Fall 2023 3 RITES: Life, Liberty, Happiness 651 ARTS PREMIERE
2022
February 12, 2022 Roots Party #1 Are Prisons Necessary?Imagine a society that centers freedom and justice instead of profit and punishment. We invite you to join in the journey of making 1,865 roots out of paper and twine. 3pm-5pm, Virtual on Zoom - RSVP
February 16, 2022 Dream A Little Dream stepping, standing and swinging with Lucille and Louis Armstrong 6pm A lusciously surreal dance and music film by Dah'Vielle Lucas, that swirls through the garden and exquisitely decorated rooms of the historic Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, New York. The film features signature jazz tunes made famous by Louis Armstrong and performed by the Queens College Jazz Repertoire Ensemble under the direction of Professor Antonio Hart; and original choreography by Yin Mei Critchell, nia love, and Edisa Weeks performed by Queens College Dance Program students. * In Person Screening February 16 - Tickets Virtual Streaming on Youtube February 24-27 - Tickets
February 17, 2022 At Home with Queens College Exploring the Personal and Political 4pm-5pm Exploring the Personal and Political will introduce you to methods for using personal stories and political events as source material for generating socially relevant and gutsy choreography and theatrical work. In this interactive session you will be guided through movement explorations that can be done sitting or standing, as well as personal writing and a drawing practices, that encourage you to tap into your kinesthetic and theatrical imagination and ability. Virtual on Zoom - RSVP
March 5, 2022 Roots Party Motion State Dance Festival 12pm- 4pm Southside Cultural Center of Rhode Island - 393 Broad Street, Providence, RI 02907 The Motion State Dance Festival kicks off with a Roots Party! Multi-disciplinary artist Edisa Weeks invites you to join her in the journey of making 1,865 roots out of paper and twine. We'll make roots, share a meal, and engage in a community conversation led by thinkers, practitioners and community members. RSVP
March 11 & 12, 2022 3 RITES: Liberty Motion State Dance Festival The WaterFire Arts Center - 475 Valley Street, Providence, RI 02908 Connected like a puppet to objects that have informed the Black experience in America (bible, black dick, blonde wig, watermelon, gun, lightbulb, sneakers), multi-media artist Edisa Weeks alternates between black face, white face, storytelling and visceral dance to dig into the pathologization of African-Americans and the foundations of Liberty in America. As our nation grapples with confederate monuments, the lynching of Black lives, fake news and economic stratification, 3 RITES: Liberty humorously and poignantly insists on a reckoning with our past and present. Tickets
March 19, 2022 Roots Party #2, with Regina Campbell from Rikers Public Memory Project Are Prisons Necessary?Imagine a society that centers freedom and justice instead of profit and punishment. We invite you to join in the journey of making 1,865 roots out of paper and twine. 3pm-5pm, Virtual on Zoom - RSVP
April 23, 2022 Roots Party #3, with Avery from SWOP Brooklyn Are Prisons Necessary?Imagine a society that centers freedom and justice instead of profit and punishment. We invite you to join in the journey of making 1,865 roots out of paper and twine. 3pm-5pm, Virtual on Zoom - RSVP
September 24, 2022 Roots Party #4, with Ashley and Brooke from Free Ashley Diamond Campaign Are Prisons Necessary?Imagine a society that centers freedom and justice instead of profit and punishment. We invite you to join in the journey of making 1,865 roots out of paper and twine. 3pm-5pm, Virtual on Zoom - RSVP
Saturday November 12, 2022 at 8pm Sunday November 13, 2022 at 3pm ACTION SONGS / PROTEST DANCES LeFrak Concert Hall, Queens College Campus 153-49 Reeves Ave., Flushing, NY 11367 Tickets: $20 General Admission; $10 Student with valid ID Purchase Tickets at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts website ~ Kupferberg Center for the Arts presents the World Premiere of Action Songs/Protest Dances, a live music and dance performance conceived, directed, and choreographed by Edisa Weeks. The work features five original songs commissioned by composers/musicians Taina Asili, Spirit McIntyre, and Martha Redbone. Featured dancers include Noni Byrd-Gibbs, Steven Jeltsch, Johnnie Cruise Mercer, Devin Oshiro, and Brittany Stewart. Three of the songs are inspired by the life, speeches, and writings of civil rights activist James Forman (1928-2005), whose personal archives are housed at the Queens College Rosenthal Library; and two are about social justice issues in America today. Together, the songs and dances serve as a call to action, a protest against injustice, and a demand that America become a more just, equitable, inclusive and truly great nation. This original work is the culmination of the first-ever Kupferberg Arts Incubator initiative, an innovative artist residency program launched in 2020.
