PERFORMANCE — 22 London Rd.
October 27 + 28, 7pm
Hosted at Randy Shull and Hedy Fischer’s 22 London Rd. Studio/Exhibition Space, choreographer Silvana Cardell’s Supper, People on the Move is a new dance performance inspired by themes of migration and the complex experience of dislocation. Physical bodies moving between physical places define migration and the immigrant journey at the heart of humanity’s ability to survive. This work is accompanied by an exhibition of photographs and narratives by Philadelphia-based artist Jennifer Baker and local photographer Steve Mann telling the story of “People on the Move” in our WNC community. Audiences will be invited to share in a group meal to discuss and connect over the themes brought forth by Cardell Dance Theatre’s performance.
The presentation of Supper, People on the Move was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and support by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
Read more via an interview with Silvana Cardell from bilingual blog Descubre Asheville and from the Asheville Grit, “SUPPER, PEOPLE ON THE MOVE BRINGS TOGETHER IMMIGRATION, PERFORMANCE, AND CONVERSATION OVER DINNER.”
Cardell Dance Theatre’s Supper, People on the Move is accompanied by an exhibition by Philadelphia based artist Jennifer Baker, Portraits of People on the Move which features portraits of immigrants alongside their stories told in their own voice. For this presentation, we were able to include our Western North Carolina community with the addition of 5 new portraits and narratives. Written by Karen Lopez, a student of journalism at UNC Asheville, and photographed by local artist Steve Mann, these narratives show the diverse experiences of immigrants who have settled in WNC. We would like to thank Sergio, Veronica, Carolina, Marlene and Diego for courageously sharing their stories with us. A small preview is below, for the full stories and to see the full scope of the project check out Portraits of People on the Move.
“I came to the U.S. for the first time with my father and arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada when I was 16 years old. I was not able to attend school because I had to work. I was here for 2 years and at the age of 18, I went back to Mexico to marry the woman who stole my heart…”
“…My mom was solely raising me and my three other siblings. I was never able to have what I wanted and sometimes I didn’t even have what I needed. This was the reason that made me decide to start working when I was nine years old….”
“I was eight years old when I left my home. I remember my parents waking me up to leave, but I didn’t know where we were going. We had to walk for a long time and then cross a river. That’s when it hit me and I realized we were actually going somewhere far…”
“…In 2008, North Carolina passed a legislation that prohibited undocumented individuals to attend universities and community college systems. I was in 10th grade during this time. I remember the newspaper coming out with an article and overhearing a lot of undocumented upperclassmen in school talking and expressing concern about the legislation […] This didn’t stop me from dreaming. I knew that I was going to go to college. I didn’t know how, but I knew that I would go…”
“…I had always desired for us to have a house of our own, for my mother to live better, and for me to have my own things too. I was now 17 years old, so I decided to immigrate to the U.S. I remember having a lot of thoughts in my head before leaving home. I had heard many things about people dying or getting kidnapped at the frontier. I prayed for the best and asked for my mother’s blessings…”