Feb. 10: Let your spirit soar with Sufi music (in Bloomington)

One of the country's foremost experts discusses Sufi Music & Ritual in Turkey

When: Saturday, February 10th 4:00-6:00pm

Where: IMU, Faculty Room of the University Club, IU Bloomington

Irene Markoff is adjunct faculty members in the York University Graduate Program in Music. Of Bulgarian heritage, she directs York’s Balkan Ensemble. She is considered one of the world's leading experts on Sufi music, having written her PhD dissertation on musical theory, performance and the professional baglama (folk lute).

On Friday February 9, she will lead a workshop on strategies and reflections on an ethnomusicology career. On Saturday February 10 Irene Markoff will give a talk on Sufi Music and Ritual in Turkey. The presentation will include a discussion on poetry, rituals, music, and the concepts of sama and zikr. Performance (baglama and voice) will be integrated into the presentation. Light refreshments provided

Bloomington is also hosting the Annual Middle Eastern Festival Feb 1st-10th. Middle Eastern film, poetry, and cuisine, lectures on Middle Eastern art and architecture, Egyptian and Saudi folkdance, Windfall Dancers with Salaam, Historical Society photo archive project, and more. NELC sponsored events such as Irene Markoff's performance/lecture are free and open to the public. For more information call the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at 812-855-5993.

More about Irene Markoff here. She wrote an important article about "Sufi Music and Ritual in Turkey" that you might want to read before her talk.

IndyBuzz can find no examples of Markoff playing, but this is a nice example of baglama playing; so is this.

Feb. 1-10 Make the trip to Bloomington for the Middle Eastern Arts Festival

A lot of excellent events if you are in Bloomington between February 1st and 10th:
Annual Middle Eastern Arts Festival

Contact: Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program102 Goodbody, 3rd St, Bloomington, IN 47404, 812-855-5993, Melissa Henige at nelcmesp@indiana.edu

The Annual Middle Eastern Arts Festival Feb 1st-10th celebrates Middle Eastern art, culture, and influence. Visit the event website at www.indiana.edu/~nelcmesp/arts for descriptions, dates, locations, etc. This year, theFestival will feature Middle Eastern art and ethnomusicology, art demonstrations, films, food tasting, folkdance, poetry, lectures, and much more. The sponsored events are free and open to the public.









Windfall Dancers, and Iraqi music group Salaam

When: Feb. 2nd, 3rd, 9th, and 10th at 8:00pm

Where: John Waldron Arts Center,122 S. Walnut St. http://www.artlives.org/

Windfall Dancers use modern dance as a narrative to tell the age-old stories of Arabian Nights. The Iraqi music group, Salaam, performs with them. This show will be a magical event suitable for the entire family. Non-sponsored NELC event, so tickets cost: $10, $8 students and seniors. Tickets available by calling 812-334-0506, at 1101 N. Dunn St, or online at http://www.bloomingtonarts.info/


*********************************************************************************** Middle Eastern Book Exhibit

When: Feb 1st-18th 9AM-5PM
Where: IU-Fine Arts Library, 2nd floor 1133 E. 7th St,

A selection of Fine Arts Library books and facsimile editions of manuscripts on Middle Eastern arts and culture will be exhibited. Accompanying this exhibition will be a selection of artists' books by Buzz Spector, Chair, Department of Art, Cornell University. Contact B. J. Kish Irvine, Fine Arts Librarian for more information 812-855-5445. Free


************************************************************************************ Persian Film: "The Twilight"

When: Thursday Feb 1st, 7-9pm
Where: Swain East 140, IUB campus

"The Twilight", directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, presents an intense and stark portrait of life among the rural underclass and meditates on the meaning of freedom.

In 1998, petty criminal, Reza, who has spent half his life in prison in a northwestern part of Iran marries a woman prisoner. They have a child together and, after a while, the woman is pardoned. Several months later the man is also released. The three of them begin a new life outside the prison, but a harsh society is waiting for them. The director, Mohammad Rasoulof, was born in Shiraz in 1973. He has made numerous short films and has worked as assistant director on feature films. "Twilight" is his first feature film. It is based on true events and the characters play themselves.