Saturday December 10, 2022 at 7:30pm WATERWORKS EMERGING ARTIST SHOWCASE Harlem Stage 150 Convent Ave, New York City, 10031 Tickets: $25 Priority Seating; $15 General Seating Purchase Tickets at the Harlem Stage website The WaterWorks Emerging Artists program is designed for budding artists of color, to enable and nurture the developmental process in their creative work, instincts, and business skills. Throughout the one-year commission, artists develop an original performance piece, culminating in a work-in-progress showcase, at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse. The yearlong program offers commissioning support, mentorship, critical feedback, and professional development opportunities for each artist. In this culminating performance, Harlem Stage presents: Tariq Al-Sabir, a musician, producer, vocalist, and composer. An accomplished performance artist, Jennifer Cendaña Armas. An interdisciplinary artist and poet, Shenny De Los Angeles. Vinson Fraley, a dancer and choreographer. Edisa Weeks, an educator and choreographer. These visionary and innovative artists have created profound and compelling pieces pulling inspiration from their personal experiences, present-day society, and more.
2021
April 29, 2021 Edisa Weeks ft. on Black Dance Stories 6pmEDT on YouTube More information here
Spring 2021 Remote Residency with Design Team EMPAC Troy, NY More information here
November 16, 2021 Arts and Archives: Creativity During Covid Queens College Library & Queens Memory Project How do art and archives intersect? In this roundtable discussion, What Will The neighbors Say?, Joyce LeeAnn and Edisa Weeks will discuss creative projects undertaken during COVID-19, and their connections to primary sources and archival repositories. Livestreamed
2020
January 8 -11, 2020 3 RITES: Liberty 651ARTS - APAP SHOWINGS Wednesday-Thursday, January 8-9 7:00pm Friday-Saturday, January 10-11, | 3:00pm Kumble Theater, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY Purchase tickets here
January 23- February 3, 2020 The Transfiguration of Benjamin Banneker Directed by Theodora Skipitares Music by LaFrae Sci Choreography by Edisa Weeks Featuring the Soul Tigers Marching Band * La Mama, Ellen Stewart Theater | 66 East 4th St. 2nd Fl., NYC $25 Tickets; $20 Students/Seniors [+ $1 Facility Fee] For information and tickets click here
February 25 - March 11, 2020 MANCC Residency Developing 3 RITES: Liberty Roots Party More information here
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 3 RITES: Liberty Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY POSTPONED
Saturday July 25, 2020 Roots Party 12pm-4pm Bailey's Cafe 324 Malcolm X Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY 11233 Please bring a mask to wear and practice social distancing Kids Welcome. Feel free to come and go Food and Drink provided In person at Bailey's Cate and simultaneously virtual on Zoom
Fall 2020 Remote Residency with Design Team EMPAC Troy, NY More information here
Saturday, December 5, 2020 VIRTUAL Roots Party 12pm-4pm via Zoom / Kelly Strayhorn Theater (Pittsburgh, PA) RSVP on KST's website
2019
Sunday January 6, 2019 In The Works 2019 APAP Showcase La MaMa rehearsal studios, 47 Great Jones Street 12:05-12:35pm - 3 RITES: Liberty (excerpts) 4:30-5pm - 3 RITES: Liberty (excerpts) RSVP In The Works 2019 APAP Showcase includes: Anna Sperber, BamBam Frost, DELIRIOUS Dances/Edisa Weeks, Fana Fraser, Laurie Berg, mayfield brooks, Samlingen (Amanda Apetrea, Nadja Hjorton, Halla Ólafsdóttir, Stina Nyberg and Zoë Poluch) In The Works is co-presented by Meredith Boggia (founder) with Magnus Nordberg/Nordberg Movement (Sweden) and guests Lindsey Dietz Marchant and Marýa Wethers,
Monday January 7, 2019 2pm-3pm APAP Showing PMG Arts Management Guest Artist Showcase Part of Dance Managers Collective City Center Showcases City Center Studio 4 - 131 W 55th St, NYC 10019 2pm - DELIRIOUS Dances/Edisa Weeks, 3 RITES: Liberty & Happiness (excerpts) 2:30pm - Nathan Trice/RITUALS Dance Theater RSVP
April 22-28, 2019 Mount Tremper Arts Residency Mount Tremper, NY Developing 3 RITES: Liberty + Roots Party * Friday April 26 at 7pm 3 RITES: Liberty work-in-progress showing, FREE RSVP HERE * Saturday April 27 from 12pm-4pm ROOTS PARTY Discussion on conservation and watershed rights in the Catskills with Adam Bosch (DEP) and Jeff Senterman (Catskill Center). RSVP HERE
