MASS MoCA to open exhibit by Brendan Fernandes and nibia pastrana santiago
NORTH ADAMS — MASS MoCA will present “Choreopolitics: Brendan Fernandes and nibia pastrana santiago,” on view beginning Saturday, April 9. The exhibition juxtaposes the work of the two multidisciplinary artists, who use dance to resist, heal, and connect. “Choreopolitics” is curated by McClain Groff, a graduate curatorial fellow in the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
Both Fernandes and pastrana santiago previously trained in ballet, and through their work, invert the style’s demands for spectacle, grace, and the illusion of ease. Fernandes reshapes and expands ballet through classical technique and experimental movement that challenge social and political spaces of hegemony. pastrana santiago harnesses laziness and exhaustion as a means of critiquing labor practices and training structures in ballet and the dance field more broadly. Together, their works exemplify what performance studies scholar André Lepecki calls “choreopolitics” — or planned and persistent movements of freedom — by confronting dance’s histories of colonialism and marginalization, while also pointing to the form’s potential for resistance.
Fernandes’ work addresses issues of race, queer culture, and other forms of collective movement and protest through the examining and reimagining of ballet. His “As One” series (2017), which features photographs of classically posed ballet dancers alongside African masks, focuses on the disciplining, display, and mastery of bodies within the imperial museum space, which often viewed African dance culture as exotic and primitive in comparison. His video, “Free Fall: For Camera” (2019), which was inspired by the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016, features a group of dancers continually falling and rising, en masse. Fernandes emphasizes the dancers’ repeated return to verticality, after falling, as an expression of collective solidarity and resistance.
pastrana santiago uses moments of stillness and slowness in her work as not only a critique of capitalism and privilege, but as a challenge to the viewer’s expectation of dance as entertainment or spectacle. Born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, her work often visualizes and articulates the Puerto Rican experience, one marred by debt, dispossession, and displacement. In the video “NO MORE EFFORTS” (2020), pastrana santiago herself cycles between the extremes of exhaustive and mundane movement, set in locales that highlight Puerto Rico’s long-standing economic struggles and the class-based dichotomy between leisure and laziness. Her text “the lazy dancer” (2013) recalls American dancer and choreographer Yvonne Rainer’s “No Manifesto” of 1965 and declares the artist’s resistance to traditional forms of dance, outlining the tenets of a radical new approach.
—A.K.
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Great Barrington Democrats to elect delegates to State Convention March 5
GREAT BARRINGTON — On Saturday, March 5 at 9:30 a.m., Democrats will convene virtually and at the Claire Teague Senior Center (927 South Main St. in Great Barrington) to elect 6 delegates and 4 alternates to represent Great Barrington at the 2022 State Democratic Convention. This caucus will take place in line with public health guidance, and attendees may participate remotely by registering at this website.
Registered and pre-registered Democrats in Great Barrington who are 16 years old by February 4, 2022 may vote and be elected as delegates or alternates during the caucus. Youth (those ages 16–35), people with disabilities, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community who are not elected as delegates or alternates are encouraged to apply to be add-on delegates, either at the caucus or by visiting the Mass Dems website.
The 2022 Convention will be a hybrid convention, with in-person proceedings taking place alongside options for virtual participation, on June 3 and 4 at the DCU Center in Worcester. Delegates will convene to endorse candidates for statewide office ahead of the September Democratic Primary.
Those interested in getting involved with the Great Barrington Town Democratic Committee should contact Michael Wise at michaelowise@mac.com or 413-854-1323.
—A.K.
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Mass Audubon announces March programming for Berkshire County
BERKSHIRE COUNTY — Mass Audubon has announced its lineup of March events in Berkshire County, which includes workshops in Lenox, Sheffield, and Pittsfield. Pre-registration is required for all events.
Tracking Workshop: Predator and Prey
Saturday, March 5, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Lime Kiln Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Sheffield
Members: $15, Nonmembers: $20
Join a Mass Audubon naturalist to explore wildlife tracking at Lime Kiln Farm. Walk through fields and forests searching for tracks, scat, and signs of the delicate but exciting interactions between predators and their prey. Search for signs of coyotes, foxes, deer, and rabbits. Dress for the weather and prepare for uneven terrain. Snowshoes or other traction assistance may be required depending on conditions.
Birding Workshop: Winter Raptors
Saturday, March 5, 4–7 p.m.
