You Belong to Me was inspired by the following quote about the beauty of performance artists, from Guillermo Gómez-Peña's manifesto "In Defense of Performance Art":
XVI.-PHYSICAL BEAUTYI've always loved this paragraph and I think it describes the bill this weekend perfectly.
We are no more or less beautiful or fit than anyone else, but neither are we average looking. Actors, dancers, and models are better looking, sportsmen and martial artists are in much better shape, and porn stars are definitely sexier. In fact, our bodies and faces tend to be awkward looking; but we have an intense look, a deranged essence of presence, an ethical quality to our features and hands. And this makes us both trustworthy to outlaws and rebels, and highly suspicious to authority. When people look into our eyes, they can tell right away— we mean it. This, I may say, amounts to a different kind of beauty.
This video clip is for my students - we've been talking about black feminist resistance against forms of oppression & the weight of history. Ursula Rucker's Supa Sista digs into just that. Come downtown tomorrow night (8:00pm @ corner of 6th & main) and check her out! Opening (!) is performance art star James Luna - you can get a taste of his bluesy persona by listening to the track on his home page.
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