May 29 - June 29 2019 Topaz ARTS Woodside, Queens, NY New York State Dance Force Residency to develop THREE RITES: Life * Saturday June 29 from 2pm-4pm 3 RITES: Life work-in-progress showing
June 13, 2019 Chashama Gala 6 PM – Midnight One World Trade Center, 67th Floor Including Delirious Hair Designs by Edisa Weeks For information click here
July 27, 2019 Meeting Point Benefit - Dinner and Performance Mount Tremper Arts Featuring an exquisite, multi-course dinner by Chef Ethan Knechel (formerly of Reynard, Spotted Pig) in collaboration with Mor Pipman and Anna Young, and featuring produce grown by MTA gardener Anastacia Bolina and local farms. Including performances by Gelsey Bell, Becca Blackwell, Julie Mayo, and Edisa Weeks * Meeting Point supports year-round artist residencies at Mount Tremper Arts Tickets $125-$250. For information click here
August 12, 2019 - September 8, 2019 NPN Creative Fund Phase II residency to develop 3 RITES: Life in the Skylight Gallery at RestorationART Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NY * Friday September 6 from 6pm-9pm 6pm-8pm: 3 RITES: Life work-in-progress showing 8pm-9pm: Buen Vivir discussion with John Gershman * Saturday September 7 from 2pm-5pm 2pm-4pm:3 RITES: Life work-in-progress showing 4pm-5pm: Creative Reuse Bead-making Workshop with Pamela Issac from Materials for the Arts For Adults and Children ages 6 and older
September 5 - October 13, 2019 Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Presents the World Premiere of Novenas for a Lost Hospital A communal experience to remember, honor, re-imagine and celebrate St Vincent’s Hospital. Inspired by the caretakers and patients of St. Vincent's Hospital, and guided by Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, this unique event takes a 60-person audience on a journey from an enclosed garden to Rattlestick’s intimate West Village theater to the NYC AIDS Memorial Park. Written by Cusi Cram Dramaturgy by Guy Lancaster Directed by: Daniella Topol Choreography: Edisa Weeks Costume Design: Ari Fulton Lighting Design: Stacey Derosier Set Design: Carolyn Mraz For tickets and more information click here
September 28 & 29, 2019 FUSION Dance Company Reunion Brown University, Providence, RI including workshops taught by Edisa Weeks, Alumni '87
October 2, 2019 Book Launch of "I Stand In My Place With My Own Day Here: Site-Specific Art at the New School" 6:30pm-9:30pm at the New School, NYC The evening includes an excerpt from THREE RITES: Liberty by Edisa Weeks RSVP Here
October 6, 2019 Sundays on Broadway Cathy Weis Projects and guest curator Joanna Kotze present a shared evening of performances by Keely Garfield, Ambika Raina, Stuart Shugg, and Edisa Weeks WeisAcres - 537 Broadway #3, NYC $10 suggested contribution. For more information click Here
October 7-11, 2019 Residency at Hobart and William Smith Colleges * Thursday October 10 from 4:30pm-7:30pm ROOTS PARTY 4:30-7:30pm Roots Making 5pm dinner/drinks served buffet style till food runs out 6pm-7pm Discussion on Food Deserts: inequality and access in Geneva, NY with Teresa Shaffer and Deacon Henry Farrow of Food Justice Geneva Geneva Public Library 244 Main St., Geneva, NY 14456 FREE and open to the Public
November 16, 2019 ROOTS PARTY in partnership with Urban Bush Women 12pm-4pm RestorationART | Skylight Gallery 1368 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216 FREE and open to the Public
2018
Thursday, June 7, 2018 6pm – Midnight Chashama Gala 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036 Performances include fantastical, outrageous and elegant hair art by Edisa Weeks/Delirious Hair Designs Information and tickets available here
June 11-30, 2018 DiP Residency at Gibney Developing 3 RITES: Happiness which investigates how does laughter, pleasure and contentment reside in the body. During the performance the audience is invited to have their portrait painted, get a Delirious Hair Design, learn a line dance, share a meal, and come together for a collective celebration of catharsis, uplift and joy. Music is by the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International.
