Christal Brown & lida Winfield
In residence: june 22 - 28
Yard alumnae Lida Winfield and Christal Brown returned to the Vineyard to develop Same But Different. Encompassing live performance, film, and even a podcast, Same But Different explores the similarities and differences between Christal and Lida in a cultural commentary on race, age, and gender. 42 years young and recently orphaned, Lida grew up in the North. Christal grew up in the South. Both of them grew up inhabiting small towns. Lida is white and Christal is black. As children, Christal was considered a genius and Lida was labeled dumb. At this point in their lives, Lida and Christal have both lived the rigors of being artists, professors, educators, and survivors of life.
Christal is a mover and a warrior of change and transformation. She combines her athleticism, creativity, love for people, and passion for teaching to create works that redefine the art of dance, the creation of identity, and structures of power. Lida is an innovative and accomplished dancer, choreographer, spoken word artist, and educator. Her pedagogy is rooted in inclusion, access, and the recognition that our brains and bodies work differently and this difference is a valuable asset.
In addition to live showings of Same But Different, Lida’s latest completed work, IMAGINARY, will be available to stream during the week of her residency. Same But Different was commissioned by the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, with support from the National Performance Network and the Middlebury Performing Arts Series and Process Pass holders.
“Christal and I are looking forward to space and time at The Yard to build new ideas and directions connected to our duet Same but Different. We are planning on making a podcast, looking at the footage we did not use in our film and starting to build a live section of the show when we are able to perform in person. We could not do this without the space and time together at The Yard”
Photos by JHsu Media
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Your support allows us to bring artists like Christal Brown and Lida Winfield to the Martha’s Vineyard each year.
Funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.
The Yard is a Partner of the National Performance Network (NPN). This project is made possible in part by support from the NPN Artist Engagement Fund. Major contributors include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information visit www.npnweb.org.
IMAGINARY is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Project co-commissioned by the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, Middlebury College, and The Yard. The Creation Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information: www.npnweb.org