Last night I was privileged to be invited by CounterPulse to shoot their annual artist residency program, Performing Diaspora. Located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, CounterPulse is an essential local arts organization that gives a voice to performing artists whose message would otherwise not be heard. I’ve been a fan for a while, and this was my first opportunity to photography one of their performances. Performing Diaspora 2016 runs through December 4.
The program is comprised of two pieces, each designed and choreographed by an artist-in-residence and each presenting a theme related to the links between cultural tradition and transformation, between keeping tradition alive and assimilating. I found both pieces to be very powerful and moving. In this post, I share a few images from the event along with a few words describing the main themes I gleaned from the evening. And of course there are some tips about how to make good images under these challenging shooting conditions.
The first piece, “silbihan,” was conceived, directed, and danced by Filipino-American artist Samantha “SAMMAY” Penaflor Dizon. Layering dance with voiceover, music, and projected video, this piece traces a journey from the traditional culture of the Philippines to life today in the USA. The key message I took away is that our cultural underpinnings are within each of us, and when the time is right we will discover how they inform and inspire us.
Artist SAMMAY dances in front of a projected video depicting traditional life in the Philippines. To make this image, I used a fast portrait lens and high ISO setting to allow a reasonably fast shutter speed in the low light conditions of the theater. Care needs to be taken in these situations to render the color balance acceptably in the mixed lighting conditions. Buy this photo
Later in her piece, SAMMAY, now resplendent in bright traditional dance attire with cape, resolves the tension from the earlier segments in a whirl of color and motion. Here it was important to find a suitable shutter speed that would freeze most of her motion but still allow some of her gestures to be captured as a blur. Buy this photo
The second and final piece in the program is entitled “unending.” Choreographed, danced, and directed by dana e. fitchett, the work also incorporates three additional dancers and music in a wide range of styles. I enjoyed this piece for its sheer physicality and also for the message of tension giving rise to hope that we all can support each other regardless of our backgrounds.
Director dana e. fitchett expresses her themes through patterns of movement. The mixed LED lighting was especially challenging in this piece, so in post-processing of my RAW image files I paid careful attention to color balance in an attempt to render colors as naturally as I could. Buy this photo
The patterns established by artist dana early in her piece progress into larger patterns with the addition of several more dancers. Themes I took away include tension resolving into acceptance and support. Here I capture a particular moment when the performers are moving from opposition to synchronicity. Buy this photo
To me, CounterPulse holds a special place in the vibrant and varied San Francisco Bay Area arts scene because they encourage experimentation and interpretation of cultural diversity. Performing Diaspora 2016 is a terrific program featuring talented artists who deserve to be seen and heard. As a photographer, I feel privileged when my work can further valuable causes such as theirs. If you live in the SF Bay Area, please try to attend one of the remaining shows.
What performances move you? Have you attended, or photographed, events that inspired you to open your mind to new ways of thinking? Please share your thoughts here.