Check out footage from the official Festival press launch at Lansdowne Bar & Grill. See key Festival players Mary Lou Aleskie, Executive Director, Gordon Geballe, Chairman of the Board, and Festival collaborators from the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the City of New Haven.

Dear Friends,

Do you remember the summer of 2010 when Elizabeth Alexander interviewed Bill T. Jones at the Festival just a day after his landmark Tony Award for choreography in Fela!? And were you with us in 2011 to catch Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company’s stirring reflection on Lincoln in SERENADE – THE PROPOSITION? Or to witness the origins of this important American artist’s work in his early career dance BODY AGAINST BODY?

And what excites me about this coming week is that Fela! at the Shubert will feature the same lead actor and many of the same cast members as the Broadway production! I must admit that I danced in the aisles. I am sure you will too. Don’t miss it.

“9/11 is a litmus test of our humanity”…
Bill T. Jones, choreographer/director
(link to video)

With the precision and directness of a lightening bolt, in words and movement Bill has the amazing ability to wake us up, to get our attention, to make us think. What a monotone place the world would be without him and artists like him.

I just returned from Edinburgh where I was fortunate enough to be an invited delegate of the British Council along with 200 colleagues from around the world to the British Showcase at the famed Edinburgh Fringe.

I have recently been feeling a heightened sense of awe toward the world of the performing artist. This is a world that takes an idea and turns it into an animated form of self-expression that requires the artistry and attention of others for its realization. This is a world of trust that turns the thoughts and inspiration of the individual into a community of sharing. It is a world that can only exist in its interdependence and the trust that comes from believing in those around you.

On the surface this seems to me a stunning leap of faith especially in a world as volatile and cynical as ours can be. Yet it is our artists who work together, who depend on one another to create. Their collaborations remind us of the possibility, the hope, and the wonder of our common humanity.

This notion struck me while watching an exquisite performance of the Scottish Royal Ballet in a newly choreographed work set to an unlikely but delightful pairing of Steve Reich and Mozart. I began to think about the battalion of faceless creators across the ages from Mozart himself to the dancers, designers, musicians, coaches, and more, all working together to share their collective creation with room after room full of expectant observers whom they hoped to delight. And there we were, all of us sitting in the dark, measuring the result of the performance though our own lens, reaping the benefit of artistic collaboration which stretched not only across disciplines, but across time.

What an awe-inspiring act of hopeful wonder is this world of the performing artist as a model for life in an interdependent world where the hopes and dreams of the many are made possible through thoughtful and responsible actions of individuals.

With this in mind, it is gratifying to know that political thinker and scholar, Benjamin Barber, has put artists at the center of his Interdependence Day celebration coming up this weekend in New York. The Festival is happy to be a program partner of this initiative with the online broadcast of our MUSIC, WARFARE AND THE SOLDIER’S STORY panel featuring a discussion on the role of music in warfare led by WNYC’s John Schaeffer, composer David T. Little, decorated veteran Moe Armstrong, and Musicorp founder, Arthur Bloom.

We invite you to embrace our collective interdependence by attending the Interdependence Celebration and Forum either online or live in New York. It is free and not too late to register.  Whatever you decide to do this weekend, take a moment to consider what it means for each of us to live in the world as “citizens without borders.” Let us recognize our responsibilities to each other as human beings and perhaps consider our personal “litmus test for our humanity.” In addition to connecting online with the Interdependent Movement, I am looking forward to a pot luck dinner with neighbors.

Freshlyground brings their unique blend of rock, jazz and Afro-pop to The New Haven Green tonight in our Festival Grand Finale! The band consists of seven talented and diverse musicians from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The combination results in an Freshlyground’s infectious, undeniably groovy sound that has thrilled live audiences around the world. Last year, Freshlyground was the featured band in Shakira’s Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Meet them here and then see highlights from their sound check prior to their free concert on the New Haven Green.

“Making Up the Truth” Extended by Popular Demand! from International Festival of Arts & on Vimeo.

Think you’ve missed your chance to see Making Up the Truth ? Think again! Due to popular demand, we’ve added an additional show tomorrow at Long Wharf Theater Stage II, Saturday June 25th at 1:00pm! Meet Jack Hitt here and check out a preview of the show, then visit the box office at Long Wharf or the Shubert Theater for tickets!

