Artists from Camille A Brown and Dancers performing 'ink,' which will be presented this weekend at MASS MoCA in North Adams. Photo: AK47Division
Life In the Berkshires

Bits & Bytes: Camille A. Brown at MASS MoCA; ‘Voices of Poetry’ at the Mount; ‘Nickel and Dimed’ at Berkshire School; CoA luncheon

'Voices of Poetry' will feature five acclaimed poets: Doug Anderson, 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner Frank Bidart, Rage Hezekiah, Krysten Hill and Ellen Doré Watson.

by Emily Edelman
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Camille A. Brown and Dancers to present ‘ink’ at MASS MoCA

North Adams — MASS MoCA and Jacob’s Pillow will present Camille A. Brown and Dancers’ ‘ink’ Saturday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. at MASS MoCA.

Camille A. Brown. Photo: Whitney Browne

“Ink,” the final installation of choreographer Brown’s trilogy about identity (along with the Bessie Award-winning “Mr. TOL E. RAncE” and “BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play”), celebrates the rituals, gestural vocabulary and traditions that remain ingrained within the lineage of the African Diaspora. Reclaiming African-American narratives by examining the culture of black life that is often appropriated, rewritten or silenced, the choreography is an amalgamation of African-American social dance, African, tap, jazz, modern and hip-hop styles, accompanied by a live band led by Allison Miller that elides elements of blues, hip-hop, jazz and swing.

Brown is a prolific Black female choreographer whose work taps into both ancestral stories and contemporary culture to capture a range of deeply personal experiences. She is a four-time Princess Grace Award winner, a Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow, a Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award winner, a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, and a TED Fellow, among other distinctions. Her work has been commissioned by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Broadway theaters and other prominent institutions.

Tickets are $20-$75. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact MASS MoCA at (413) 662-2111 or info@massmoca.org.

–E.E.

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The Mount to host ‘Voices of Poetry’

Frank Bidart. Photo courtesy Voices of Poetry

Lenox — The Mount will host “Voices of Poetry” Saturday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m. featuring five acclaimed poets: Doug Anderson, 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner Frank Bidart, Rage Hezekiah, Krysten Hill and Ellen Doré Watson.

Founded by poet and activist Neil Silberblatt, VOP organizes readings featuring accomplished poets and writers and talented musicians at venues throughout New England and New York. Silberblatt is the host and administrator of the Voices of Poetry Facebook group, which has over 930 members including the 2014 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; several Pulitzer Prize nominees and National Book Award finalists; and many other fans of written, spoken and sung words.

Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for members of the Mount. Reservations are recommended. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Mount at (413) 551-5111 or info@edithwharton.org.

–E.E.

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The cast and crew of the Berkshire School production of ‘Nickel and Dimed.’ Front row: Nuweira Ahmed, Tess Haskel. Second row: Bridget Alamu, Claire Borchers, Gigi Brown, Maggie Shen. Third row: Annie
Rosenberg, Bailey Howard, Saul Salazar, Andrew Sperl. Back row: Leo Yang, Naomi
Gibson, Lisa Moon, Tad Koenigsbauer, Emily Liu and theater director Jesse Howard. Photo courtesy Berkshire School

Berkshire School to stage ‘Nickel and Dimed’

Sheffield — Berkshire School’s theater department stage “Nickel and Dimed” Thursday, Oct. 31, Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the school’s Allen Theater.

Written by Joan Holden and based on the 2001 New York Times bestselling book by Barbara Ehrenreich, the play is about an upper middle-class essayist who goes into low-wage jobs to find out if it’s possible to make ends meet on minimum wage. The play features local students Andrew Sperl of Chatham, New York, and Bailey Howard of Sheffield.

There is a $2 suggested donation at the door. Light refreshments will be available for sale at intermission, and the show runs for approximately two hours. Due to some coarse language, the play is recommended for those ages 13 and over. For more information, contact Berkshire School at (413) 229-8511.

–E.E.

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Councils on Aging to hold luncheon

South Egremont — The Egremont and Mount Washington councils on aging invite all seniors to a complimentary luncheon Wednesday, Nov. 6, at noon at the Egremont Village Inn.

The guest speaker will be Karen Quinn of AAA, who will talk about REAL ID and who needs one. REAL ID is a form of identification that meets increased security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, a REAL ID or a passport will be required to board a plane flying in the U.S. Quinn will also explain the application process and its correct documents.

A $5 donation is appreciated to assist the councils with costs. To make reservations, contact Will Brinker at Egremont Town Hall at (413) 528-0182 x17 or wbrinker@egremont-ma.gov by Monday, Nov. 4, and include dietary restrictions.

–E.E.