Press Release

Work-in-Progress Showing of "Flood Plain: Meditations on Terror"
Explores Libraries as Tools for Freedom

Performance Dates Are November 11 and 12, 2005

BOULDER, Colo. (October 25, 2005) – The Naropa University BFA in Performance program will present the a work-in-progress showing of "Flood Plain: Meditations on Terror" on November 11 and 12, 2005, at 8 p.m. in the Naropa University Performing Arts Center, 2130 Arapahoe, Boulder. This community-based site performance is directed and conceived by Choreographer/Cultural Activist Pearl Ubungen, BFA in Performance chair, in collaboration with the librarian and staff of the Allen Ginsberg Library at Naropa University. Guest artists Christopher Fleming, Randy Odell and Amara Tabor-Smith collaborated on "Flood Plain: Meditations on Terror" with Ubungen, Naropa University faculty member Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe and ensemble members of Naropa University's BFA in Performance program. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $5 for Naropa University faculty and staff and $2 for Naropa University students. All proceeds will aid victims of Hurricane Katrina and benefit library associations working to rebuild libraries in the Gulf Coast. The public may call 303-245-4833 for more information or to reserve tickets. Research and development for this project funded in part by a grant from the Boulder Arts Commission, an agency of the Boulder City Council.

"Flood Plain: Meditations on Terror" explores homeland security and the idea of education, knowledge and tolerance as methods to combat terrorism. This performance is a thrilling fusion of dance, theatre, visual art, spoken word, music and video with performances by Pearl Ubungen, Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe, visiting artist Amara Tabor-Smith, and ensemble members of Naropa's interdisciplinary BFA in Performance program. Ensemble members will further explore the themes of "Flood Plain: Meditations on Terror" in the days preceding the event with intimate site-specific performances within the stacks of the library itself, every hour on the hour, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., November 9, 10 and 11. These are free and open to the public.

A locus to gather, to read and contemplate, and to inspire and challenge our thinking, the library is the pulse of the university and the heart of this performance. When creating "Flood Plain: Meditations on Terror," Ubungen says, the library staff became her muses. She interviewed and collaborated in particular with Library Director Mary Beth Faccioli. "The library should be a place for democracy and accessibility," says Faccioli, and this theme is at the heart of Ubungen's vision for the event, as libraries have been involved in the resistance to the Patriot Act. A fourth generation Filipina American born and raised in San Francisco, Pearl Ubungen has made a body of work in innovative community-based dance-theater and large-scale site performances that explore place, history and cross-cultural dialogue. Captivating physicality and lyricism are woven into Ubungen's layered, interdisciplinary approach to creating socially relevant work. Her national and international works have garnered prestigious awards and commissions from around the globe.

A host of guest artists from across the nation traveled to Boulder to work with Ubungen on this project. Christopher Fleming (scenic designer) is a seasoned production manager, technical director and lighting designer whose work has spanned disciplines from installation art, museum lighting, modern dance, performance art and ballet. Randy Odell (musical director), based in San Francisco, performs and composes for choreographers, circus artists, and film-makers with a diverse range of musical styles. Amara Tabor-Smith (performer) is the Associate Artistic Director of the Rhythm and Motion Dance Workout and Roots Modern Experience, a technique she created fusing modern dance with different forms of traditional dance of the African Diaspora. Joining Ubungen and the guest artists is Naropa faculty member Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe (performer), who, in addition to teaching in Naropa's BFA in Performance program, has taught at the New College of California and was a 1999/2001 recipient of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors.

Naropa University's interdisciplinary BFA in Performance is a pioneering arts training program designed for the student who wants to pursue conservatory-style ensemble training in theater, dance and voice in an environment that also cultivates the integration of mindfulness/awareness practices, individual creativity and critical study. At the core of the BFA's mission are community-based workshops, partnerships with broader society, cultural and historical awareness, diversity training and re-visioning the role of the artist in the twenty-first century.

Accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. Contemplative education is an approach to learning that integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies. It offers BA, BFA, MA, MFA and MDiv degrees, as well as professional development training and classes for the community. In addition, the university runs study abroad programs in Sikkim, India and Prague, Czech Republic.

Contact

Jane Rubinstein
Director, Marketing and Communications
Naropa University
PH 303-245-4643
jrubinstein@naropa.edu

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