How does the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company encourage art and ideas within the community of education?

Bill says that making art allows him to participate in the world of ideas – and it is important to Bill and all of us in the Company to share that process with the education community. We don’t just teach master classes and set work on students; our education philosophy extends simply learning choreography. We want students to grasp the choreographer’s intentions and interests; understand the social/political context if applicable; learn how the material was generated and developed. In the end, we hope this enables students to perform the work from a deeper place while inspiring them to develop their own art and ideas.

Our theme this year is “Across Borders, Beyond Time”. How does the performance Body Against Body fit into this theme?
Body Against Body includes two early, seminal duets by Bill and Arnie: Monkey Run Road (1979) and Blauvelt Mountain (A Fiction) (1980). These two pieces were their signature works – imbued with their formal artistic concerns, the world around them, and the life they shared – and were created before the Company was formed. In my opinion, these works transcend the limits of time and taste. The rigor and craft of the form and content prevent them from being stylized and narcissistic; they take on new life with each set of performers. They demand that the performers give not only their skilled artistry but also that personal and sometimes nebulous, subconscious space so they may enter that place between performance and life.

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company was born based on a series of collaborations. Why is it so important to collaborate within the artist community?

I believe that the Company was born out of Bill and Arnie’s desire to have a “child” when the world was saying they could not, and to create a Company that looked like the world that they wanted to live in. Their early visions informed the Company’s commitment to artistic collaboration and our ongoing work with artists across disciplines – visual artists, designers, composers, musicians, etc. Drawing on the expertise and talent of other artists enhances our own work as dancers and choreographers. Each person’s contribution informs and influences another.
On his blog, Bill T. Jones commented, “With each work we make, with each appearance on stage and in the media, we are – willing or not – engaged in the game or task of influence.” Who and what is it that you wish you influence with the performance of Serenade/The Proposition?
I hope audience members see Serenade not merely as a rumination on history and the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, but also as a reminder that we are the authors of our own stories…

Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company from International Festival of Arts & on Vimeo.

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company brings two extraordinary productions to The International Festival of Arts & Ideas. Body Against Body (tonight only!) is a recreation of a revolutionary work originally performed by Jones and his partner Arnie Zane in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s that forms an exploration of racial and gender issues. Serenade/The Proposition (Friday night and Saturday matinee), is a reflection on the life and work of Abraham Lincoln that blends social, political and historical themes in a stunning performance that features an original score. Meet Janet Wong, Associate Artistic Director for the Company, then come see these bold, eclectic performances at the University Theater!

Join us for Freedom’s Journey from International Festival of Arts & on Vimeo.

Freedom’s Journey is the International Festival of Arts & Ideas’ exploration into the progression of civil rights in The United States and in the state of Connecticut. As part of Freedom’s Journey, six poets were commissioned to write new poems about historic sites along Connecticut’s Freedom Trail. On Thursday June 23, poets Kate Rushin, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Jarita Davis, Randall Horton and Bessy Reyna will recite their poems as part of “Freedom’s Journey: Poetic Reflections on African-American Legacies.” This Ideas program features Robert Stanton Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior, former Director of the National Park Service, and noted African-American environmentalist who will talk about the importance to preserve and commemorate heritage sites. Learn about Freedom’s Journey here, then join us at the Yale University Art Gallery tomorrow at 5:30 for this significant event.

Meet the Creators of Soldier Songs from International Festival of Arts & on Vimeo.

Soldier Songs blends rock-infused-concert music, theater, opera and projected animation together in an examination of war and its impact on the lives of soldiers. The piece is based upon interviews composer David T. Little performed with veterans of five wars. It follows the life of the soldier from childhood perceptions of war, the actual war experience and the issues they face upon their return home. You won’t want to miss this timely work created by one of today’s “next generation” classical composers.

Are we all “Making Up the Truth?” from International Festival of Arts & on Vimeo.

Making Up the Truth, a new one-man show written and performed by Jack Hitt, features Hitt’s extravagant, almost unbelievably true tales as he explores the science behind storytelling in search of the answer to the question “Why do these things always happen to me?” The answer makes for an equally astounding and entertaining story in itself. So come find your own “Truth” this week at Long Wharf Theater, Stage II!