[Art_beyond_sight_educators] TONIGHT! Invitation to blind dancer performance at Brooklyn FLICfest Jan 29

[Mana Hashimoto]

Dear friends,

As a choreographer and dancer who happen to be blind, my dream is to
spread my passion for dance to people of all abilities.

Tonight, I’ll take one step closer towards achieving this dream.  I
would like to cordially invite you to attend my dance performance
“Stories of the Blind – Light, Shadow and Wind” tonight (January 29)
9PM as part of FLICfest dance festival at Irondale Center in Brooklyn
(3 minute walk from Brooklyn Academy of Music).

Will you please take a moment to watch a 4-minute video clip of me
dancing, and consider coming tonight to my dance performance?

My website is www.manahashimoto.com

~ About “Stories of the Blind – Light, Shadow and Wind” ~
In “Stories of the Blind – Light, Shadow and Wind” I will reveal my
fears, struggles, hopes, longing and dreams before and after losing my
sight. Wind blows between the reflections of light and shadow, from
past, present to future – as I seek the true meaning of “once I was
blind, but now I see”.


~ Performance details ~
What: “Stories of the Blind – Light, Shadow and Wind” solo
contemporary dance performance at FLICfest 2015
Where: Irondale Center (3 min walk from Brooklyn Academy of Music)
When: January 29th 9PM to 9:45PM (proceeded by complimentary 7:30PM
opening show and  followed by complimentary 10PM performance cabaret
if you want to stay – Free with same ticket!)
Price: 1 ticket gets you into 3 shows! $25 General Admission; $20
Student/Artist/Senior
Buy ticket at: www.manahashimoto.com/flicfest

Please also spread the word on social media:
Facebook www.facebook.com/manadanceart
Twitter www.twitter.com/manadanceart

~ Media coverage for Stories of the Blind ~
Please read these articles about “Stories of the Blind – Light, Shadow and Wind”
-	The Dance Enthusiast “Mana Hashimoto Creates a New Vision for Dance”
(Jan 26, 2015)
http://www.dance-enthusiast.com/features/view/Hashimoto-FLICfest
-	 Columbia Daily Spectator “FLICfest Showcases Dance in 2015
Festival” (Jan 22, 2015)
http://columbiaspectator.com/arts-and-entertainment/2015/01/21/flicfest-showcase-eclectic-choreography-experimental-dance


~ Reviews of my past performances ~
-	- “…all expert performers in the hypersensitive vein that reminds
you of creatures sensing their world through quivering antennae…” –
Tobi Tobias, the Village Voice reviewing Treadders in the Snow
- “ [Mana Hashimoto] is the serene, imposing center of the storm” –
Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times on Treadders in the Snow dance
company
- “…a uniquely gifted individual whose influence has been deeply felt
in the international dance world.” – Nancy Stevens, documentary
filmmaker and formerly with Martha Graham Dance Company
- “[Mana Hashimoto] has made a significant impact on the arts scene
and has a critical role to play in the evolution of modern dance in
the United States.” – Joanne Tucker, Founder of Avodah Ensemble



Would you please so kindly let me know if you can come or help me
spread the word?

Thank you very much! Your support and encouragement give me
inspirations and energy!
	
Warmly,
Mana Hashimoto
Blind contemporary dancer, choreographer and founder of Dance without Sight
Website: www.manahashimoto.com
Email: manahdance at gmail.com

P.S. If you are interested in knowing how I got to this point, please
read my journey below!

As you might know my entire project is called Dance without Sight
which produces workshops and dance performances. This is inspired by
my personal experience. I had been a trained dancer for many years
before I experienced complete vision lost in adulthood.  Yet, I would
like to think I have overcome many challenges and today I continue to
dance.

As I continued my journey to keep dancing without sight information, I
realized that most people, including myself before sight loss, deeply
believed that dance was a visually-oriented art form.  This
stereotypical and narrow view in fact has closed many possibilities
for our bodies and for dance.  What would happen if we close our eyes,
open our hearts and dance?

Dance would become a rich multisensory experience.

With this inspiration I began the first Dance without Sight workshop
in 2009.  I am very grateful to the first group of sighted and
non-sighted artists who were willing to give this a try.  In these
workshops, sighted participants were asked to blindfold themselves to
expand their creative horizon. Since then, I have given Dance without
Sight workshops within the United States, Europe, and Japan.

To pursue my dream, I continue to produce solo contemporary dance
performances to connect people of all abilities through dance – that
is one of my goals for Dance without Sight. Disabled Americans are one
of the largest minority groups in the country, yet this group is often
strangely absent in contemporary performances. I believe everywhere we
all share a common human bond – and in this spirit I use dance
performances to share with audience the blind experience and in turn I
hope to inspire a fresh vision.

Furthermore, it is my dream to one day produce performances that are
accessible to all members of audience, including blind audience. I am
excited to explore ways to provide audio description for a small group
of blind audience, and experiment with a multisensory approach, one
element at a time, to turn the need of audience with disabilities into
a fountain of inspirations for the dance field.

Thank you very much for your support!