State of Emergence

Hours ago I had the pleasure of seeing 15 students, from different NYC High Schools, present their artistic voice in response to the Ferguson case. One main theme was the young students desire to be heard as voices of a generation that experience and have opinions on life past the next song, movie, app or social dance displaying syncopated bodies and simulated coitus. They are a voice concerned with feeling silenced by adults, viewed as ignorant and hunted by those who are here to protect.

All of this through the theatrical lens of "State of Emergence" a piece created and developed by the students, guided and directed by the Teaching Artists and presented and supported by the BAM Education program. In this program these students met and rehearsed two hours a day, three days a week. They had several Skype conferences and was able to share their creative output through live feed with their peers in Ferguson, MO. This Arts & Justice residency, as part of the BAM Education program, enabled the students to see all sides of the issues and empowered them to become a part of the discourse in a more dynamic way.

I left by imparting these final words to the students. "One of the most enjoyable things to bear witness today was to see the commitment to the process. To see that there was a willingness to understand and express beyond the surface."

These students have truly "emerged" in a new and exciting way and we [the audience] was very happy to learn that BAM is in talks with other organizations to present this work to larger audiences.

Keep your eyes and ears open this is a must see for students, parents, educators and the community. It is a “State of Emergence” that cannot be denied!

http://www.bam.org/education