New Victory Arts Break: South America – Connect

We have learned all about South America, aerial arts, movement and Brenda Angiel’s company. In Week 3, we practiced safe and daring ways to fly through the air! To close out our journey, we will fly ourselves back home to learn how to share joy and movement with friends and family.

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This year, we’ve learned we can make big movements and tell big stories in tiny spaces. Sometimes, to make an effective piece of theater, we just have to take a different approach. Let’s follow along with New Victory Teaching Artist Hassiem Muhammad as he demonstrates how to frame and reframe ways we create art and movement.

Let’s try out Hassiem’s framing challenges.

Level One: Small Frame

Step One: Pick a small frame that you can perform in. This can be in a camera frame, like in the video, a small picture frame or an empty cardboard box. Your first move is to pick a way to enter the frame.

Step Two: Choose three movements with any body part that fits in that frame, like your face, neck, shoulders and hands. Keep it simple, like Hassiem, or find a way to make it challenging!

Step Three: Now, find a way to connect all three of those moves. Do you swivel between moves one and two? Do you spin around before move three? Get creative!

Step Four: Find a way to exit the frame—that’s your ending! Congratulations, you’ve got a whole movement sequence.

Step Five: Practice your sequence and pick music to accompany your performance.

Step Six: Perform it live for friends and family! Or, if you’re using a camera as your frame, record a video of your performance to share with those far away.

Level Two: Every Move to the Letter

Step One: Once again, pick a frame you can perform in, but this time you’ll need a bit more room. A camera, a door frame or a large window will work well, just make sure you can fit your whole body into the frame.

Step Two: Find a way to enter the frame—this will be your entrance.

Step Three: Spell out the letters of your name with your body! Explore all the different ways you can shape the letters. Use your whole body, try different levels and think outside the box (err, frame!).

Step Four: Like in Level One, it’s time to connect these movements. Choreograph ways to transition from one letter to the next to make for a smooth performance. Then, end your performance by finding a way to exit your frame.

Step Five: Choose music and rehearse.

Step Six: Perform it live or record and share it!

BONUS: Have a neighbor that could easily see your front porch or maybe see you from your window? Perform for them! Once you’ve made your performances, have other members of your family do the same and host a live or virtual movement concert! We asked Hassiem and New Victory Usher Amy Castanos to try out their moves for us. Look at them go!

Take your art sharing one step further – make a game out of it! How many new ways can you reframe your movements? Let’s see!

Step One: Grab your New Victory Notebook and draw some door frame challenge cards. The cards you are drawing represent the other person’s body in a door frame.

Here are our examples:

Step Two: Now, use them as challenge cards! Challenge someone in your own home, or call a friend or family member via video chat and challenge them to recreate the shapes you drew.

Step Three: Have the person you are challenging come up with shapes for you to try!

See an example of Hassiem’s partner acrobatics in this video from PUSH—a company that focuses on working as a team, defying gravity, movement, and celebrating the joys of being human!

One of our favorite things about artmaking is sharing it with others. We see group participation in our communities all the time! Here are a few things our Youth Corps member Keanna found in her neighborhood. She even found a way to add her own art to the mix. Check out some images Keanna gathered of art in her community of Prospect Heights in Brooklyn!

Where is there art in your community? Are there murals? Performances? Gardens? Do some research and explore your neighborhood to spot all of the art and beauty out there waiting for you. It doesn’t have to be a painting! It could even be a building or a tree you have always loved. Capture some images on your camera or phone, or sketch it out!

Get some inspiration from these links below and take that extra step to add art to your community just like Keanna!

Some of our favorite community art pieces:

• The Laundromat Project is all about community and unity. See what they are up to in NYC.
• Up in the Bronx, the Bring the Art Outside event will encourage participants to make art prints outdoors.
• If you find yourself In Brooklyn, check out all of the cool interactive art pieces at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
• In Manhattan? Midtown/Chelsea area? Check out the FIT Students Street Exhibits Chelsea NYC.
• Are you in Queens? Visit the Socrates Sculpture Park to see amazing sculptures up close!
• If you’re staying local in Staten Island, look into Makerpark NYC, where you can see awesome outdoor sculptures and public art projects!
• In New Jersey? We found an archive of all kinds of public art.

And of course, check out Brenda Angiel, who has boatloads of aerial creativity, as she performs outdoors!

At the end of every fourth week of New Victory Arts Break: Explore a World of Arts, we will be introducing a member of the New 42 Youth Corps with a connection to the art forms, themes and artistic processes showcased over the past four weeks.

Let’s kick it off with a quick “Q and A” led by Viviana as she asks William when and where his love for movement and dance began.

Interview Q & A

V: How did you get into dance?
W: I got into dancing Ballroom professionally through winning a scholarship in elementary school to learn from American Ballroom Theater.

V: What is your favorite thing about dance?
W: My favorite thing about dance is how happy it makes me feel when I am feeling down.

V: What role does dance have in your life?
W: As an Army reservist, dance allowed me to be able to stay focused and hone in on the good things while I was away from my family and friends.

V: What do you wish to accomplish with dance?
W: I hope to open up my own dance academy, but I really want to learn as many dance styles from all around the world to broaden my horizon.

V: If you could have any superpower what would it be?
W: If I had any superpower it would be super dance. Depending on the dance or the skill I need, I could fly, shoot energy or even become elastic.

Now let’s take a second to watch William show us some moves!

Grab Your New Victory Notebook!

Interview your neighbor, family members, or friends and create a movement piece inspired by their interview. Here are some questions you could use for your interview. (Make sure to note the answers in your notebook, so that you can collect all of the inspiration for your piece).

• Where is your favorite place to dance or move?
• Is there a dance you celebrate or practice within your family or culture? Could you teach me a little?
• Do you have a signature move? What is it? What makes it special? Share it!
• Do you have a favorite song or a song you would like me to use as inspiration for this piece?
• Any questions we didn’t think of? Come up with your own!

Here is an example of our interview prep page!

Here is the dance William created for Viviana inspired by their conversation!

That wraps up your New Victory Arts Break: Explore a World of Arts – South America experience. Tune in next week as we travel to visit some friends in Europe!

New Victory Arts Break Supporters

New Victory Arts Break is funded, in part, by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.