Join us for a multi-media dance-theater production, NEERI, followed by Q&A with the performer, Lakshmi Sriraman!

About NEERI

‘Neer’ in Tamil (our native language) means water. NEERI is the feminine version of water, or in this context, the bearer of a river. The bearer who carries the hopes and dreams, vision and passion, frustration and despair, understanding and compassion, celebration and joy, and the million pieces that make up the manifestation of the boundless feminine river to descend onto this world.

The performance outlines the journey of NEERI, as she travels across cultures, across times, carrying the burden of the river. It works as a focal point and attempts to give voice to the feminist NEERIs’ that have walked and continue to walk this earth, creating visions, holding spaces, taking action, in an effort to bring empowerment, justice and equality for women and girls.

Performance Vocabulary

An interactive multi-media dance-theater production, NEERI is a blend of contemporary theater, South Indian folk-art traditions such as Parai and Therukkoothu, and the Indian dance form of Bharatanatayam. The performance vocabulary includes movement, spoken words, singing, music bowl, layering of spoken word over music, video projections, use of props, silence etc.

The interactive element of this production arises from both asking the audience to be props, hold and handle props, as well as asking them for input and participation in the show itself, thus co-creating a narrative for the performance itself. The audience will be invited to be part of the improvised work.

This work will be presented as an immersive theater experience, presented as a performance work followed by Q&A. for a total of 60 to 75 minutes.

Zoom like: Here

Join us to hear from Margeret Renkl. Our ancestors didn’t think of creativity as a side gig. A quilt was meant to keep a family warm. It was meant to give a new practical use to the unworn bits of worn-out clothes. But our family quilts were never simply warm and never simply practical. They were beautiful and making them brought their makers happiness. Renkl, an author and contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, believes that expressing our own creativity—whether through painting or gardening or singing or dancing or writing or, yes, needlework—is one of the ways we bring meaning to our lives. We hope to see you there!

Zoom link: Coming soon

Many of you have likely heard of the bestselling autobiography Hillbilly Elegy which was recently made into a feature film. The book has stirred much controversy and inspired many conversations on how Appalachia is represented. Today we invite you to delve deeper into this conversation and watch our newly released interview with Meredith McCarroll and Anthony Harkins, winners of 2019’s Nonfiction Weatherford Award for their book “Appalachian Reckoning: A Region response to Hillbilly Elegy.” They are interviewed by Chris Green, Director of the Appalachian Center, and will discuss how and why they chose to share a more complex and diverse history of Appalachia in response to Hillbilly Elegy.

Enjoy a video of this interview anytime, here