Arts &Life
More Than A Hashtag: Bindis And Bruises Robin Bridges
and that’s where these stories come from. Honestly, it’s a mix of what's happened to all these people. It's taking it and putting it in the context of this project. “Women in this audience are going to relate. If it didn’t happen to them it happened to someone that they know,” she continued. “Because the 11 of us sitting here it happened to one of us and it happened to someone else in some way shape or form, in one or two aspects of these stories.” “I’ve really appreciated being a part of this community of really intelligent women” said dancer Sara Maslanka. “Its pretty unique in a theatre world to work with all women...Not that that’s the only thing [Bindis and Bruises] means to me but it definitely adds another element. I really enjoy being a part of an all female creative community.” It is appropriate that March is not only women's history month, but also sexual assault awareness month. Maslanka hopes that the show will raise awareness about an issue that she is passionate about. ”I think we live in a culture that is very ignorant and content with being ignorant. Especially in the age of social media,” Malanka said. “It’s almost like we’re conducting our lives based on a hashtag. We almost forget that it’s not just a fucking hashtag.This event happened to someone and somebody’s life has
Photo by Robin Bridges
For six nights an 11 member ensemble cast will use their bodies to express things that make people uncomfortable, in the most powerful way. “Bindis and Bruises” is not a happy, feel-good musical. And that’s ok. The show is designed to bring awareness to the issues of violence towards women through dance and movement. Inspired by the 2012 rape and murder of a medical student on a bus in Delhi, the choreography takes a spin around everyday experiences from the lives of those touched by intimate partner violence. With glimpses of the varying types of abuse from physical to sexual to emotional, “Bindis and Bruises” is more relatable than the title suggests. ”There is no male bashing allowed,” said director and ensemble founder Ellyzabeth Adler. Critics would expect the common portrayal of men as abusers in a show about domestic violence. Adler explained why saying, “The gay and lesbian stories in this as well as the men's voice... will be projected because we thought it was important to not be the men in the show but to have their voice be heard in a positive sort of way.” It was a very deliberate and conscious choice on the part of the whole cast
and crew. From the movements to the style of dance and the use of colors. “Bindis and Bruises” pulls from its Indian storytelling roots. They use Red for weddings and celebration and white to symbolize death and mourning. Choreographer and dancer Priya Narayan said, “I’m an indian classical dancer. I can’t do ballet, I can’t dance hip hop.” The title of the show also holds special meaning for her. “The bindi is a mark of strength or Shakti,” Narayan explained. “Shakti is a direct correlation to the hindu goddess Durga, her name means strength. So for me, trying to tie in that relationship with the goddess. As a female having this strength image there available for us.That’s where that correlation is.” On March 4th in an upstairs auditorium “Bindis and Bruises” will open to a crowd of over 100 people.The stories in the multidisciplinary dance performance are an amalgamation of stories so common that everyone will identify with them. “Over the years having conversations—whether it’s family or friends or media—a lot of these stories are a combination of something from this person, something from that person,” Narayan said. “It’s something that we’re constantly seeing. We constantly see our sisters hurting
Dancers of the play rehearse their messages of domestic partner violence
been changed because of it.” The show runs on weekends in March beginning March 4 at 8pm. In the upstairs auditorium of the Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 West Foster on Chicago’s north side. Tickets are $10 for college students and seniors, free for high and
middle school students. They can be purchased at the door or online at danztheatre.org under “Bindis and Bruises.” Tickets bought for shows performed on March 18 and 19 will benefit a local organization providing support to women.
reactionally it's probably not. We always feel welcome there and it's always great to play while it's fundamentally home for us all really.
played Irish music so it was nice.
All These Years of Music Photo by Angela Weisgal
band made contemporary songs their own with a trad-style cover of “Darkness Darkness” by The Youngbloods and “Seven Curses” by Bob Dylan. Moira Smiley’s voice is versatile and worked well with the diverse setlist. I could picture the sights from the ocean to the mountains and the streets. Smiley and McAuley sat with the Independent for a quick Q&A:
Solas takes the stage in a night of music at NEIU.
Angela Weisgal Solas, pronounced “suh-liss,” is a Traditional Irish Folk band whose members hail from both Ireland and America. This year marks their 20th anniversary and they are celebrating in a special way. This year, they released their 12th album, “All These Years,” featuring contributions from all the band members from their early years to the present and recorded on both sides of the Atlantic. Solas is the Gaelic word for light and features the current line-up of multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and newest member Moira Smiley from Vermont; guitarist Éamon McElholm from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland; button accordion player Mick McAuley from County Kilkenny in the Republic of Ireland; and founding members fiddler Winifred Horan from New York;
and multi instrumentalist Seamus Egan from Pennsylvania. With St. Patrick’s Day just four weeks away, Irish bands are in demand in the United States, according to McAuley. Luckily, NEIU booked them in time for latest edition of the Jewel Box Series on February 19th. Solas played an energetic, fun show with songs from their latest release, and the one before it, “Shamrock City.” The show reminded me a lot of my time studying abroad in Ireland and all of the songs brought back great memories, especially the jigs and reels played. If there was more space in the venue, some audience members might have found themselves dancing. Some of the songs were originals written by the band members, such as the opening song, “Mr. and Mrs. Walsh”—a jig written by Seamus Egan. The
INDEPENDENT: What countries have you played in around the world?
McAULEY: we've been lucky enough to play in a lot of countries. Several around Europe. We've been in France, Italy, and Spain and Ireland and England and Germany and most of the countries in Western Europe. Maybe not so much down the eastern part, but we've toured probably all the states in America and we've been lucky enough to get out to Japan and Australia as well along the way.
IN: Is there a difference between how the audience would receive your music in Ireland versus in other countries?
MA: Probably there is. We're so lucky in Ireland that there are so many great musicians young and old that play Irish music, it’s sort of different playing in Ireland than anywhere else in the world. Just because it's so popular and the standards are so high, but
IN: What music do you like to listen to both trad and non-trad?
SMILEY: Well, we love a lot of different music, but you know, I think probably we listen to a variety that includes something like an old traditional musician that's doing something maybe that wasn't commercially released, you know. You can admire Kendrick Lamar or the music of Beethoven. MA: Down to everyone's personal taste really. Obviously there's no one thing that everybody collectively listens to in the band unless we're going along in the car, we like sharing music with each other that we sort of discover. And that new record. Well it's not too new anymore. That D'Angelo record is pretty good at the minute. We’re checking that out. SM: Both Mick and I have been listening to that.
IN: What were your upbringings like? What part of the world are your from and where are your family from?
SM: I grew up in Vermont. It’s very rural, a very small place. From background, a mixture of Irish and Middle Eastern. MA: I grew up in Ireland and I was part of a musical family. We all
IN: What brings the whole band together in a musical sense?
MA: I suppose the common ground that we all share, although we all have different types of music, is Irish music. That we all have a love, among other things, of Irish music and I suppose it’s the common ground that we all share.
IN: What was recording the latest album like?
SM: It was great. It was all over the world. It was recorded in five different studios and with different groups of people because there have been about 16 different people over the years and everybody gathered in different places when they could between their busy schedules and it was great because we were revisiting some old material and then putting together all new arrangements right there in the studio.
IN: What keeps you motivated?
SM: Music. It’s sharing music with other musicians and feeling excited about what they’re doing and always inspired. And also that music is a place where people, everybody, the audience, all of us come to be soothed and helped and educated and entertained. It just is a good place. People are in a good place usually when they come to hear it.