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Artists from Abroad in American Communities a Report on Center Stage 2O12 Center Stagesm Diplomacy Doesn’T Just Happen in Conference Rooms Or at Embassies

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Artists from Abroad in American Communities a Report on Center Stage 2O12 Center Stagesm Diplomacy Doesn’T Just Happen in Conference Rooms Or at Embassies artiStS from abroad in ameriCan CommunitieS a report on center stage 2o12 center stagesM diplomacy doesn’t just happen in conference rooms or at embassies. it can burst out in classrooms and dance studios, at town greens and landmarks, in coffee shops and art centers, moving from person to person. Center Stage brings cultural diplomacy to main Street america. it introduces artists from abroad to american communities, and invites american citizens to engage with contemporary artists from around the world—on Between June and stage and off. December of 2012, 10 ensembles from 3 countries visited artists touring in 2014 will be 49 communities in announced in July 2013. 27 states, reaching more than 63,000 people of all ages. nefa presents…Center Stage. image credits: (cover photos, from left to right, top to bottom): very live at everett: company, stage & school, providence, ri | photo: stacey boggs • noori at ann arbor summer festival, ann arbor, mi | photo: mohammed omer • zeb & haniya at global village festival, akron, oh | photo: yw luk • bélo’s band at a jam session with local musicians at connecticut college, new london, ct | photo: laura cianciolo • student drumming for compagnie de danse jean-rené delsoin at university of north carolina, wilmington, nc | photo: katherine freshwater • child with papermoon puppet theatre puppets at firstworks, providence, ri | photo: ehsun mizra • bélo performing at hibernian hall, roxbury, ma | photo: sancho maulion • bélo performing at hiberian hall, roxbury, ma | photo: sancho maulion • nan jombang rehearsing at redcat, los angeles, ca | photo: steven gunther (above): nan jombang at asia society, new york, ny | photo: kenji takigami Dear Friends, It is with great pleasure that I share this report on the pilot year of Center StageSM, a groundbreaking cultural engagement initiative of the U.S. Department of State. The arts are powerful. Alluring, vibrant, and bold, they help people connect. This is the driving force behind Center Stage, which brought 61 performing artists from Haiti, Indonesia, and Pakistan for month- long U.S. tours in 2012. Producing Center Stage has been an incredibly rich experience for NEFA—an opportunity to catalyze the undeniable power of the arts to transcend boundaries and cultivate mutual understanding—and a natural extension of our work connecting artists and communities locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. contents I offer my deep appreciation to all who made Center 2 Stage 2012 possible: the artists who dared to Center Stage 2012 embark on this journey with us, our government, our advisors, our artist management agency, the private 10 funders, community hosts, and presenters of all Artists & Tours stripes across the country. Here at NEFA, Adrienne Petrillo, the program’s manager, and many other staff, 20 deserve special thanks and kudos. Shared Experiences 21 While the concept of artists as ambassadors is not Community Impact new, cultural engagement and citizen diplomacy have never been more exciting. We hope you will join us 22 for Center Stage 2014. Thank You Very truly yours, 24 Partners Rebecca Blunk Executive Director 1 artiStS from abroad in ameriCan CommunitieS a report on center stage 2o12 Acclaimed at home but little- to California. known to many Americans, Center Stage is among the 10 performing arts ensembles most ambitious programs ever from Haiti, Indonesia, and designed to bring contemporary Pakistan made independent foreign artists into direct contact month-long tours to the U.S. in with people across a wide range 2012. The inaugural season of of American communities. An Center Stage featured a Sufi- initiative of the U.S. Department rock band from Lahore, a global of State’s Bureau of Educational troubadour from Islamabad, a and Cultural Affairs (ECA), female folk/pop duo from Lahore, the program is produced and comedians from Karachi, master administered by the New England Haitian troubadours and singer- Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) songwriters, puppetry and hip in partnership with Lisa Booth hop collectives from Yogyakarta, Management Inc. (LBMI). and power-house contemporary Funding for this multi-year effort dance from Port-au-Prince and was provided by ECA, the Robert Padang. Artists were hosted by Sterling Clark Foundation, the 49 communities in 27 states Asian Cultural Council, and the spanning east to west from Maine Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. 