I’ve been a fan of the San Francisco International Arts Festival ever since I learned about it, roughly 5 years ago. Andrew Wood and his team do an incredible job bringing together a global community of artists and audiences for performances every Spring. The organization presents innovative projects that are focused on increasing human awareness and understanding.
SFIAF’s curatorial priorities include developing collaborative projects led by Bay Area artists working with their national and international peers and presenting world-class international artists who often do not have US representation and whose work is rarely (or never previously) seen in the United States.
For well over ten years, they have had over 100 presenting partners involved and produced performances by over 150 arts ensembles from the Bay Area and 50 countries, as well as conducting numerous educational and outreach activities. How cool is that? I also love the fact that the organization’s core values are based on principals of cultural and economic equity.
I went to the kick off of their 2015 season which along with a preview of a variety of performances, had a reception at San Francisco’s Fort Mason, and a surprise “performance,” which was more more of a creative installation of types, but a moving one…with ropes!
Afterwards, we ventured into a production by the Kiandanda Dance Theatre, which was performed by a group from the Congo. Through dance and modern movement, they told the story of the war that overtook the Republic of the Congo in the 1990’s. The five person troupe moved from joyful dance, representing pre-war times to grief, anguish and loneliness from destruction and loss.
Here in a scene, he represents a tortured soul after seeing his family and friends gone from the war. A remarkable telling story of a war we don’t talk about very much in the western world. They refer to their ‘piece’ as Taboo and Heroes, a multi-media work that addresses the reality and consequences of violence and corruption through a specific experience related to the war.
Also at the opening reception, they had something I’d refer to as “high tech walking entertainment” – amusing and disconcerning at the same time.
They’ll be running a number of theatrical performances, dance and music over the next couple of weeks — performances run from May 21-June 7, 2015. Their website for a full listing of performances can be found at www.sfiaf.org.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
