Changing Atitudes Latin Percussion Scenario

Issue:
Respecting each other's space while riding the MBTA.

Characters:
Teenager on his way to school riding the bus
Businesswoman on her way to work riding the bus
Music lover (possibly teenager) riding the bus armed with iPod and loud headphones
Inebriated homeless man

Supporting Performers:
Three percussionists offstage

"STOP!"

By

Jabari, Jasmanny, Christian, Kit, Elian and Victor

ON AN MBTA BUS EARLY IN THE MORNING
The bus is empty and quiet.

1ST STOP
School-bound teenager boards bus.
Businesswoman boards bus.
School-bound teenager sits down towards back.
Businesswoman sits down towards the front reading her morning paper.
Both individuals are in their own world.

AUTOMATED MBTA VOICE (offstage)

Stop-requested.

2ND STOP
Music lover boards bus.
Music lover pulls out iPod and turns it on.
Percussion Performance Note (PPN): Supporting percussionists located offstage play beat as though its coming from the music lover's loud headphones.
Music lover turns iPod wheel for louder volume.
PPN: Supporting percussionists get louder.
Music lover sits down and starts dancing.
School-bound teenager looks over annoyed.
Businesswoman looks over agitated.
PPN: Businesswoman begins to adjust her newspaper in time with groove.

AUTOMATED MBTA VOICE (offstage)
Stop-requested.

3RD STOP
Inebriated homeless man boards bus.
Homeless man is stumbling while looking for seat.
Homeless man moans continuously.
PPN: Homeless man moans in time with groove.
Music lover is not phased by the homeless man.
Businesswoman becomes more annoyed by her surroundings.
PPN: Businesswoman adjusts paper more frequently creating a busier groove. Supporting percussionists get louder.
School-bound teenager looks around even more annoyed and is at a boiling point.
School-bound teenager stands up.

SCHOOL-BOUND TEENAGER
Stop!!!!!

END SCENE.

Art "Changing Attitudes" Scenario

There was a lot of discussion as to the role that art would take in the changing attitudes dialogue, and also how art would be used in the play. The nature of art is often solitary and withdrawn, as it is something that most people do alone. Yet art can also be something that many people see, as evidenced by political posters and famous works hanging in museums. I see art being mostly a support player in the production, with my class making the sets, but there are a couple ways we can incorporate art directly into the play:

With the use of a projector, artwork could be projected over people on the bus, or people doing an action. A poster which reads "THINK" and has an act of violence could be projected over someone right before they are about to make an important decision. In this sense, art can be used in a metaphorical sense to provide a look inside someone's head.

Another way art can be used is on the bus itself. I imagine a student riding the bus, astounded by what they see around them, but feeling unable to do anything. The student begins drawing and designing at home, making posters to put over the advertisements. At first, he just makes beautiful pictures to make people see something other than the gray city outside the windows. As he goes on, he starts to use the posters to change peoples' attitudes: he posts things about gang violence "Gang violence only leads to revenge" and warnings about guns and drugs.

These are silent actions, so there is no dialogue in these scenes. I feel that to create an entire scene where art is the only medium used would be a little bit forced. I think that art would work much more naturally in a support role, augmenting the other media.

Thank you to Casey and Stephen for some really good feedback and their help!

Our over arching theme is:

“To change the attitudes in, around, and towards the MBTA”

            -attitudes towards each other (peer to peer, stranger to stranger, customer to employee, etc)

            -attitudes towards the environment (trash, maintaining hope in change, overall outlook, etc)

Our next step/challenge:

Go back to your youth; explain the idea of “changing attitudes” on the MBTA. Talk about why that’s important and how it would be beneficial to all of us. With full participation and input from the youth, develop a scenario/situation on the MBTA that would benefit from a change in attitude of mentality, and figure out how your particular medium can be used as “the interpreter”, “the responder”, and eventual agent of change.

These are from our 2nd "All Youth and Staff Meeting" where we flushed out thoughts regarding the MBTA, in order to identify which social justice issue we will be addressing for our CFC project.

Stephen's response (pre author status)

Thanks for posting this. Some astonishing perspectives from the youth. What's not on these handouts is that at the end of this discussion, the youth had two main conclusions:

1.) Some perspectives and stereotypes are ingrained in society and it will take a lot to change them, but all it takes is one person fulfilling those stereotypes to perpetuate them.

2.)People and/or society will view you by how you let them view you.

Words from Anyenda

What is Social Justice? Yesterday, I came home from a meeting discussing how the Cacique youth program will use the Arts as a vehicle to educate about social justice. I have been doing a form of dance called stepping for about six years now. Stepping, for those who may be unfamiliar with it is a form of body percussion using ones hands and feet. One can think of it of choreographed clapping and stomping which draws a lot of its history from historically black fraternities and sororities. I have grown a lot as a stepper. However, even though I have been involved in many things that would be considered social justice and I have a lot of passion for some social justice issues, I cannot say I have done very much through the form of dance that I love. One would think that the progression would be natural. Doesn't it make sense that I would eventually think, "I am passionate about step dancing and I am passionate about some social justice issues. I should express my passion for social justice through my passion for dancing". Yet, I have not very much of the kind in my six years as a "performance artist".