2 artiStS aS ambaSSadorS During their tours to the United displaying the profound and “When you hit that States, visiting artists described challenging imagination of their positive interaction Center Stage as a rare opportunity nations as well as the ways in with the audience, to move beyond ordinary which art forms of any country it’s not about where interactions, stereotypes, and develop in dialogue with global i come from, or the difficulties of the political culture. Universalities across where you come moment. They affirm that the cultural expression, epitomized in from; it’s about what combination of openness and Pakistan’s Sufi rock music scene we share; it’s about appreciation helped them and and Indonesia’s distinctive style what we share in their audiences take important of hip hop, to name just a few a fundamentally steps towards mutual respect examples, can present deeply human way.” and understanding. Center Stage meaningful opportunities for artists share the beauty and exchange and connection. – Ali Hamza rock band noori sophistication of their cultures, (lahore, Pakistan) reinvigorating Cultural diPlomaCY Center Stage uses the power of common misperceptions to the performing arts to transcend engage artists, audiences, and boundaries and cultivate community members alike as mutual understanding. Through citizen diplomats. Center Stage performances, workshops, demonstrates that the arts can artist-to-artist exchanges, and create goodwill at the grassroots community-level interactions, level, reinvigorating American the program takes participants cultural diplomacy. beyond the headlines and image credits (from left to right): ali hamza (noori), alicia adams (kennedy center), ann stock (u.s. department of state), ali noor (noori), rebecca blunk (nefa), and arieb azhar at the kennedy center | photo: daniel schwartz · danish ali of very live performing in providence, ri | photo: stacey boggs · ti-coca & wanga-nègès in richmond, va | photo: skip rowland photography, inc. 3 ConneCting artiStS & CommunitieS “verY visionary Unlike tours that bring networks of international artists indeed. this is a international artists to America’s and presenters and called for fantastic thing for our big cities and most prestigious nominations of contemporary State department venues, Center Stage combines musicians, dancers, and theater to fund and a great high-profile engagements with artists from those countries. thing for nefa to residencies and performances in They invited U.S. embassy administer.” small towns, mid-sized cities, and personnel, regional arts rural communities such as Bellows organizations, state arts agencies, – ellis Finger Williams Center Falls, Vermont; Bloomington, and individuals in the U.S. and for the arts Indiana; Gainesville, Florida; abroad knowledgeable about lafayette College (easton, Pa) Overland Park, Kansas; Helena, the performing arts to share the Montana; and Albuquerque, names of groups who might New Mexico. be suitable and effective cultural ambassadors. “tHanK You!!! 4 Choosing the right mix of letting the dancers international artists for Center “We were looking for creative come 2 Park! they Stage was, as Lisa Booth of minds and a younger generation were super duper LBMI explains, like piecing of artists who could develop new amaZing! ;)” together a giant puzzle. The State viewpoints about America,” Booth – student at Park Department identified seven explained later. Applications Middle school nations for initial consideration— poured in, and by the deadline, (lincoln, ne) Haiti, Indonesia, Mali, Pakistan, Center Stage staff were able to Senegal, Syria, and Turkey. NEFA forward 200 applications to a and LBMI activated their own distinguished advisory council: 4 Alicia Adams of the Kennedy Another important facet of “We were particularly Center, Bill Bragin of Lincoln these trips was to include interested in Haiti Center, Robert Browning of the representatives from American because it’s a country World Music Institute in New performing arts organizations, that is geographically York, Rachel Cooper of the providing the artists with direct quite close to the Asia Society, Asad Jafri, global access to U.S. presenters, Southeast, but has arts producer in Malaysia, and and engaging presenters as little representation Lily Kharrazi at the Alliance for ambassadors of the program both in our region other California Traditional Arts. This abroad and at home. than through the group helped to narrow the field national media (which to a selection of artists from Haiti, The advance trips yielded a more focuses primarily Indonesia, and Pakistan. nuanced perspective on each on the earthquake, country and allowed for some poverty and aidS). Curatorial decisions, however, happy surprises. In Islamabad, for While we did not were not left entirely to the instance, the Pakistani embassy want to ignore these written proposals and videotaped hosted a showcase where Center realities, we wanted work samples. NEFA and LBMI Stage staff could see artists in to explore these and needed to know that Center Stage live performance and meet them other issues
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