International Human Rights Art Festival Announces Dance Highlights

Over 100 artists and activists from all over the globe are set to take part in the 4th INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ART FESTIVAL in New York City December 6 - 12 at Wild Project (195 E. 3rd Street in Manhattan). Set to coincide with International Human Rights Day which falls on December 10 every year, the Festival brings together artists with social and political leaders and the general public to imagine and implement a better, more caring world. Artists around the world speak truth to power -- often alone, and at great personal risk. The INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ART FESTIVAL empowers their voices, activating a global audience of allies to support them in their struggle for social justice and human rights. Artists and activists from 24 countries including Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Haiti, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Singapore, South Korea, Uganda and Venezuela are represented in the 2021 festival.

Featuring dance, theatre, music, spoken word, comedy, circus, and film, the 4th INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ART FESTIVAL (produced by Tom Block) is a week-long series of advocacy events and performances at the intersection of art, activism and society. The full schedule can be viewed at www.ihraf.org. Tickets are $20 each, or $50 for a festival pass.

The dance highlights of the 2021 festival include:

• Tuesday, December 7 at 7:30pm -- "Celebration of Immigration" featuring "Belong-ing" by Axons Dance Company. The piece asks: how do we walk the constant struggle of blending in while honoring tradition and individuality?

• Friday, December 10 at 7:30pm -- "Dance Friday" featuring Valerie Green/Dance Entropy's "man/Mother," in which 3 dancers each experience the pandemic; BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance's "Continually Healing," two duets about the frustrations and helplessness that occur as a result of the constant barrage of bad policies and hatred infecting our country; LatticeWorks' "For Sake," a tale of privilege; Catey Clark's "Please, water the plants when I am gone," a coming of age piece; Amy Liou and Sayoko Kojima's "A Practice: Alone/Together"; and Dancers Unlimited's "Emotions," a look at the fight for social justice and "Edible Tales: Mana," examining cultural heritage and sustainability.

• Saturday, December 11 at 2pm -- Aseemkala Initiative's "The Stories Our Bodies Speak," 6 diverse women each use traditional dance to share a personal story. The stories will explore a gamut of topics, ranging from the political rights of women, to the spiritual mythologies surrounding female bodies.

• Saturday, December 11 at 3:30pm -- "Farm Arts Collective" a theatrical spectacle using movement, music, text, and circus skills to address climate change and social justice by Farm Arts Collective (as recently featured in The New York Times).

• Saturday, December 11 at 5pm -- Gabrielle Senza's "IN/VISIBILITY" an multimedia performance about the survival and erasure of people, time, memory and experience. Incorporating spoken word, movement, video, light and sound, Senza makes visible a universal desire for connectedness, respect, safety and empowerment.

• Saturday, December 11 at 7:30pm -- "Celebration of Africa" featuring acclaimed Gambian griot Salieu Suso's dance/music troupe Jalikunda.

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ART FESTIVAL began in 2010 under the auspices of Amnesty International. In its past 3 seasons, the Festival has presented over 125 performances featuring over 500 artists. Past participants, honorary co-sponsors and speakers include National Medal of the Arts winner Norman Lear; Kathleen Turner; Senator Charles E. Schumer; Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; Senator Bernie Sanders; Congressman and Civil Rights Hero John Lewis (GA); Barbra Streisand, Amy Poehler, Nigerian human rights activist and founder of Sahara Reporters Sowore Omoyele; Chinese human rights activist and recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, Wei Jingsheng; NYC Commissioner of Human Rights Carmelyn Malalis, Circus Amok, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and many others.

For more info, visit www.ihraf.org.

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