First Baltimore CRANKIE FESTIVAL!

After months of preparation I was happy to premier a new shadow puppet piece, Crow Song River, for a sold out crowd at the first Baltimore crankie festival in Baltimore this week! 

What is a crankie? A crankie or moving panorama is an illustrated scroll presented in s box. A roll of paper  or fabric is wound around two posts, which is then pulled across the front, much like film in an old camera.

The festival was organized at the Creative Alliance by Anna Roberts Gevalt and Elizabeth Laprelle, good friends, amazing musicians, and crankie makers extraordinaire.  It was a magical evening of amazing story telling, art, and music. We performed along-side great artists Christopher Owen, Dave Huber, Kenny Johnston, Clarissa gregory, Erik Spangler, Matt Muirhead, McKenzie Elizabeth Ditter, Brett Ratliff, John Haywood, Alex Fine, and students of the BALTIMORE NATIVE AMERICAN CENTER led by ASHLEY MINNER.

I was moved to be among such dedicated artists, creating a beautiful evening of soul sustaining creative The students of the BALTIMORE NATIVE AMERICAN CENTER led by ASHLEY MINNER, Chris Owen's live crankie painting performance, Ana and Elizabeth's collaboration with sound artist Eric Spangler, and all of the amazing music, including Anna and ELizabeth, Beatboxer Kenny the Bowlegged Gorlilla, Singer-songwriter, Dave HUber, and two of east kentucky's finest banjo pickers BRETT RATLIFF &

JOHN HAYWOOD!

Thanks to everyone who turned out for this beautiful event!

Flat footing behind the screen to the music of Brett Ratliff and John Haywood

Christopher Owen and Anna Robert Gevalt

From Kaweah (Crow Song River) by Katherine Fahey

students of the BALTIMORE NATIVE AMERICAN CENTER led by ASHLEY MINNER

Christopher Owen and Tom Haller backstage

Matt Muirhead and McKenzie Ditter's crankie

From Kaweah (Crow Song River) by Katherine Fahey

Crow River Song (Kaweah)

.

Sometimes a story comes before you create something and sometimes it races past you and you pull it back in like a snake, by its tail. This new piece was the latter. I started by creating images, letting it evolve in an organic way. It was more of a challenge to trust in the creative process, but it came together so naturally and ended up being a more meaningful and creative piece in the end.

This shadow puppet piece makes use of overhead projectors with crankies around them, so that scrolls of paper cuts move across vertically and horizontally, in combination with shadow puppets and live actors in silhouette.

Kaweah or Crow River Song ended up being the story of a girl who is isolated. She is afraid to leave her home until she is lured out of her safe space by the beauty outside her window. She encounters some challenges on the way that drive her to strive harder and lead to an unexpected transformation.
This collaboration between myself, dancer Clarissa Gregory, and singer-songwriter Dave Huber is journey of what life can hold for all of us if we trust, stay open, and take a chance.

We performed it for the first time Saturday April 12th at the first annual Baltimore Crankie Festival at the Creative Alliance to a wonderful sold out crowd.

Fireflies in a cathedral of trees

David Huber, working on the music 

Rehearsing with Rebekah Kirkman and Paul Richardson

Working on Clarissa's wings