Tag Archives: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

Clarice Smith presents Can’t Kill Us All and Tough Skin, Oct 27, 5:30PM, Online

ACTNow: Far From The Norm and TL Collective
Dance and Film Activism
Dance Artist Botis Seva
Filmmaker Ben Williams
Composer Torben Lars Sylvest
Far From the Norm: Can’t Kill Us All
TL Collective: Tough Skin

Tuesday, October 27, 2020 . 5:30PM

By: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Click here.
This event will be archived for future viewing.

Two dance companies present intimate short films followed by a live virtual Q&A moderated by Associate Professor of American Studies La Marr Jurelle Bruce, an interdisciplinary humanities scholar, critical theorist and Afromanticist.

Far From The Norm’s CAN’T KILL US ALL unravels one man’s mental unrest as he navigates the turbulence of dealing with two global pandemics. This theatrical experience combines hip-hop theatre and film, revealing the deterioration of a man’s emotional sanity and physical stability as he confronts life in lockdown. From reflecting on childhood memories, to reliving trauma experienced by Black bodies, CAN’T KILL US ALL pushes through the darkness to find light, humility and peace.

TL Collective’s Tough Skin presents four humans from completely different backgrounds and cultures. The film is a captivating visual representation of what it looks like to stay committed to connection and humanity even in dire circumstances.

From themes of racial violence and cultural appropriation to multiculturalism and gender equality, the work of The Clarice’s 2020-21 visiting artists is complex, provocative and deeply sensitive. Arts Citizenship Talks (ACTnow) are opportunities to hear from these artists about the issues reflected in their works. These conversations are an invitation to act now!

Engagement on Campus and in the Community: Throughout Fall 2020, Botis Seva and members of Far From The Norm will virtually visit students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies to discuss their work and choreographic technique. Micaela Taylor and members of TL Collective will also visit students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. In addition, Micaela Taylor is participating in The Clarice’s BlackLight Summit as a member of the summit Career Readiness mentorship team.

Film Credits:

CAN’T KILL US ALL

Produced by Far From The Norm, CAN’T KILL US ALL is a collaboration from 3 original voices working in hip-hop theatre: dance artist Botis Seva, filmmaker Ben Williams and composer Torben Lars Sylvest. CAN’T KILL US ALL is co-commissioned by Arts Council England, BBC and The Space.

This engagement of Far From The Norm is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support has been provided by the Maryland State Arts Council and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

Free, No Tickets Required, Online here.

Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Online, Vimeo, Free Performance, ACTNow, Far From The Norm, TL Collective, Can’t Kill Us All, Botis Seva, Ben Williams, Torben Lars Sylvest

Postponed: The Final Genocide at Joe’s Movement Emporium, Oct 16

NextLOOK: Dominic Green
The Final Genocide
Friday, October 16, 2020 . 7PM

Postponed to January 15, 2021.

Location: Joe’s Movement Emporium

This performance will be presented in person at Joe’s Movement Emporium’s Outdoor Stage. Limited and socially distant seats will be available through their website. Masks are required to attend.

Set in the year 2093, this theatre work follows Davu, a young black man, through the ruins of a futuristic African-American history museum. There, Davu encounters androids who help him uncover a past unrealized, as they reenact stories of both the heroism and the destruction of Davu’s predecessors. The Final Genocide is a story of the possibilities and dangers faced by black men in America.

This event is part of NextLOOK. In partnership with Joe’s Movement Emporium, NextLOOK supports the development of new music, plays, dance and other experiences by regionally-based performing artists. These artists are mentored by seasoned arts administrators from The Clarice and Joe’s Movement Emporium to construct innovative methods of deepening the audience’s involvement in their creative process. By removing logistical barriers of cost and space and providing a sounding board for artists creating new work, NextLOOK invests in the regional arts ecology and creates an accessible, exploratory environment that connects intriguing artists with adventurous audiences.

Tickets start at $5, pay what you wish. Click here.

Joe’s Movement Emporium, Mount Rainier Maryland, Dominic Green, The Final Genocide, NextLOOK, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland

Clarice Smith presents We’re Breathing: A Queer Open Mic, Oct 15 at 5:30pm, Online

We’re Breathing: A Queer Open Mic Night
Presented by NextNOW Fest, the UMD LGBT Equity Center & the UMD Office of Multicultural Involvement Community Advocacy

Thursday, October 15, 2020 . 5:30PM

By: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Click here.

“We’re Breathing: A Queer Open Mic” continues a longstanding tradition in queer communities of coming out, calling in and confronting power by sharing our lived experiences. Honoring National Coming Out Day, we pay homage to all acts of courage and queer brilliance. This virtual open mic event serves as a space to celebrate authenticity in any form. Join us for a night of community and performance and a special appearance by our featured artist Alicia Ortiz.

Interested in performing? Be sure to indicate at the bottom of this form! Registrations are due Tue, Oct 13 for folx interested in performing.

Registrants will receive access links the day of the event.

Free, Registration Required, Online here.

Clarice Smith presents Hip-Hop in the White Space, Sep 29, 5:30PM, Online

Clarice Smith presents Hip-Hop in the White Space, Sep 29, 5:30PM, Online

ACTNow with Far From The Norm
Hip-Hop in the White Space
Tariq O’Meally, moderator
Botis Seva, artistic director – Far From The Norm

Tuesday, September 29, 2020 . 5:30PM

By: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Click here.

If beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, then the person who is observing gets to decide what is beautiful. This Arts Citizenship Talk evaluates what it means to make a dance about hardship and struggle under the gaze of whiteness. Dance iconoclast Botis Seva and his UK-based dance company Far From The Norm doggedly explore the individual psyche and the sociopolitical soul through their works. Through them, they also strive to understand what humans do to persevere.

From themes of racial violence and cultural appropriation to multiculturalism and gender equality, the work of The Clarice’s 2020-21 visiting artists is complex, provocative and deeply sensitive. Arts Citizenship Talks (ACTnow) are opportunities to hear from these artists about the issues reflected in their works. These conversations are an invitation to act now!

Artist Engagement on Campus and in the Community: Throughout Fall 2020, Botis Seva and members of Far From The Norm will virtually visit students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies to discuss their work and choreographic technique.

This event is part of The Clarice’s BlackLight Summit.

Free, No Tickets Required, Online here.

Maryland Opera Studio and Clarice Smith present Make Our Garden Grow on Youtube

Maryland Opera Studio and Clarice Smith present Make Our Garden Grow on Youtube

Clarice Smith and
Maryland Opera Studio present

Make our Garden Grow
From Candide
By Leonard Bernstein

By: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on Youtube. Click here.

Beginning June 26, 2020

School of Music opera singers virtually perform Leonard Bernstein’s “Make Our Garden Grow” from “Candide.”
With their in-person performance for outgoing UMD President Wallace Loh canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, singers from the Maryland Opera Studio came together for a virtual farewell to thank him for ten years of support and patronage.

Video editing by David Andrews.