Art Around Every Corner

The Cultural Coalition of Allentown and Upside Allentown presented “The Body Keeps the Score: Dancing with Trauma and Recovery”, a choreographer/ composer collaboration at William Allen High School on November 20 and at the Samuel Theater at Cedar Crest College on December 5. Sarah Carlson, the Artistic Director of DanceLink, teamd up with composer Vernon J. Mobley to explore the universal spectrum of trauma in a program inspired by Bessel van der Kolk’s well-known text of the same name.

More than 100 students attended a public performance at William Allen High School on November 20 with 14 dance students from William Allen High School dance program. 140 people attended a public performance at Cedar Crest College on December 5. 15 audience members shared their feelings about the show and how it affected them personally.

“The Body Keeps the Score” uses movement, music and text to unpack the idea that trauma must be addressed on an individual body level first before greater communal (or “big body”) change can follow. “The impact of trauma affects the lives of so many of us,” states Carlson. “It interrupts our ability to be present, to function and most tragically, to connect authentically with others. Most of us aren’t even aware of how this traumatic residue is affecting our lives.” The creative process invited cast members to draw from personal experience to fuel movement invention.
 

In his text, Van Der Kolk explains that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can fragment a holistic sense of self connected to the here and now. Everyday sensory input can trigger flashbacks or emotional outbursts that disturb normal functioning and healthy relationships. As such, disassociation can be born out of simple survival techniques. Reclaiming an awareness of the breath and physical sensations can be powerful forms of healing. These dynamics will be explored onstage.

For the performances, a section of the program the will be performed by 14 talented dance students from William Allen High. Carlson conducted a 6-week residency with these students during which they were led through a process similar to that which created the original work. Carlson and Mobley previously worked together on “What Lies Within”, a project about racial injustice, and hence they are particularly interested in the cycle of trauma caused by oppression.

“Trauma caused by oppression is the most insidious,” muses Mobley. “Belittlement or abuse at the hands of another is never justified, but when you consider the perpetrator can often be acting out from a foundation of trauma sometimes generations in the making, it makes you think.”
Understanding the dynamics of this cycle can be the first step towards awareness and healing.
 

A panel discussion led by Rebecca Glassman, a Therapist for the Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley, will be held following the performance to discuss the major themes of the show and promote awareness of community resources.

Long term effects expected from the project:

• Expanded awareness of young minds as to the power and poignancy of the moving body.

• Increased understanding of the nature of trauma and how it affects the body and mind

• Exposure to dance as a means of promoting social consciousness and social justice

• Connecting participants with available resources and community support for trauma sufferers.

CCA and the Allentown Art Museum Co-Hosts Celebration of Indian Culture at Allentown Arts Park

The Cultural Coalition of Allentown recently partnered with artist Josh Miller for an interactive exhibit at the Allentown School District Science Fair on May 31 at Allen High School. Josh's work will now be part of a month long installation at the RE: find Gallery on the Arts Walk in Downtown Allentown.

Miller's art creates a variation of the Wave Form piece http://josh-miller.com/portfolio/waveform/. The piece is displayed on large screen, and the visuals manipulated with bicycle tires. The piece is participatory, so the speed and combination of people spinning the tires generate unique particles trails that cannot be possibly be recreated by any other means. Users manipulate the flow of particle, the coloration of the particles, and how excitedly the particle moves.

Josh Miller is a designer and college professor living in eastern Pennsylvania. Josh has an undergraduate degree and graduate degree in Computer Science and a MFA in New Media Design. His collaborative public art pieces have been exhibited internationally, most recently in Malmo Sweden as part of the Agrikultura exhibition. Josh’s true interests lie in the intersection between design, programming, and innovate user experiences. For full biography and work samples, please visit www.josh-miller.com.

CCA was honored to partner with Ann Lalik and the Penn State University - Lehigh Valley campus, the Baum School of Art, Allentown Art Museum and RE:find Gallery to bring world-renowned artist Thomas Mann to Allentown and the Lehigh Valley this July.

THOMAS MANN'S Trajectory Heart Lehigh Valley is a community project that will occur during the month of July 2017. Students and artists will work with Mann to create the Trajectory Heart sculpture, document the project, assist in the gallery, and travel the Heart around the Lehigh Valley. The maker space will be located in RE:find Gallery on the Arts Walk in downtown Allentown.

Follow along with image from volunteer photographer Patrick Vance who is chronicling the work.