Community Gardens, 350 Williams St., Pittsfield
Members: $22, Nonmembers: $28
Dive into the world of avian predators and how they spend the winter. From the daytime hawks perched on tree tops to the secretive evening owls, there are many birds of prey that winter in the Berkshires. Learn about raptor movements, behavior, and where to find them. Beginning at Canoe Meadows, travel to multiple locations searching for diurnal raptors and continue on after dark when the owls begin to hunt. Dress for the weather and bring your own binoculars and spotting scope, and prepare for uneven terrain. Snowshoes or other traction assistance may be required depending on conditions.
Sky Dance of the American Woodcock
Wednesday, March 16, 7–8 p.m.
Lime Kiln Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Sheffield
Members: $7, Nonmembers: $10
When the sun sets in early spring, woodcock love is in the air. Wet meadows and fields are transformed into a “runway” for their beautiful aerial courtship display. Visit the meadows to listen and watch for the woodcocks’ performances on their breeding grounds. Viewing their sky dance is a natural spectacle that should not be missed. Dress for the weather. Bring binoculars and waterproof boots. Subject to change based on weather.
Sky Dance of the American Woodcock
Friday, March 18, 7–8 p.m.
Lime Kiln Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Sheffield
Members: $7, Nonmembers: $10
When the sun sets in early spring, woodcock love is in the air. Wet meadows and fields are transformed into a “runway” for their beautiful aerial courtship display. Visit the meadows to listen and watch for the woodcocks’ performances on their breeding grounds. Viewing their sky dance is a natural spectacle that should not be missed. Dress for the weather. Bring binoculars and waterproof boots. Subject to change based on weather.
Sky Dance of the American Woodcock
Wednesday, March 23, 7–8 p.m.
Housatonic Wildlife Management Area, Lenox
Members: $7, Nonmembers: $10
When the sun sets in early spring, woodcock love is in the air. Wet meadows and fields are transformed into a “runway” for their beautiful aerial courtship display. Visit our meadows to listen and watch for the woodcock’s performance on their breeding grounds. Viewing the woodcock’s sky dance is a natural spectacle that should not be missed. Dress for the weather. Bring binoculars and waterproof boots if you have them. Subject to change based on weather.
Sky Dance of the American Woodcock
Friday, March 25, 7–8 p.m.
Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Pittsfield
Members: $7, Nonmembers: $10
When the sun sets in early spring, woodcock love is in the air. Wet meadows and fields are transformed into a “runway” for their beautiful aerial courtship display. Visit the meadows to listen and watch for the woodcocks’ performances on their breeding grounds. Viewing their sky dance is a natural spectacle that should not be missed. Dress for the weather. Bring binoculars and waterproof boots. Subject to change based on weather.
Birding Workshop: Spring Wetlands and Waterbirds
Saturday, March 26, 8–11 a.m.
Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Pittsfield
Members: $22, Nonmembers: $28
Step into the early spring wetlands for opportunities to see early migration waterbirds like ducks, herons, and sparrows. Begin the journey at Canoe Meadows and travel to a few locations in and around the Housatonic Wildlife Management Area. Focusing on how to find early birds in wetlands, discuss the songs, calls, and intricate behaviors of wetland birds. Dress for the weather and prepare for uneven and wet terrain. Waterproof boots are a good option for footwear. Bring your own binoculars and spotting scope.
—A.K.
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Spencertown Academy to host talk by author Dorothy Wickenden
SPENCERTOWN, N.Y. — Spencertown Academy Arts Center, in collaboration with the Chatham Bookstore, will present Dorothy Wickenden, author of “The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights” (Scribner) on Saturday, March 12 at 2 p.m. She will be joined in conversation with author Winifred Gallagher. Advance reservations are required. Tickets ($10) are available online.
Wickenden is the executive editor of The New Yorker and the host of its weekly podcast “Politics and More.” In “The Agitators,” she tells the stories of abolition, the Underground Railroad, the early women’s rights movement, and the Civil War. These crucial American stories are enriched by glimpsing them through the friendship of exceptional women who spent decades violating the laws and conventions of their time.
Gallagher is author of 10 books, including “New Women in the Old West: From Settlers to Suffragists, an Untold American Story” (Penguin Press) and “Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life” (Penguin Books), which was a New York Times best-seller.
Books by both authors will be for sale and the authors will be available to sign them after the conversation. Ticket holders will receive 10 percent off books purchased at the event.
Proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test will be required for admission, seating will be distanced and limited, and masks will be required for audience members while in the building.
—A.K.