Contact: plosensk@indiana.edu; sdaneshg@indiana.edu

************************************************************************************ Children's Spectacular

When: Sunday Feb 4th, 2-3pm
Where: Monroe Public County Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave, Library Auditorium

Children's comic program with folkdance, swordsman, and tales from the Middle East. The program has been designed specifically for children, though enjoyable for any age! Performers Katya Faris and Mohamed Shahin will dazzle with their elaborate colorful costumes, dance, and music! Free. For more information call 812-349-3100 or http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/



*********************************************************************************** Middle Eastern Cuisine Sunday

When: Sunday Feb 4th, 7pm
Where: Café Ragazzi, 212 S. Rogers Bloomington

Middle Eastern Cuisine Sunday fills up quickly so please call for reservations for International Cuisine Sunday. Graduate student, Ahmad Almallah, and Café Ragazzi owner, Tamyra Dippolito, will present the cuisine and history of Palestine. Call for reservations: 812-323-9005.

************************************************************************************ Internationally known contemporary artist Najjar Abdul Musawwir

When: Monday February 5, 7:00pm
Where: Foster International Center

Najjar Abdul-Musawwir is an award-winning painter, community-arts organizer, educator and consultant. Signatures of Musawwir’s paintings are harmonious visions of contrasting colors, flowing liquidation, and symbolic transparency. He believes the liquidation of the under painting gives balance to the glazing brush strokes in his works. Contact Andrew Gipe

************************************************************************************ Middle East Art related lectures

When: Friday Feb. 9th, 2:30-5:30pm
Where: Lilly Library, 1200 E. 7th St.

Distinguished professors and graduate students of IU-Bloomington--Christiane Gruber, Yasmine Gencer, and Deborah Justice--will provide talks on Middle Eastern art and architecture. Light refreshments will be provided. Free: 812-855-2452, http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/

************************************************************************************ Ethnomusicology Career Workshop

When: Feb. 9th, 7-9pm
Where: Mather's Museum of World Cultures, 416 N. Indiana. St

Irene Markoff, who is well-versed in Sufi music, having written her PhD dissertation on musical theory, performance and the professional baglama(folk lute),and specialist of Turkey. She will give a workshop on "The Challenges of Teaching Turkish Music in an Ensemble/Lecture Setting," as well as strategies and reflections on an ethnomusicology career. Light refreshments provided. Free, call 812-855-6873 for more information. Sponsored by the American Turkish Society.

************************************************************************************ Ethnomusicology Presentation and Performance by Irene Markoff

When: Saturday Feb 10th, 4-6pm
Where: IMU, Faculty Room of the University Club

Irene Markoff will give a talk on Sufi Music and Ritual in Turkey. The presentation will include a discussion on poetry, rituals, music, and the concepts of sama and zikr. Performance (baglama and voice) will be integrated into the presentation. Light refreshments provided. Sponsored by the American Turkish Society. For more on this event, see

February 8: Get charged by a reading by The Affrilachian Poets

IUPUI's 2006-2007 Rufus and Louise Reiberg Reading Series present the Affrilachian Poets, poets addressing their rural roots, racism, and identity

When: Thursday February 8, 7:30 PM
Where: IUPUI University Library, Lilly Auditorium

The Affrilachian Poets are an electrifying ensemble of African-American writers who challenge notions of an all-white Appalachian culture while drawing on traditions of the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and experiences of the African diaspora. They celebrate their heritage and rural roots while addressing themes of racism and Black identity. This reading will feature performances by Ricardo Nazario Colon, Kelly Norman Ellis, Asha French, Parneshia Jones, Frank X. Walker, and Mitchell Douglas, a new assistant professor in creative writing at IUPUI. The Affrilachian Poets were the subject of the 2001 PBS documentary Coal Black Voices.

