharad Parkes, costume and make-up designer Andrea Romero E. and dancer/choreographers Silvia Diaz-Brown, Ana Griffith and Jorge Luis Morejón. The piece derived its richness from melding the differing creative techniques, professional backgrounds and cultural influences of the collaborating artists.
The Acheli Chronicles/ Fall 2007
Origins
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"The content, though important, was not the most valuable thing that night. What was truly important for us, I feel, was that the essential purpose of theatre and performance was once again revealed. Before our eyes, we saw the wonders of community building, the importance of creating meaning, the different degrees of bonding, and a reviving atmosphere of solidarity, humanity and concern."
Community Work, Toronto
Jorge Morejon
Theatre Studies
Faculty of Fine Arts
Dear Jorge
Thank you very much for your drama workshop on for the Higher 5 Program, part of the Westview Partnership. The mandate of the Partnership is to increase access to post secondary education and training for students living in the Jane-Finch community, many of whom experience systemic barriers to continuing in school.
Thirteen grade 5 classes from local elementary schools each participated in a full day of activities related to Ministry of Education curriculum expectations. Seventeen faculties and departments offered the teachers a choice from thirty five different lectures, tours and workshops, and every student received a tangible reminder of their visit -a lunch bag, piggy bank, pen, pencil, carabiner or lanyard donated by various faculties and departments.
Feedback from students, teachers and principals has been overwhelmingly positive. Many students wrote that they knew little or nothing about university before the Higher 5 visit and most were not aware they could study theatre. However, the post visit questionnaires have indicated a great deal of learning about post-secondary:
"I learned you can become many things in college and university."
"I got to learn what you do in university."
"I liked everything about [the visit] because it was interesting and fun... and it is a great place to learn."
Most students said the presentations they attended were interesting and that the only improvement to the experience would be to make it longer so they could see everything! The program appears to have increased both the students' knowledge of post secondary pursuits and, in the short term, their motivation to continue their education.
If you have comments or suggestions for improving Higher 5, please give me a telephone call or send me a note. Thank you again for participating this year and I look forward to working with you next spring. Building on what we have learned it should be possible to begin earlier and include even more children.
Sincerely
Jackie Robinson
Westview Partnership Coordinator
Faculty of Education
La Pocha Nostra: Group Jamming Session
Tucson, Arizona. La Pocha Nostra Workshop and Performance
Day 10: Saturday, August 11, 2007
Space, Time and Motion
By Perry Vasquez
Dirty Indian
The Aeschylus Project
Jorge Luis Morejon. Excerpt of one of Eteocles' monologues
The Aeschylus Project was a series of lectures and practical series of workshops involving movement and rehearsals of scenes from Seven Against Thebes, a play written by Aeschylus. The workshop focused on an examination of the ancient Greek chorus as envisaged by Aeschylus, the first major Greek tragedian, and as interpreted by the National Theatre of Greece and its foremost choreographer, Regina Kapetanakis. Two open rehearsals were presented at the conclusion of the five week workshop. Actors, dancers and musicians received the applause and recognition of the audience and the faculty present at the event.
"To the pioneer students of the Aeschylus project (...). I leave them all with fondest memories and with the gift of Thelxis (infatuation) of the theatre experience."
Regina Kapetanakis
"Where theatre is put into practice (...), our vision in action."
Don Rubin
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Regina Kapetanakis, in reference to the pictures, kindly wrote to Jorge:
"The one I like best is your Eteocles solo one, it is quite dramatic. I remember what an impact you made on the audience in general, especially your closing exit with the song."
The Ashley Plays/ July 16 to 22
link: http://www.yorku.ca/gardens/html/
Common Plants: Blogarden
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link: http://jorgemorejon.livejournal.com/
Wet Feet/Dry Feet
http://www.labspacestudio.com/gallery/labSessions/index.php
York University. Accolade West. Room 009. Performance Art: Politics and Aesthetics. March 29, 2007
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Wet Foot/Dry Foot, a solo performance piece has three main parts, audiovisual, body and ritual. The role of video technology in this piece is to bring the urban scene into the performance space and ritual. The exploration of emotion is present in the ritual-like narrative piece. The images projected on the screen and the artist’s body moving in space, expressed through paper dolls, music, movement, soil and water convey a history of displacement and separation. The performance piece re-enacts the metaphorical past by constructing abstract images of displacement.
Final Chapter
Rebambaramba
Clytemnestra
Superbly performed by actress Rosanna Morrone, Clytemnestra was a solo performance adapted and directed by Jorge Luis Morejon for the Festival de Monologos produced by Havanafama Co., where Ms. Morrone received standing ovations. For its quality and power, Clytemnestra was also selected to be performed at the "Teatro a una Voz: Monologues and More" production of Havanafama. Commissioned by Armando Alfano, Clytemnestra was last performed in Italian at Soya & Pomodoro Restaurant's performance space for an all Italian audience in Miami, Florida, in 2006. Awarded with the audience's bravos, it was last performed the 12 of April, 2008, at Teatro Estudio Havana Fama, as part of the VII Festival Latinoamericano del Monologo, Miami, Florida.
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Critique: Theatre In One Voice Of Four Voices in Camera Obscura of Miami (translated excerpt)
Carlos Pittella TeatroMundial.com, Miami
"The spectacle “Teatro a una voz” had a variety of styles and forms which made it entertaining, but most of all attractive. There were presented four monologues with dignity and within the frame the space tries to offer. The first one was “Clytemnestra”, a segment of the Greek tragedy “Electra”, by Sophocles, interpreted by the Italian Rossana Morrone. The scene is the entrance of Clytemnestra, the widow of Agamemnon, who comes to confront Electra, her daughter. The knot of the monologue relies on the uncertainty of the mother due the torturous and horrific dream caused by the murder of her own husband. Electra manifests that it must be a very special sacrifice, and her answer is what fills up the monologue.
