Buran Summit: Day Five

Yesterday Jean Goto led us through a Jam Session, using a lot of Viewpoints and methods employed by the New York City based theatre company The Anthropologists. I feel blessed to have have worked with The Anthropologists briefly and it was such a wonderful gift for Jean to give this week of exploration by leading this Jam. The sense of community I've witnessed The Anthropologists enact within their own collective that extends to various boroughs throughout NYC, whether it be through a Salon Session or via their June 2009 production of Give Us Bread, it is surely a rare quality - one that is central to the work Buran does.

One of the discussion points that has come up time and time again this week is appropriation of work and the initiative to make it happen where ever one might be. Looking at the participants who have attended the summit - individuals from New York City, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Los Angeles - all of these folks have the potential to create Burans in their own community. A community invested idea that exists in one place but can be extended through the members of the company. Or even a text that can be performance in various communities but altered by the face of that community and the company performing.

This is the satellite system.

A recent company member who has utilized this concept is jazz bassist Ben Leifer who composed a piece in five parts (bass, drum, saxophone, piano) where he used Buran performance methodologies to enact a relationship between the event and the spectator. The workshop and discussion he led yesterday was quite earth shattering for many participants. Those who had been struggling with the idea of a Buran in structure were suddenly invigorated with a sense of possibility - one of: Yes! Why the hell not, I can do this too!

Some quotes from Ben when talking about his piece relating to Buran methodology in performance:

"It's when you are feeling like you're in the wrong place, that's when you're in the right place - that's the groove. To be absolutely consistent as you can be within the groove is what you're after."

"Keep your own self centered, but let the physical, that is, the rhythm, do its own thing. If you find this centered moment, the moment of unity within the chaos, even if it only occurs briefly. That's what makes a piece expand and contract."

"It is idea driven first, not harmonically driven."

"The space in a piece creates motion, thus, giving the spectator options."

and one from Jean:

"It's not the what. It's the when."

and Justin:

"It's less important what's written than what's happening."


I hope that others will write on here in the coming days.
As you can see, the conversations have been rich and thick. And the physical workshops have given us so many options as to where to lead the rest of this week as we prepare to perform a 7 minute Buran in a Cabaret on Saturday night as a part of Tricklock Company's 10th Annual Revolutions Festival.

Another thing I must mention is the true Generosity of Spirit that has been shared this week. That phrase was mentioned the first day and I believe it has become the phrase of the summit. A handful of folks in Albuquerque have opened their homes, and in some cases their family, to Buran - through group dinners, drinks and gatherings. It's this Generosity of Spirit that, for me, makes Buran so god-damned special and I am always overjoyed at our reunion as a collective of artists striving towards similar ideas.

As always, looking forward - that is, look forward to future posts on this here blog.

-Adam