Presented by IUPUI School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI and University Library

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some other examples of the cultural cross-fertilization of Africans in the Americas. You can groove to Sancocho's explorations of African music in Latin America February 9 at IMA, or hear about the centuries of complex relations between Indigenous and African Americans at the Eiteljorg February 24.

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February 8: Go to IMA to watch the Brazilian film "Favela Rising"

IMA's fascinating "Africa in the Americas" film series presents "Favel Rising"

When: Thursday February 8 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

"Favela Rising" documents a man, a movement, a city divided and a favela – a Brazilian squatter settlement – united. Haunted by the murders of his family and many of his friends, Anderson Sá is a former drug trafficker who turns social revolutionary in Rio de Janeiro’s most feared slum. Through hip-hop music, the rhythms of the street and Afro-Brazilian dance, he rallies his community to counteract the violent oppression enforced by teenage drug armies and sustained by corrupt police. At the dawn of liberation, just as collective mobility is overcoming all odds and Anderson’s grassroots Afro-reggae movement is at the height of its success, a tragic accident threatens to silence the movement forever. Favela Rising has received thirteen national and international film festival awards.

It's free!

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some of the other films the IMA is showing about African culture in the Americas: RIZE on February 15 looks at a life-affirming adaptation of African dance to the hard streets of South LA; "African Blood" about African-Mexicans shows February 22; and you will very much want to attend the Indianapolis International Film Festival April 25 to May 4.

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February 9: Groove with Sancocho and explore African culture in Latin America

Popular local group Sancocho performs "Nuestra Diaspora: One Beat, One Heart," African-influenced music and dance at IMA

When: Friday February 9 7:30 p.m.
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art Deer Zink Pavilion

Sancocho, (san-KO-choh) is a stew in Latin America that combines meats, vegetables and spices to create a unique taste. Using this metaphor, Sancocho Music and Dance Collage focuses on music and dance traditions from the African diaspora—the unique artistic traditions that began with the journeys of Africans to the New World. Nuestra Diaspora (“Our Diaspora”) brings to life the African elements of the arts in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the U.S., including religious and secular dances such as Rumba, Bailes Orishas, Bomba and Plena.

Nuestra Diaspora is presented in conjunction with the Star Studio exhibition William Rasdell: African Roots in Cuban Soil and Black History Month. $10 public; $5 IMA members and students; children under 12 free

If this event sounds interesting, you should explore some other cross-fertilizations of Africans in the Americas, such as the Affrilachian Poets February 8, or the Brazilian film "Favela Rising" at IMA the same day. Or groove with the Urban Drum Emsemble April 26.

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February 14: Sweeten your V-Day with Chinese and Western art and music at UIndy

Plaisir d'Amour: The greatest living traditional Chinese artist, Master Au Ho-nien, joins singers from Shanghai and Indianapolis Opera for a very special Valentine's Day

When: Wednesday February 14 7:30 PM
Where: University of Indianapolis, Christal deHaan Fine Arts Center

IndyBuzz has never been accused of sentimental romanticism, but this event is worth making a Valentine's Day recommendation. One of the city's underappreciated treasures is the Museum of Master Au Ho-nien at the University of Indianapolis. When the Master is in town, it is definitely worth clearing one's schedule. Watching Master Au create a paiting with such an economy of brushstrokes is a remarkable experience.

The theme of the UIndy Valentine's Day Concert, "Plaisir d'Amour," will be "The Butterfly Lovers," a love story that is to Chinese culture what Romeo and Juliet is to Western. Here's what the disembodied people at Wikipedia have to say:

A young woman named Zhu Yingtai from Shangyu, Zhejiang, disguised herself as a man travelling to Hangzhou to study. During her journey, she met and joined Liang Shanbo, a companion schoolmate from Kuaiji (會稽) in the same province.