The actress' work is magnificent, and I clarify, it was in Italian. Yes, magnificent, giving a demonstration of what can be done with the body on stage, deserving of admiration. No doubt, it is noticeable the directorial work to which Morrone put herself through, because Jorge Luis Morejón, an accomplished modern dancer, influenced tremendously the aesthetic development of the spectacle through the actress whom definitely exhibited the totality of the montage. Her body expression is the main element that accompanies what we call a good voice, a blessing given to a “prima donna” as well as a dramatic actress, hence, to a person with the talent to command the sounds and know that with them she will communicate with force the smallest details, modulations and tones. That bundle of aesthetic manifestations, in this case, was called Rosanna Morrone. And a peculiar detail, the divisions in the textual units, those marking the differences in intention are signaled with a transition, and it is here (work and idea of Morejón, I suppose) that it was coupled by the use of a veil, which indicated and enforced the inner expression directed at the expectator. In summary, Rossana Morrone showed dignity and efficacy in her work, a pride of her director because according to my own reading of what I saw , it is indeed what Sophocles wanted to manifest in his "Electra, and if the after world exists, the great Greek man should have felt happy with this presentation of his play."
http://www.teatroenmiami.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4240
Rabinal Achi
Rabinal Achí, Precolombian Theater
by Luis de la Paz, Diario de Las Américas (translation)
The only space for alternative theater in the city, Camera Obscura, is going into ancient forms of expression, through a fresh look, and full of cultural nuances to Rabinal Achí, a pre-Colombian drama, which goes back to the Mayans, more specifically towards those established on the territory of Guatemala.
Jorge Luis Morejon and Thelos Theater Group took the text that has come to our days, to offer a comprehensive show, which includes extensive dialogues through monologues, dance rituals, the use of masks, costumes in accordance with the time represented, in addition to the a successful musical arrangement of Alexandro Danko Sieth, which integrates the elements specific to the region, such as flutes and drums. The unification of these components, has resulted in a successful proposal.
The story notes that the warrior Cavek Queche spied for 260 days and 260 nights on the strength of Rabinal, to kidnap and bring in the Lord of Rabinal. Subsequently, the warrior Rabinal Achí rescued his lord and captured the enemy warrior. At this point begins the work proposed by Morejon, when Rabinal Achí comes with the prisoner and begins to establish an angry dialogue where the two contenders hurl allegations at each other, highlighting the fights and adventures of each, until the final outcome, when the the prisoner is executed.
Using arena theatre as a resource and without any sets, as props a cane, and a mesh mask, Jorge Luis Morejon put into operation a successful dramatic structure that is smooth and precise, despite being a repetitive text with little scenic movement.
The interpretive work of Martin Mayen and Nick Perez as warriors is well accomplished. The first is very expressive, with a strong voice and fury to the surface. In the other hand, Perez has to perform, nearly all his participation, crawling on the floor covered by a mesh. Still, he reaches height in his interpretation. The play is an act of an hour and a half long without a break. During the "intermediate" part of it, it is almost incidental when the actors move from Spanish language (the language it starts with at the beginning), to English. Although the transition flows naturally, I do not see the reasons for the play to be bilingual, meaning that one par is in one language and then the other.
Rabinal Achí is an integral and necessary work in our multi-ethnic city. It is a wise move to offer the public this truly unique work, which hardly will return to the stage.
Rabinal Achí , Cultural Space Camera Obscura, 1165 SW 6 Street.. Rabinal Achí, Espacio Cultural Camera Obscura, 1165 SW 6 Street. Friday and Saturday 8:30 pm and Sunday2:00 pm. Suggested Donation:$ 20.00
Go Tour
By Ernesto Hernadez
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"What do yo expect from this festival in New York?
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The festival has been created to give support to the independent artists community in the United States, from there it derives that, in artistic terms, the festival will serve as a platform to expose our work to the New York audience. Practically, it will put us on the map the festival is trying to create and that includes independent arts communities from all over the country. I also expect precisely all that the festival offers, that it will help us to to take control of our vision through sharing information with other participants and organize our own tours. The information includes the places, presenters and resources to which potentially we will have access to through our work in this festival. I hope that Thelos will bring high the name of our city. Yuya Dola, our direction assistant, will be in charge of the group during the festival. I hope for them to have a good time, to have fun, and for Three Greek Women to have the same success that it has had in Miami."
http://www.teatroenmiami.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2684
Thelos went to New York with Three Greek Women. This was Thelos’ first production and its first invitation to perform outside of Miami and outside of Camera Obscura. "T2K, nyc notebook" announced Three Greek Women, among other pieces, in the “Road Show," the Field's Gotour mini-fest at ps 122, July 5, 2005.
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Three Greek Women (excerpt) Thelos Theater Group (THEATER - Miami, FL):
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"Three Greek Women works from the classic Greek texts of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, intertwining the stories of Clytemnestra, Antigone and Medea to create a new story."
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On its front page T2K explains how the “selection of the 14 acts representing GoTour's first anniversary celebration was equally democratic: "they selected one another. In January, GoTour invited members to define on a personal level -- in 500 words or less -- what it means to be an independent artist.”
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T2K quotes Jorge Luis Morejon:
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"For some of us," writes Thelos' Jorge Luis Morejon, "the format of independent work is a real necessity and the only way possible to be genuine, real and artistically uncompromising."