Roulette Presents: Jen Shyu - Solo rites: Observing the Sounds and Cries of the World, Thursday, May 29, 8pm

For Immediate Release/Listings Request:

Contact: Lucy@roulette.org

Roulette Presents:

Jen Shyu

Solo rites: Observing the Sounds and Cries of the World

Directed by Garin Nugroho

Thursday, May 29, 8pm

What: Jen Shyu, solo rites: Observing the Sounds and Cries of the World

When:  Thursday May 29th @ 8pm

Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR

Cost: $25/20

Info: www.roulette.org / 917.267.0368

Brooklyn, NY: Roulette, celebrating 35 years of experiential programming, presents Jen Shyu, solo rites: Observing the Sounds and Cries of the World, directed by Garin Nugroho Thursday, May 29th.

For Tickets: http://roulette.org/events/jen-shyus-solo-rites-seven-breaths-directed-by-garin-nugroho/

Jen Shyu, solo rites: Observing the Sounds and Cries of the World is a collection of sonic, visual, and visceral rites and reflections upon pilgrimage throughout Taiwan, East Timor, Indonesia (Java, Bali, Bandung, Kalimantan), Vietnam, and South Korea

Using multiple tools of expression in multiple languages (new improvised languages as well as existing ones including Indonesian, Javanese, Taiwanese, indigenous Taiwanese languages, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Tetum, Korean), this solo performance—that of a woman living simultaneously in multiple cultures and "projecting her ancestry" (Val-Inc) through contemporary monologue—will reveal a personal journey of loss and redemption made universal, giving voice to the silenced. These losses reflect crises now plaguing these lands: the loss of voices found in traditional music and shaman rituals; the loss of habitat and wildlife and thus the linked ancient cosmology; and finally, the loss of public space, such as the submission of traditional markets and forests to malls and coal mines. These issues will be explored in performance through sound, movement, and fieldwork footage, creating a land-sound-scape which will serve to transport and transform both the performer and audience, leading to shared revelation and recovery from past sorrow.

About Jen Shyu

Born in Illinois from Taiwanese and East Timorese parents, Jen Shyu is a soloist and bandleader now based in NY, and has established herself as a pioneering and original voice in the improvisational, experimental jazz, and creative music and multidisciplinary worlds. Shyu has worked with innovators such as Anthony Braxton, Mark Dresser, Dave Burrell, and currently records and tours with saxophonist/composer Steve Coleman and Five Elements since appearing on his latest albums Harvesting Semblances and Affinities (Pi Recordings 2010) and Lucidarium and Weaving Symbolics (Label Bleu 2005 & 2006).  Jen has also worked closely with actress/performance artist Soomi Kim on her award-winning piece Lee/gendary inspired by Bruce Lee, where Jen composed for and performed with Soomi at the the Beckett Theatre as part of the first National Asian American Theatre Festival.

Aside from locally at venues such as Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center and internationally throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, Jen was a MacDowell Colony National Endowment for the Arts Fellow in 2008-2009 and has been awarded fellowships from the Asian Cultural Council, Jerome Foundation, the Bronx Council on the Arts, and special commissions from Roulette Space & the Jazz Gallery, for which she collaborated with choreographer/dancer Satoshi Haga.  She has done extensive music research in Cuba, Brazil, Taiwan, China, and most recently, East Timor.  www.jenshyu.com.

About Roulette

Over 35 years, Roulette had built and continues to build, an international reputation for the quality and quantity of its eclectic programming, its dedication to the inquisitive, and its transformation of a loft space into a finely tuned environment for performing and listening to music. Thousands of artists have presented their work at Roulette. Many of them are now recognized as the leaders of avant-garde music. Roulette also continues to foster and support the work of emerging artists presenting a complex spectrum avant jazz, world music, experimental rock, improvisation, computer music, new technologies, and traditional and hybrid chamber ensembles.

In September 2011, Roulette took up residency in an Art Deco concert hall in Downtown Brooklyn. The new space features two levels of seating for up to 400 people (600 standing), an expanded multi-channel sound system, projection screen for film and multi-media events, state-of-the-art lighting system, modular stage, and a specially designed floor to accommodate dance. Since finding a new home, Roulette  has received numerous accolades from major national and international critics and has been tipped as one of the city's best concert halls.

###