Creating a space for all people to live
#CreativeUplift: Why the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival is an opportunity ‘we all deserve’
Creative expression as a means of healing is an idea Antoine Hunter PurpleFireCrow holds close to his heart. The award-winning African American, Indigenous, Deaf and Disabled Bay Area artist and Deaf advocate struggled to find a place for himself as a young Deaf dancer. In 2007, he founded the Urban Jazz Dance Company, a California Arts Council grantee, as a new space in the world for all people to feel welcome. The choreographer, dancer, actor, instructor, speaker, and producer has made it his life’s work to create opportunities for Disabled, Deaf and hearing artists and produce Deaf-friendly events.
Celebrating its eighth year, the company’s annual Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival is holding true to the resilient spirit of the performing arts. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, BAIDDF is transitioning to a virtual event space — the showcase will be broadcast live online August 14–16.
In the first feature of our new California’s Creative Uplift series, PurpleFireCrow shares the festival’s roots, its evolution to a virtual event, and his belief in the healing power of creativity and inclusiveness.
What is the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival, and what does it represent to you personally?
The festival is bigger than me. It saved lives. As a teenager I had no place to be a Deaf BIPOC artist, and I almost took myself out of the world because it was a sad, depressing feeling. So after dance saved my life, I wanted to create a space for all people to live. Later I created an ecosystem for my BIPOC community, my Bay Area artists community, low-income community, and Deaf-plus disabled community.
Many people view me as a hero, but I do not view myself that way. I am only trying to survive and get and provide the opportunities I believe we all deserve. I follow the quote today from the late Congressman John Lewis: “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
How has the pandemic impacted the festival?
During the beginning of the COVID-19 alert, Deaf people did not have access to information on what was going on until at least three weeks later than the hearing communities. When the pandemic began, government officials began holding daily press briefings to update the public on television and online. Interpreters were not present for Deaf communities, and even when they were provided, they were often unqualified and unable to communicate effectively with Black Deaf communities. Almost everything was not accessible online as well.
This festival is run by Urban Jazz Dance Company, and one of my strategies to fund our festival is to teach and perform as much as we can, then give the earned contracted funding to the community in our international festival. Now, due to the virus, we lost over $30,000 and counting that could have helped our festival.
I had to turn my office of 15 years into a dance studio with a beautiful, thin, large heavy carpet to dance on. It took me four weeks, as I was doing the job of three to four people because I did not want anyone to come into my home and get me sick. It was huge pressure because I knew my community was waiting for me to teach dance, to share advice, and it was not easy, but good things to work toward. There was a video on YouTube with captions giving me directions on how to do things on my own. I fell, cut my hand, hit my head, broke a few things and [burned through] money to do what it takes to become more accessible for my community. I also have huge body pain, and I had to buy a ball to sit on because I was involved in several board meetings and dance meetings for a total of seven to 16 hours a day, even on the weekends.
International artists’ flights were canceled — some money was given back, some was not. Some fought for their visa, and now they can’t use it to come to America. Yet we grouped together on Zoom and decided that the show must continue. We cannot give up, so we became the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival VIRTUAL!!
What can audiences who tune in online expect to experience?
You will be tuning in live to a Bay Area native, PurpleFireCrow, also known as Mr. Antoine Hunter — an African, Indigenous, Deaf, Disable, Two Spirit producer with his wonderful team doing everything it takes to run a wonderful show. This is the show you do not want to miss and you will want to share with everyone.
Some of our wonderful artists involved include Samantha Figgins from Alvin Ailey; Lark Detweiler, who did “My Disability Does Not Define Me” on TEDxYouth; Ashley Gayle; Noah James, who wrote book The Gift of Pain: Bookmarks of a Sickle Cell Warrior; and Zahna Simon, UJDC/BAIDDF Assistant Director who is also a chemist and a pointe ballet dancer featured in INSIDE THEIR STUDIO virtual book launch by Ikouii. I shouldn’t forget my UJDC dancers, as they worked so hard to dance with me with all the changes — I can’t thank them enough.
This year we also have many local Deaf artists as well as Deaf artists from India, Colombia, Mexico, Washington D.C., Arkansas and more. There will be a diversity of Sign Languages, including but not limited to Colombian/Spanish Sign Language, American Sign Language, International Sign Language and CART captioning. You will witness local Bay Area businesses doing what it takes to thrive in a pandemic environment.
What are you most excited about for this year’s festival?
What’s exciting is that access is our priority. We challenge ourselves to provide full access, and we’re not scared to come out of our comfort zone. This means we will be providing American Sign Language, ASL voice and sign interpretation, Spanish interpretation, International Sign interpretation, CART captioning and one night of audio descriptive services!
What does “California creativity” mean to you?
To me, California creativity means the truthful belief that there is a voice in the heart of the community that needs a space to be themselves without judgment and bias and with ongoing continuous support. California artists have the power to bring us together and show motivation and empathy to learn from each other. California creativity understands that arts have the power to heal, and this is an important time for us all to heal! For me personally it also means that they believe in my Deaf community and actively includes all communities, including my own.
Anything else you would like to share?
We believe in #IntersectionalityAccessArts. In my experience, many people view that running a dance company or dance festival is a hobby instead of a business. If only they knew how hard it is, and that this is a business that is bigger than me. This is one of the few Deaf businesses run by Black Deaf humans and still, by our knowledge, the only international deaf dance festival run by a Deaf Black human. So, yes, I am #BlackLivesMatter, too.
This is a place where Deaf African and African American, Arab, Asian and Asian American, Latinx, Middle Eastern, Native American and Indigenous, Pacific Islander; LGBTQ and gender-variant people; people with disabilities; women; low-income, rural, or immigrant and refugee communities can feel included and safe to be themselves. We believe our missions run parallel with the California Arts Council’s beliefs.
Bonus question: What recommendation would you make for other organizations that are hoping to program or support audiences and artists with disabilities?
I am on the board of five different organizations. From my experience, it is important for an organization’s panels and boards to hire BIPOC artists with disabilities and BIPOC Deaf artists. Invite them to be on your boards and within your organization structure. Be open to what they have to offer and be willing to change to new approaches and perspectives. Also, remember: One person does not speak for everyone in their community; there are different opinions and preferences.
The 8th Annual Bay Area International Dance Festival: A Virtual Showcase takes place August 14–16, 2020. For event details, visit https://www.realurbanjazzdance.com/bay-area-international-deaf-dance-festival-virtual.html.
Follow the Urban Jazz Dance Company on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UrbanJazzDance.
Creative Uplift is a California Arts Council series celebrating California’s arts and culture community. We invite you to follow along on social media as we share the inspirational work of our creative communities far and wide, using the hashtag #CreativeUplift. And we welcome each of you to share your own experiences of art as a source of change, compassion, comfort, healing, and unity in your own communities using the same hashtag.
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