Dancing About Architecture: Navigating Symbolic Racism in Theater ...,

168 Grove Street,New Haven CT 06511

29 April, 2022

Description

A conversation about the complexity of Blackness in sports and in the arts. Dancing About Architecture: Navigating Symbolic Racism in Theater, Sport, and CultureElijah Andersen, author of the newly released, Black in White Space: The Enduring Impact of Color in Everyday Life, Provost's Postdoctoral Scholar at USC Annenberg and U.S. Sports Envoy for Skateboarding and Visiting Fellow in Race, Culture & Community Dr. Neftalie Williams, and renowned dancer and choreographer and assistant professor of physical-theatre at Montclair State University, Stefanie Batten Bland will have a candid conversation on the nuances of race in physical spaces, moderated by YSC Associate Artistic Director Jennifer Harrison Newman. With a focus on the juxtaposition between behavior and place, panelists will discuss power shifts, the dynamics of Black bodies in white spaces, the complexities of the Black middle class, pop culture, behavior within spaces and places, code-switching and much more. "Many neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, universities and other public spaces remain overwhelmingly white. Black people perceive such settings as the 'white space,' which they often consider to be informally 'off limits' to them," said Anderson, who is also the Yale Sterling Professor of Sociology and African American Studies. Despite the growth of an enormous Black middle class, many whites assume that the natural Black space is what Anderson calls the "iconic ghetto"—the symbol of that destitute and fearsome locality so commonly featured in the media. "White people typically avoid Black space, but Black people are required to navigate the white space as a condition of their existence," Anderson said. "Stereotypes can rule perceptions, creating a situation that can estrange the Black person, often burdening them with a negative presumption he or she must disprove before being able to establish trusting relations with others." In contrast, pop culture and sports spaces that have commercialized the 'iconic ghetto,' often demand a person fulfill and perform an idealized version of Blackness" for non-white voices to be heard. “Constantly navigating others' expectations to access resources has real-world implications on people of color's mental health and safety. Everyone searches for a place where their authentic self might be recognized," said Williams. "My research shows that action sports, specifically skateboarding, are among those places. People of color have helped shape skateboarding culture by bringing their experiences, music, history, and vision into the sport since the 1970s. Their exploits working alongside their white counterparts offer new models of power and allyship, which we all should adopt. How do we draw from their actions to develop a more inclusive environment in sport, culture, and policy that allows all people to thrive?" Batten Bland notes that the U.S. is one of the only places where people identify themselves primarily by color not geography, noting that the time is now for open discussion and breaking racial boundaries. "There needs to be new solutions to remove the siloes that exist not just within the theater and certain art forms like ballet and dance-theatre, but also in academics and specialized professions. As the U.S. becomes more diverse, we are in a unique moment where we can create models to combat systemic racism and blur the lines of space where we all belong," she added. This event is open to asymptomatic vaccinated and boosted audience members only. Please bring your COVID 19 vaccination card or a clearly legible photo of your vaccination card on your phone and a photo ID. Front of House staff will be checking tickets, IDs, and proof of vaccination. Elijah Anderson Sterling Professor of Sociology and of African American Studies at Yale University Elijah Anderson is the Sterling Professor of Sociology and of African American Studies at Yale University, and one of the leading urban ethnographers in the United States. His publications include Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City (1999), winner of the Komarovsky Award from the Eastern Sociological Society; Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community (1990), winner of the American Sociological Association’s Robert E. Park Award for the best published book in the area of Urban Sociology; and the classic sociological work, A Place on the Corner(1978; 2nd ed., 2003); The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life was published by WW Norton in 2011. Anderson’s most recent ethnographic work. Black in White Space: The Enduring Impact of Color in Everyday Life was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2022. Additionally, Professor Anderson is the recipient of the 2017 Merit Award from the Eastern Sociological Society and three prestigious awards from the American Sociological Association, including the 2013 Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award, the 2018 W.E.B. DuBois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award, and