UWI stages Cuban play

 

 

Dr. Jorge Morejón, director of Maria Antonia.

Published: Sunday, March 31, 2013
By Desiree Seebaran

Female sexuality—and how it’s examined in art and media—is undergoing a kind of rediscovery. The controversial HBO hit series Girls is part of the new wave. Public outcry and discussion on major news networks about banning rape culture and slut shaming is another part.


And the final-year students of the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine’s Theatre Arts programme have also picked up on the trend. Their 2013 final year production is an oldie, but explores the much debated and intensely modern theme of a woman’s insi

stence on choice—in expressing her sexuality and spirituality and redefining her gender roles.

The class will present the Cuban play Maria Antonia at the Little Carib Theatre from April 4-7 and 12-14. Shows begin at 8 pm nightly, with Sunday shows starting at 6 pm.

“Maria Antonia takes place in a marginal neighborhood in Havana, Atares,” said Dr Jorge Morejón, the play’s director. “The students been able to establish parallels between the two cultures. The reality of Maria Antonia in the 1960s is not much different from the reality of today’s Cuba or Trinidad. Marginality is a culture in and of itself no matter where or in which timeframe it develops.”

A Cuban-American dance lecturer at UWI, St Augustine, Morejon is working with the students as both director and translator of the Cuban text, written in the 1960s by Eugenio Hernandez Espinosa. The class wanted to stretch themselves in Caribbean theatre, and choosing a play originally written in Spanish and Yoruba dialects seemed a good way to do that.

The cast is headed by Syntyche Bishop and Tafar Lewis, who share the role of Maria Antonia. Lewis is a veteran of the Secondary Schools Drama Festival and for three years has been a part of the cast of Seedrink, a local sketch comedy show on Gayelle. Bishop has made strong showings over the years at the Music Festival as part of the singing group

Suite Chorale and solo at various other singing competitions, so audiences can look forward to fierce and nuanced presentations of the black female lead. The feminist themes of the play have as much relevance today as they did when the play was first written, Morejón said. “Although women now have more opportunities to make intelligent choices about their future, their chances continue to be limited compared to those men have. Maria Antonia would have felt as trapped today as she feels in the world of the play. Poverty has its own cycle, which is often perpetuated by outer forces, such as the conditions of society, and inner ones such as lack of self-esteem, sense of powerlessness and hopelessness. These conditions continue to affect women when it comes to playing a more relevant role in today’s society,” he said.

• Tickets cost $100, with special discounts for tertiary and secondary school students. For more information, call 663-2222, e-mail mariaantoniauwi@gmail.com or follow the cast on Twitter @MariaAntoniaUWI

The Evolution of Dance: A Caribbean Perspective

Lecture on the evolution of Caribbean dance by Dr Jorge Luis Morejón, from UWI’s Department of Creative & Festival Arts, during a participatory presentation at the First Symposia of Decades of Dance, Dance Festival, on October 10, 2011 at Queen’s Hall.  (Photo: Anisto Alves from Trinidad Express Newspapers).

The Evolution of Dance: A Caribbean Perspective

Jorge Morejόn’s paper breaks new ground in using dance as a medium for interrogating aspects of Taino cosmology. Morejόn argues that Taino dance forms, particularly the areito, successfully withstood the encounter with Europeans, unlike the Taino population itself. His paper attempts to make a case for the inclusion of Taino dance in schools’ curricula, not merely its historical value, but even more importantly, for its potential in fostering community and self-discipline.  Cludius Fergus

History in Action Journal

http://www.mainlib.uwi.tt/epubs/historyaction/index.htm

Thanksgiving - Book Launch

Thanksgiving - Book Launch for Dr. Lyndersay and Mr. Gibbons on November 8th, 2012, at the NALIS audiovisual room in the National Library.  Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

 

 

The book launch was an event that took the form of a Thanksgiving ceremony. And by 'thanksgiving,' Marvin George, organizer and director of the program, meant "borrowing from the Spiritual Baptist/African understanding of the performance." The first part of the event was animated by the Festival Ensemble Dance with a dance for the African goddess Oshun and the second part by the Theatre Production II class, with excerpts from Rawle Gibbon's plays.  Both groups are from the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, Faculty of Humanities and Education, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.  The Festival Ensemble was integrated by dancers Ardia Yearwood, Janelle Young, Lashawna McLean, Karissa St.Louis and Amanda Bertrand.  The piece was choreographed by Dr. Jorge Luis Morejon.  The dancers' makeup was done by Nikihsia Benjamin. 

As noted by Mr. George in his produciton notes, Dr. Lyndersay and Mr. Gibbons both regard the occasion as their giving thanks for these works; fruits of their years of labour. Thus, the content of the two books was given a performance frame within which they could be located. Dr. Lyndersay's book surveys a range of Nigerian ethnic wear, from varying ethnicities that she made contact with in Nigeria. Mr. Gibbons' book is a collection of three plays, whose action, style and content are crafted from the poetics of traditional African cultural practices and narratives, as they are known in Trinidad.

Based on Mr. George's notes, the thanksgiving idea was used as the 'performance crucible' of this myriad of African and African Creole content.  Thanksgiving was the device to give ceremony to the occasion, and by extension, to occasion the books' content at the ceremony.  "Because possession is so important to these rites," says George, "the performance used its time-space shifting poetics, to move in and out of plays and images and speeches. Shifts happened simply with sound sometimes. " The players all woar white; pure white dresses, headties, trousers and shirts. "Strips of colour or traditional African wear - as provided by Dr. Lyndersay's collection/wardrobe, added an African touch to the sets displayed in the lobby of the space . "The images of traditional dress, from Dr. Lyndersay's research appeared... like a visitation, punctuating the programme" as they were projected on a screen that served as backdrop.

