Interdisciplinary dance works giving artistic voice to Asian Americans

ImprovisAsians 2013! Re(al)liance: Music, Collaboration, & Resistance April 15th – 18th!

Francis_Hafez by Andy Nozaka_1870671-R5-049-23

ImprovisAsians 2013!

Re(al)liance: Music, Collaboration, and Resistance

Sponsored by Asian Improv aRts in association with The Departments of Music and Dance and American Indian Studies at
San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA

This twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Asian Improv’s annual series of workshops and concerts at San Francisco State University, ImprovisAsians! will explore the role of performance as a community-organizing method enabling “re(al)liance” through shared histories of music, collaboration, and resistance.

All events will take place on the San Francisco State University campus.

Admission is free and open to the public for all events.

Monday, April 15th

1:10-2pm, Knuth Hall, Creative Arts Building, Room 132: Shiraz Quartet Reunion with James Norton and Hafez Modirzadeh (winds), joined by John Shifflett (bass) and Jason Lewis (drums)

2:10-3:25pm, Burk Hall 225 “The Art of Agency I”: a performance and discussion featuring Francis Wong (winds), Wesley Ueunten (sanshin – 3 string Okinawan lute), and Lenora Lee (dance).

Tuesday, April 16th

3:35-4:50, Creative Arts Building, Room 152: “The Art of Agency II”: a performance and discussion featuring John-Carlos Perea (bass, flute, voice),Wesley Ueunten, Francis Wong, and Lenora Lee.

5:30-7:30pm, Creative Arts Building, Room 152: Performing Re(al)liances: A roundtable discussion on the use of music in Chinese American, Native American, and Palestinian communities in relation to histories of occupation, relocation, and alliance building. Guests to include Dr Jess Ghanam (UCSF), Susan Greene (Break the Silence Media and Arts Project), Genny Lim (poet laureate), Francis Wong (AIR), and Dr John-Carlos Perea (AIS, SFSU).

Wednesday, April 17th

1:10-2pm, Knuth Hall, Creative Arts Building, Room 132: John-Carlos Perea Trio with Masaru Koga and Karl Evangelista. Over the course of their careers AIR co-founders Jang and Wong have cited the important influence of Creek and Kaw saxophonist Jim Pepper on their artistic visions. This performance will feature Pepper’s compositions alongside indigenized versions of jazz standards arranged by Perea.

Thursday, April 18th

3:30-5:30, Creative Arts Building, Room 146: Creative World Ensemble Master class with Dr Hafez Modirzadeh, focusing on original student works to accompany live poetry by Avotcja from her newly published book, “With Every Step I Take”.

6:10-8:50, Creative Arts Building, Room 152: “Art, Entrepreneurship, and Activism”: A roundtable discussion with Jon Jang, Francis Wong, Lenora Lee, and Melody Takata.

For more information: www.asianimprov.org

Photo by Andy Nozaka

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