They studied together for three years, during which their relationship strengthened. When the two parted, Zhu offered to arrange for Liang to marry her 16 years old fictitious sister. When Liang travelled to Zhu's home, he discovered her true gender. Although they were devoted and passionate about each other at that point, Zhu was already engaged with Ma Wencai (馬文才), a man her parents had arranged for her to be married to. Depressed, Liang died in office as a county magistrate. On the day Zhu was to be married to Ma, whirlwinds prevented the wedding procession from escorting Zhu beyond Liang's tomb. Zhu left the procession to pay her respects for Liang. Liang's tomb split apart, and Zhu dived into it to join him. A pair of butterflies emerged from the tomb and flew away.

You can see a pretty telling of the story here. This story has inspired a wide range of great music and art ... we'll have a chance to hear and see some of it. On February 14th, Liang Zhu's "Butterfly Lovers" opera will be performed as a prelude. (Constant Lambert's "Eight Poems of Li Po" will be performed. So too will be love songs from Chinese and Western opera, sung by singers from Indianapolis Opera, Shanghai Normal University, and the University of Indianapolis music faculty.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out Indianapolis Opera's free "Music in Art" performance at IMA February 22.

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Visit IndyBuzz's sister site "Views-PRI" for an essay that connects many of the events related to Asian economy and culture: "China, Japan, Indiana: Eastern and Midwestern Cultures Mingle."

February 15: Rize to the occasion by viewing the "krump" film "RIZE" at IMA

Part of IMA's "Africa in the Americas" Film Series, "RIZE" documents the rise of new hip-hop dances and fashions drawing from African tribal rituals

When: Thursday February 15 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art 7:00 pm DeBoest Lecture Hall Free

"Rize" reveals a groundbreaking dance phenomenon that’s exploding on the streets of South Central, Los Angeles. Taking advantage of unprecedented access, this documentary film brings to first light a revolutionary form of artistic expression borne from oppression. The aggressive and visually stunning dance modernizes moves indigenous to African tribal rituals and features mind-blowing, athletic movement sped up to impossible speeds. “Rize” tracks the fascinating evolution of the dance: we meet Tommy Johnson (Tommy the Clown), who first created the style as a response to the 1992 Rodney King riots and named it “Clowning”, as well as the kids who developed the movement into what they now call Krumping. The kids use dance as an alternative to gangs and hustling: they form their own troupes and paint their faces like warriors, meeting to outperform rival gangs of dancers or just to hone their skills. For the dancers, Krumping becomes a way of life – and, because it’s authentic expression (in complete opposition to the bling-bling hip-hop culture), the dance becomes a vital part of who they are.

The film will be introduced at IMA by Larry, one of the dancers featured in the film. Earlier in the day, Larry will lead a presentation for students at the Madame Walker Theatre Center. Both events are presented by IMA and the Madame Walker Theatre Center.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out another film at IMA about African music and culture in evolving the Americas, the Brazilian "Favela Rising" on February 8. Get live performances by Sancocho February 9 and the Urban Drum Emsemble April 26.

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February 17: Attend the premiere performance of "Dreaming of an Island"

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The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra performance based on Afro-Cuban rhythms, composed by Neil Leonard

When: Saturday, February 17 5:30 PM

Where: Indiana History Center

Tickets: $20 for adults, $10 for students

This is the world premiere of Neil Leonard’s Dreaming of an Island and should not be missed. In keeping with their tradition of performing pieces that transcend the conventional orchestral repertoire, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra brings Neil Leonard’s innovative musical talents to Indianapolis. Dreaming of an Island “explores the island as a metaphor for introspection and as the territory of exiles and immigrants.”

Leonard, composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist, is known for merging technology with music. He leads a cyberjazz ensemble and teaches at the renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston, where he has received the award for ‘most valuable contribution to the Music Technology Division.’ Leonard is also no stranger to Indiana-- he has previously taught workshops at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, including the Second Inter-American Composition Workshop. His current effort reveals his collaboration with wife Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, the Cuban-born visual artist featured at the Indianapolis Museum of Art this spring. They have performed together on several occasions internationally and in the US and are founders and co-owners of the GASP gallery (Gallery Artists Studio Projects) in Boston.