The programme's speakers were introduced via a 'pointer' (Edna) who, in trance, called the name of a presenter. The presenter entered, did as s/he was invited to do, and the pointer moved the programme further using the same method.  At one point the theatrical chorus from the Production II class, enters the room to bring the event to a grand finale.  There was a table on which, the books were placed. It was well decorated like an alter or table at a thanksgiving. The action took place around this table and the authors wigned copies of their books. 

 

Video

https://youtu.be/bPRBCg_QbRE?si=LOWseUAhFNjjYZye

 

 

Comments

Thanks deeply for last night's launch. Not sure I said it quite as I should have, but the work put in by Marvin, Jorge and the students was truly impressive and moving. Every aspect of the event was thoroughly managed by the class and the event conceptualized and performed powerfully. We've done launches before, but I'm sure I speak on behalf of both Dani and myself when I say that now at the other end, it was new and special experience to walk into the space, relax and simply slip into the flow." Mr. Rawle Gibbons

The unique ThanksGIVING which you and your tremendously creative, sensitive and energetic team of dancers, actors, musicians, designers, ushers & well-wishers created last evening.... is a once in a lifetime experience!!! Thank you, and thank you, and thank youuuuuuuuuuu. “I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom.” (Anonymous) It also has endless love for all of you." Dr. Danielle Lyndersay

 

"Allow me to extend the Department’s gratitude and my own as well to Mr. George, Ms. Quamina and Dr. Morejon for the superb artistic direction and most importantly firing up the students with the enthusiasm to pull over the production with such energy and class." Mr. Jessel Murray

"Thanks for including me ( not a moment too soon ) as a witness to the "Book Launch and Thanksgiving" yesterday. It was special and lovely- as Gordon, Funzo and others hovered as ancestral guardians over the celebration while and the youth of DCFA took centre stage. The setting was just large enough to accommodate all, and intimate enough for the flow of events, sound and staging- some display of spatial skills for movement and audience-centering in the training at DCFA! The manifestation of visuals, spoken word, sound, music and chants were innovatively-woven into interspersing "book reviews", "reflection of community as central experience for the theatre here( This caused me to ponder on the techniques and engagement spiritually that you unobtrusively engage with- like Raviji's "Pichacaree", the Rada traditions and the Drum ceremonies, etc ( It will be interesting to hear your recall of Belmont and its environs as a point of significant influence in your birthing to community in T&T). As content, we were regaled with great insights intellectually, warm encounter, great artistic ( though unobtrusive ) representationof less publicly- acclaimed cultures, even counterposed ( in a positive sense ) by the authoritative welcome and headship lines of Jessel Murray. I felt appreciated to be made a witness, and am happy for both you and Dani- as every book sold would not hurt your penny bank." Mr. Roderick Sanatan

Cafe XV: the Journey of Cuban Artists Symposium

Graphic Art by Leandro Soto

Café XV: the Journeys of Cuban Artists Symposium at UWI, Cave Hill, was a cultural event where Ms. Linda Bair and Dr. Jorge Luis Morejon, along with other presenters, discussed ideas about diasporic communication, the arts, cultural retention and collaboration outside the diaspora. They also presented the dance piece My Hands, Tus Brazos with Solodos Dance which in the context of the symposium illustrated the diasporic issues discussed, but through the creative process used in dance. The symposium invited other important presenters such as key speaker Achy Obejas, Lecturer Dr. Grisel Pujala and Performance Artist Leandro Soto.  In the audience there were present the Cuban Ambassador in Barbados, the Cuban Consul, representatives of the Canadian Embassy, UWI students and other audience members.

Carpentier en Barbados: El Siglo de las Luces

From left to right, Leandro Soto, Linda Bair and Jorge Luis Morejon.

The event took place in the NuEdge Gallery, at the Limegrove Lyfestyle Centre Holetown,

St. James, Barbados on October 26, 2012

Carpertier in Barbados 

 

 Video: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/232984234

 

The performance piece Carpentier en Barbados: El siglo de las luces was part of Café XV: the Journeys of Cuban Artists, a yearly event curated and directed by visual and performance artist Leandro Soto and Dr. Grisel Pujala respectively. Dr. Pujala is also a lecturer at UWI, Cave Hill. As part of Solodos Dance, Dr. Jorge Luis Morejon was able to play three of the male characters of Carpentier’s novel El siglo de las luces (literally The Century of Enlightenment), titled in English Explosion in the Cathedral, while Ms. Linda Bair played Sofia, the most important female character in the story.  Leandro Soto played Alejo Carpentier, the writer himself. The event invited dancer, chorographer and lecturer Neri Torres, who interpreted a dance for Afro-Cuban goddess Oshun.

Changing Higher Education

Dr. Jorge Luis Morejon participated in the 3^rd Barbados International Conference on Higher Education and Human Resources Development, which took place from October 21 – 24, 2012 in the Hilton Hotel at St. Michael, Barbados.  The title of his paper was Changing Higher Education Paradigms: Crafting New Multidisciplinary Educational Programs and Policies.  Dr. Morejon had the pleasure of sharing his paper with a numerous audience of educators from different fields of study who for the first time were faced with the benefits of the arts as catalyst in the acquisition of technological and scientific knowledge. The presentation was part of an attempt to develop Higher Education research in the area of the arts.  In his study he considered the implementation of the arts across Higher Education curricula as a way to improve Higher Education pedagogy, communication between fields of study and professional environments, quality of multidisciplinary education and cognitive as well as embodied learning structures.

Conference: 54 International Congress of Americanists

“Building dialogues in the Americas."

Paper Title: Performance Ritual in the Cuban Diaspora."

University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. July 5 – 20, 2012.

LINK: http://lai.at/54-ica-international-congress-of-americanists