15 Apr Another kind of Black Swan

Spotlight (below) on an excerpt from a work-in-progress documentary which received post-production funding from DFA in 2009. Jennifer Abod’s THE PASSIONATE PURSUITS OF ANGELA BOWEN has been many years in the making, telling stories that are rich in detail about what it meant to be a black ballerina when the unwritten “no blacks on Broadway” rule was in effect. While there is a trend to examine the intersection of race, class, gender, age and sexuality, we rarely see or hear how these forces manifest in one woman’s life to shape her experience and purpose as she pursues her passions: classical dance, activism and teaching. For over six decades, Angela Bowen has pursued her three passions: classical dance, activism and teaching, influencing thousands. How has Bowen kept her passions alive, even in the face of poverty and the ugliness of racism, sexism, ageism and homophobia? What kind of strategies has she devised? How have her choices affected her life and the lives of those closest to her? from THE PASSIONATE PURSUITS website