This is a rare opportunity to be immersed in such music that has perhaps dually inspired the art of Campos-Pons and is derived from inspiration she has provided Leonard. Her exhibition, Maria Magdalena Campos- Pons: Everything is Separated by Water, plus two others, AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003, and William Rasdell, opens February 25 at the IMA. There are plenty of other performing art events in Indianapolis surrounding these fascinating exhibitions. February 9 the IMA hosts "Nuestra Diaspora: One Beat, One Heart," a tribute to Caribbean dance deeply rooted in the African tradition. Campos-Pons herself performs at the IMA February 24. Check out the Urban Drum Ensemble at the IUPUI School of Music on April 26, when they perform selections with Afro-Cuban beats. See three films that inspired Campos-Pons for free April 28 at the IMA.

In addition to performances, art buffs and amateurs alike should know that there are also several upcoming Cuba-themed lectures planned at the IMA. February 25 (the same day as the opening of the three Cuba-themed exhibitions) Dr. Judith Bettelheim, curator of the Campos-Pons and AfroCuba exhibits discusses the context for the selected pieces at "AfroCuba Through the Artist's Lens." March 20, Krista A. Thompson of Northwestern University talks about the sea as a common metaphor in Caribbean art. Hear a rabbi, a psychologist and a poet discuss various themes present in the art of Campos-Pons April 26 at the IMA. Learn specifically about the recurring theme of Santeria in her art during a guided tour of the Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water exhibition April 7 and May 17.

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February 22: Listen and watch the Music of Art: "Daughter of the Regiment"

The Music of Art: Daughter of the Regiment

When: Thursday February 22 7:00 p.m.
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Pulliam Great Hall (Free)

Members of the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble will perform excerpts from Daughter of the Regiment (La fille du régiment), a comedic opera composed by Gaetano Donizetti and first performed for French audiences in 1840. The story follows the romantic entanglements of Marie, a daughter in love with a peasant soldier but pressured to marry an aristocrat’s son. After the concert, see works of art in IMA’s European galleries that offer views of class differences in 19th-century French life.

The full opera will be performed March 9 and 11 at Clowes Memorial Hall. For details visit www.indyopera.org. If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the collaboration of Indianapolis Opera and the great Chinese artist Master Au on Valentine's Day.

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February 25: Get your Cuban groove on at the opening of three Cuban-oriented exhibitions

Opening Night at the Indianapolis Museum of Art for three important Cuban-related exhibitions

February 25

AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003 -- This groundbreaking exhibition includes 56 prints and drawings by 26 artists from Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The artists represent a cross section of Cuban society, and their works exhibit a diverse range of subject matter, style and techniques.

Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water -- Organized by the IMA, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything Is Separated by Water will be the first touring mid-career retrospective of this important Afro-Cuban artist’s work, comprising approximately 40 objects produced over the past 20 years. From her earliest relief paintings to her recent room-sized mixed-media installations and large-format Polaroid photographs, Campos-Pons has built a dynamic model of inventive identity. Using art to comment on her imagined displacement from Africa, her actual exile from Cuba, and her experience as a black Cuban woman living in North America, Campos-Pons has re-assembled fragments, symbols and memories of personal and collective history, religion, mythology and art. Many of her works deploy the female body—in its entirety or fragmented—to address the challenges inherent in building a coherent identity in the modern world.

April 26: Shake it with the Urban Drum Ensemble

April 26
The Urban Drum Ensemble
IU School of Music at IUPUI
7:30 p.m.
IT Building, Room 152 (535 W. Michigan St.)
Join us for an evening of Afro-cuban beats with the IUPUI Urban Drum Ensemble on April 26th, 2007 at 7:30pm tickets will be $5.00 at the door.
www.music.iupui.edu

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out Sancocho February 9, and the Affrilachian Poets February 8. If you prefer your music and motion on film, check out IMA's Brazilian "Favela Rising" February 8, and "Rize" February 15.

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