Olá Suerte

August 16, 1997
30 Lincoln Center Plaza
Photo courtesy of Creative Time

Olá Suerte, an all-female percussion group, offered one of many interactive workshops and performances throughout Playday, a free summer-long festival for families as part of the Lincoln Center Out of Doors series. During the workshop audience members were instructed in Brazilian dance moves, call-and-response games, and drumming patterns.

For their performance at Lincoln Center, Olá Suerte combined many cross-cultural musical influences, including samba, reggae, swing, pop, funk, and rock & roll to create an exciting and unique percussion performance. Additionally, the group employed drum styles from Africa, Latin America, and North America, creating an overall eclectic explosion of sound. Olá Suerte members Janet Henry, Grace Brissett, Jude Tallichet, Jane Tomkiewicz, Gabriela Fattoruso, and Tichi Sarabia were joined by guest soloist Susie Ibarra for this interactive afternoon workshop.

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Duston Spear

August 13, 1997
80 Lafayette Street
Photo © 1997 Christina Johnson

In conjunction with University Settlement, a community service organization, Creative Time presented That Big Yellow Braid, a contemporary visual interpretation of the fairy tale Rapunzel. Together, artist Duston Spear and a group of young teenagers from University Settlement constructed a sculpture resembling a long, blond braid from intertwined fire hoses and nylon cord tied together with a pink ribbon. The braid sculpture was lowered from the 9th floor of 80 Lafayette Street and viewed by passersby, Family Court System employees, and the people inside the building sitting in waiting rooms prior to hearings.

The project offered a symbol of hope and escape to families unraveled by their circumstances and the court system itself. During the performance, copies of Shout Outs: Teens Out of the Tower, a zine including information, addresses, and phone numbers of support organizations for young adults going into the Family Court House, as well as an updated version of the Rapunzel story were distributed. The artists also passed out miniature yellow braids to be worn by passersby in recognition of the project’s efforts.