the 2021 Robert and Helen Lynd Award for Lifetime Achievement. And, he is the 2021 winner of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology. Dr. Neftalie Williams is a sociologist and USC Provost's Post-Doctoral Scholar at the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and Yale Schwarzman Center's Visiting Fellow in Race, Culture & Community. Neftalie investigates global issues of race, diversity, identity, and youth empowerment, using the lens of skateboarding and action sports culture. His “Beyond the Board” Study in partnership with USC and The Skatepark Project was featured in the New York Times and is the first national effort to study the impact skateboarding has on young people and their educational and career trajectories. As the first Sports Envoy for Skateboarding for the U.S. Department of State, Neftalie introduced the concept of skateboarding as a tool for cultural diplomacy in both theory and practice. Additionally, he co-founded the College Skateboarding Educational Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to creating scholarships for young skateboarders pursuing higher education, and serves on the boards of The Skatepark Project (formerly Tony Hawk Foundation), Skateistan, and McKinnon Center for Global Affairs. He also chairs the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for USA Skateboarding.Dr. Neftalie Williams is a sociologist and USC Provost's Post-Doctoral Scholar at the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and Yale Schwarzman Center's Visiting Fellow in Race, Culture & Community. Neftalie investigates global issues of race, diversity, identity, and youth empowerment, using the lens of skateboarding and action sports culture. His “Beyond the Board” Study in partnership with USC and The Skatepark Project was featured in the New York Times and is the first national effort to study the impact skateboarding has on young people and their educational and career trajectories. As the first Sports Envoy for Skateboarding for the U.S. Department of State, Neftalie introduced the concept of skateboarding as a tool for cultural diplomacy in both theory and practice. Additionally, he co-founded the College Skateboarding Educational Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to creating scholarships for young skateboarders pursuing higher education, and serves on the boards of The Skatepark Project (formerly Tony Hawk Foundation), Skateistan, and McKinnon Center for Global Affairs. He also chairs the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for USA Skateboarding. Stefanie Batten Bland Interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, and professor Jerome Robbins Awardee Stefanie Batten Bland is an interdisciplinary artist who situates her work at the intersection of dance-theatre, film, and installation, with a focus on the interrogation of contemporary and historical culture. She is a 2022 commissioned artist with Duke Performances in partnership with The Yard, ArtYard and Baryshnikov Arts Center, a 2021 Lincoln Center RESTART artist, a 2021 Toulmin Creator Fellow for the Center for Ballet Arts at NYU, and choreographer for American Ballet Theatre’s inaugural Women’s Movement Initiative. Known for her unique visual and movement aesthetic, Batten Bland served as movement director for Eve’s Song at the Public Theater (Forbes 2018 Best Theatre), European Union at the United Nations, and is currently casting and movement director for Emursive Productions as well as consultant in perfromance and identity for Sleep No More. She has created for fashion and lifestyle partners Louis Vuitton, VanCleef & Arpels, Hermés, and Guerlain. Her choreography is currently in active repertory at American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey II, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Transitions Dance Company in Greenwich, UK, and Frontier Danceland in Singapore. Her work has been seen internationally at the Spoleto and Lecee Festivals in Italy, Danse à Lille in France, and Tanztendenzen in Germany. Company SBB’s 2021 dance film Kolonial, produced by Baryshnikov Arts Center, was nominated for three Bessie Awards, including outstanding production, visual design, and costumes. Batten Bland has created 14 other dance cinema films that have been shown in international festivals in such places as South Africa, Buenos Aires, Greece, and Germany. Batten Bland has been featured in The New York Times, NY Times Style Magazine, Bomb Magazine, Dance Magazine, Dance Europe, Marie Claire, The Brooklyn Rail, TV 5 Monde, and Dance Teacher Magazine. A global artist, Batten Bland established her own company, Company SBB, in France in 2008 while head choreographer at the Paris Opéra Comique. Upon returning to New York City in 2011, she received the support of Mikhail Baryshnikov as a part of the esteemed residency program at Baryshnikov Arts Center, where she continues to present work. Batten Bland received her MFA in interdisciplinary arts from Goddard College, is Assistant Professor at Montclair State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, and lives in SoHo with her family.