June 22 & 23, 2018 7:30pm - 9pm Afro Pas De Deux Festival Featuring RestorationART Choreoquest choreographers Germaul Barnes, Angel Chinn, Davalois Fearon, Rosamond S. King, Sekou McMiller, Johnnie Mercer, Nathan Trice and Edisa Weeks Restoration ART – Billie Holliday Theater 1368 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216 Tickets: $17.89, available here
Thursday June 28, 2018 6pm – 7:30pm 3 RITES: Happiness - work-in-progress showing Gibney - 5th Fl. Studio 3 890 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
Saturday June 30, 2018 12pm – 4pm Making Roots Gibney - 5th Fl. Studio 3 890 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 RSVP
Tuesday, July 10, 2018 8:30am - 10am Keynote Address Play, Process and Performance Delving into personal stories to create devised work 5:30pm 3 RITES: Liberty Bill Evans Somatic Dance Conference Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY www.billevansdance.org
Saturday, July 21, 2018 12pm-4pm Making Roots Body Politic / Jill Sigman Gibney 280 Broadway, Enter at 53A Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007 For information click here
August 10 & 11, 2018 Cornerstone Theater presents The Cardinal a new play by Cusi Cram directed by Juliette Carrillo original music by Emily Gardner Xu Hall movement by Edisa Weeks * Friday August 10 at 8pm + Saturday August 11 at 2pm & 8pm Goldstein Theater | 65-30 Kissena Blvd. | Flushing, NY 11367 Tickets are pay what you can afford (suggested donation $10) Available online at: https://cornerstone.secure.force.com/ticket or call 1-800-578-1335
September 1, 2018 Meeting Point: Benefit Dinner for Mount Tremper Arts 647 South Plank Rd, Mount Tremper, NY 12457 Inspiration arrives at Meeting Point, a unique feast featuring a multi-course dinner with pairings and offerings by artists-in-residence Laurie Berg, Paul Pinto and Edisa Weeks, who’ll create signature hair designs for guests. Mount Tremper Arts Chef Ethan Knechel (formerly of Reynard, Spotted Pig) and a special guest chef will prepare an exquisite dinner with produce harvested from the garden in collaboration with MTA gardener Anastacia Bolina, and from local farms.
The funds raised at Meeting Point supports year-round artist residencies. For more information and tickets click here.
September 8, 2018 10pm-2:30am WIG OUT Change your hair, change your life HOUSE OF YES - 2 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237 Wigs, headpieces, fabulous creativity! Just Throw something weird and wonderful on that gorgeous head of yours. Don't have a look - no worries - Delirious Hair Designs/Edisa Weeks is designing fabulous, unbe-weave-able looks for the evening. Get your hair on! For information click here.
October 15-21, 2018 Mount Tremper Arts Residency Developing 3 RITES: Happiness
October 16, 2018 8pm The Grey Land Composer Joseph C. Phillips’s mono-opera The Grey Land explores themes of humanity and identity in relation to race, class, and power through the lens of a Black mother’s experiences navigating American society with her son. The piece features 28-piece orchestral ensemble Numinous, as well as soprano Rebecca Hargrove, choreography by Edisa Weeks, dancer Jay Bouey, and film and video work by Malik Isasis & Xuan Zhang. Roulette 509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Tickets available here.
Saturday October 20, 2018 3 RITES: Happinessat Mount Tremper Arts 647 South Plank Rd, Mount Tremper, NY 12457 Tickets: $15, available here 6:30pm – 9pm | Happiness Fête Pamper your senses and spirits. Experience a Delirious Hair Design, get a massage, learn a line dance, participate in a raffle, have your portrait drawn and more. Food and drinks provided 8pm | Performance with live music by the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International 9pm | Bonfire Bring an instrument or song to sing/share (weather permitting)
Saturday November 10, 2018 11am-6pm Roots Party Weeksville Heritage Center 158 Buffalo Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11213 for information click here
December 6-8, 2018 Skeleton Architecture at Danspace Project Thurs Dec. 6 | Workshop 6pm-9pm - Black Identified Bodies Fri. Dec. 7 | Workshop 6pm-9pm - Open to All Sat. Dec. 8 | 7pm Performance - Open to All On this special evening, Skeleton Architecture will share a performance that emphasizes the collaborative process and highlights the power of Black womyn within community. This sharing imagines and activates a site of InterSections – a crossroads, a place of high-stakes, risks and magic — through improvisation, dance, song, text, and spirit. St. Mark’s Church, 131 East 10th St., New York, NY 10003 Tickets $10/$5 members - available here