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2020 · Education / school residency

The Black (W)hole

Archive folder: Black Whole

Sarah Crowell and Rashidi Omari (Destiny Arts Center), with Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Yoram Savion (YAKfilms), and Risa Jaroslow; aerial choreography with BANDALOOP / Suzanne Gallo

A multidisciplinary Destiny Arts Center project that mourns and honors six young people who died in and around Oakland before the age of 32, against a backdrop of gentrification and displacement, developed with their families. Planned as ten public performances and six site-specific installations, it was adapted into a feature film in summer 2020. Ben composed music for an aerial dance section that includes an interview with Victor McElhaney's family.

Premiere
2020
Venue
Destiny Arts Center (feature film; originally planned as live performances and site installations)
Where
Oakland, CA
Performances
A live version, 'The Black (W)hole: calling our young ancestors home', was performed at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, on Feb 25, 2023 (three 35-minute performances within the exhibition 'Brett Cook & Liz Lerman: Reflection & Action'), with the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company and Destiny Elders Project; the YBCA listing does not mention BANDALOOP or music credits.
Credits
Direction/production leadership: Sarah Crowell, Rashidi Omari, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Yoram Savion (YAKfilms), Risa Jaroslow (Elders Project); vertical dance: BANDALOOP (aerial section developed with Suzanne Gallo); visual art: Brett Cook; lighting: Jenny B (Shady Lady Lighting); costumes: Angie Wilson; music for the aerial section: Ben Juodvalkis (contracted and invoiced through BANDALOOP).

Press

“How do we remember the ghosts of the gone-too-soon... the young souls of a town in transition?”

Elsewhere

Research status: researched – partial. Details on this piece are still being confirmed — corrections are welcome.

More with Destiny Arts Center