Arts and ideas can move us. They can also get us moving.
The same goes for Arts & Ideas, the local international festival where, this year, “move” is the watchword.
The main part of the festival moves forward next Friday, offering more than a hundred discrete events over the following two weeks. And I have suggestions:
Move…
… to infectious Afropop textured with “electrifying grooves”; the “transnational sound” of Ukrainian folk music blended with “global rhythms”; and “chart-topping” soul/R&B by a “sensation” who’s worked with “Prince, Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson.”
Be moved…
… by a jazz-singing virtuoso’s “soulful… fusion of classic vibes and contemporary flair”; a “mesmerizing musical journey” from Italian folk to the avant-garde; and a “contemporary wind octet expedition” (joined by a rhythm section) that “interweave[s] traditional and contemporary music styles, visual arts, electronic media, science, and language.”
Move…
… through a “metaphorical” (but also physical) “quantum search”; a “pollinator pathway”; a tour of “lost landmarks”; a 12-mile game of Clue; and critical infrastructure.
Be moved…
… by a play whose “treacherous psychic cartography” is made even more mobile by actors shifting parts along the way; a “truly Caribbean narrative” infused with “explosive salsa dancing”; and an “exhilarating performance” combining “acrobatics, theater, dance, multimedia, music, and storytelling.”
Move…
… inside an interactive, “experiential installation that reimagines the ethereal space of traditional Chinese mailrooms where information, objects, relationships, stories, and emotions converge, intertwine, and eventually disappear.”
Be moved…
… by bright and expressive “giant puppets” that might be better described as puppet giants.
Move…
… into a new era, as conductor Perry So picks up the baton for his first performance as the music director of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, with a number of featured guests including the Hillhouse Marching Band and the St. Luke’s Steel Band.
Be moved…
… by an “engaging discussion” about social and intergenerational connection as well as a conversation exploring the “bold notion of envisioning a future where we act out of love for what’s to come.”
Move…
… between Syrian, Afghan, Senegalese and Ethiopian cuisine on the Green and from course to course at one of New Haven’s best new restaurants.
Be moved…
… by a “one-of-a-kind culinary adventure with… a true pioneer” and a tasting, history and performance around an internationally popular dish that’s come to define New Haven’s food culture.
Whatever moves you make, make them count. Two weeks may sound like a lot, but the time moves more quickly than you think.
Written by Dan Mims. Images provided courtesy of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. Image 1 features members of circus arts troupe Les 7 doigts de la main (“The 7 Fingers”). Image 2 features Afropop artist Dobet Gnahore. Image 3 features members of Contra-Tiempo during Azúcar, their “truly Caribbean narrative.” Image 4 features Perry So. Image 5 features two of Gioia’s owners, Avi Szapiro (left) and Tim Cabral.