I think that I am embarking on a journey or evolution of some sort. As an artist I am always looking for inspiration for when I choreograph new routines or design a new show. Walking home from what I thought was a good meeting with the rest of the Cacique resource staff; I started to think about the social justice issue which we will explore with the kids. How will I help them turn their passion for a particular issue into something that incorporates body percussion? I think we were given some good exercises that will help us focus. While I am sure I will be able to help them, I also want the kids to be the driving force of choreography and how it reflects the issue they want to express. So, I got to thinking about something for which I am passionate. I try to be a respectful young, black male. I think that men (and Black / Latino men in particular) are expected to behave in a way that affords little respect to others, especially women. This is something that I find difficult because I try to kind and respectful, yet I do not want to seem weak or a pushover. However, I feel by being "nice" sometimes I am assumed to also lack internal strength. So, in order to help both myself and the kids, I am going to attempt to choreograph something that pertains to the issue of respect for women and others. I am hoping to have it ready by my class on Friday. I will let you know how it goes. I also plan on using some of the exercises that we went over in the meeting as well. Hopefully, that will help the kids focus how they can use an issue as a muse for art.

To wrap this up, I read this quote recently "The secret of teaching is to appear to have known all your life what you just learned this morning". I do not think I would be an effective teaching tool if I did not do any learning along with the kids that I am expected to teach. I am learning just as much as I am attempting to teach the kids. The best part is I am enjoying what I am learning. It is allowing me to grow in my art. And it is allowing me to use my experience as a step dancer to help others grow as well.

some investigative work...

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Hey Guys

Firstly I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all the hard work you’ve shared with our organization and especially with the youth that we serve. Also, I would like to say WELCOME to our Fall/Winter Cycle Production Blog. This blog will serve as a place to provide updates, brainstorm and share ideas, challenges, hopes and dreams. This past Tuesday, October 19^th, 2010 we had our first (of many) all youth/all staff focus group to brainstorm, discuss and identify a social justice theme, which will serve as the topic/inspiration for our production that will be taking place January 20^th 2010.

Based on conversations with staff, we agreed upon a structure: start with the game “where the wind blows”, using intentionally loaded statements to get our youth thinking about relevant social justice issues. Questions included:

“The wind blows for…..”

-Anyone who has seen a drug deal happening in your neighborhood

-Anyone who has been harassed by the police for no reason

-Anyone who has been bullied in school

-Anyone who has been followed around by security in a store

-Anyone who has waited at least 20 minutes for an MBTA bus

-Anyone who feels like adults don’t understand

-Anyone who feels like they just don’t belong

-Anyone who has to really think about what they are wearing before leaving the house

-Anyone who has been a part of or has seen violence in school

One of the strongest reflection points after this exercise is when Stephen Richardson, our Latin Percussion Instructor asked the kids, “Now, was there anyone who did not move for any of those questions?” A dull roar of “nos”, “nopes” and “not mes” followed, I think at that point, the youth started to understand that each one of them face the same problems on a daily basis, but may not realize it. We broke up into six groups, each lead by a staff member. We were all given the same directions:

1. Come up with one word, phrase, or social justice issue that affects everyone in your group. This will be the subject matter of your writing.
2. Based on your subject matter, decide who your audience should be. Is it your community? The principle at your school? Your parents? As a group do some writing (could be a poem, could be a letter, could be song) with specific examples of how your subject matter has affected your lives and offer solutions or suggestions on how you think it can be changed, made better, or improved upon.

Responses included:

-prejudice and stereotypes based on race

-the need for tobacco prevention

-pressure of dressing a certain way

-terrible experiences on the bus 

-offering constructive advice to friends without being judged for being “good”

The staff and I met up afterwards to reflect and discuss where to go from there. After talking about how each staff member/group leader structured their conversation with their youth we reviewed subject matter of each writing sample. One of the strongest pieces of writing was addressed to the MBTA, outlining specific examples of bad experiences on the bus. This immediately struck a chord in our minds. Historically, the bus has served as the setting for many monumental acts of courage and defiance, most notably, Rosa Parks in 1955. Metaphorically, the bus can be seen as a vehicle for change. You can see it (Visual Arts). You can hear it (Latin Percussion). It moves (Dance). It also serves as a setting, waiting for it, getting on it, to and from work, school, and home (Theater).

And that’s where we stand. I feel like everyone is very excited about the idea of our production being set around the idea of a bus and I am very much looking forward to hearing more, further flushing the idea out, and pouring some creative energy into making something great.

You guys are awesome.

Keep up the good fight.

Casey.