Short video of our project

Community Rehearsals to Begin

Want to dance? Have some good food stories to share? Feel passionate about what you eat? Want to think and talk about the food system in a new way? Join “We Are What We Eat,” an innovative project about you, the food you eat, where it comes from, what it means to you, and how you prepare it and share it. A collaboration between NEW ART and the Community Food Bank, the project uses modern dance and community stories to reveal how food connects us to each other, our environment, and our everyday lives. The project is now seeking community participants.

Participants of all ages and abilities are welcome to share their stories, shape performance material, and perform with NEW ARTiculations. No prior dance experience is necessary!

Rehearsals will take place Sundays, 3:30-5:00 pm, beginning with a mandatory introductory session on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008.

All rehearsals will be held at The DanceLoft, 620 E.19th St., Ste. 150 (warehouse unit on the corner of 19th St. and Euclid Ave.).

Photos from work-in-progress

NEW ART debuted "We Are What We Eat" work-in-progress at the Family Arts Festival on Jan. 11. NEW ART choreographer Renee Blakeley also shared work-in-progress, a piece which will be completed for NEW ART's "Works of Art" show, May 30-31 at PCC's Proscenium Theatre.

Local photographer, Josh Schachter, took these amazing pictures of the performance:

I am what I eat

In our workshops with community members and rehearsals with NEW ART dancers we've been gathering poetry about food and identity. Below are a few samples:


I am what I eat. I am curiosity.
I am spicy and watery.
The taste of the soil still clinging to a shape
I am the garden, the farm, the sunset
I am the crunchy texture
The sting on the tongue.

-Katie Rutterer, NEW ARTiculations


I am what I eat. I am part of the Berard family. I am the big orange shop. I am what I eat. I am boiled crawfish, corn and potatoes. I am what I eat. I am too much pepper that burns within the pores of my fingers. I am music, laughter, family, excitement. I am hot muggy Coteau Holmes, with kids everywhere. I am what I eat I am Paw Paw, Gan Gan, Mamma and Daddy. I am newspaper covered tables, cans of beer and dancing.

-April Douet, NEW ARTiculations


I am what I eat
I am sloshing around, a bear in the lake reaching for blueberry bushes
I am little glass canning jars all lined up, empty
I am perspiration to the extreme
I am a jersey peach too big for my mouth
too big for my body
I am what I eat
I am sticky with fuzzy skin like fur
I am pure enjoyment

-Kitty Ufford-Chase, Community Food Bank


I am Passover celebration stuffed with simple exodus
I am what I eat I am sexy velvety basil in Gianni’s bright Tuscan kitchen
I am what I eat
I am homey chicken soup
I am passion with mineral goodness
I am the basket filled with deep green
I am Raoul’s farm
Friend, rich with nourishment

-Dana Hefler, Community Food Bank


I am what I eat. I am fleshy hills of squash. I am firm and soft. I am energy. I am tradition revitalized. I am basic. I am versatile patches. I am sweet and juicy, slimy and chewy. I am rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green and blue. I am in a pot with soil. I am in a pot on the stove. I am a potluck. I am family and friends satiated with love.

-Bryn Jones, Native Seeds/SEARCH


I am my favorite holiday
I am laughter and snow outside
I am what I eat. I am mom, dad, tordie, Mona, Grandma, Gramma & Grandpa
I am the blue house dining room and the ceramic dish with blue metallic marbling
I am what I eat. I am Uncle Don and Aunty Na, Quin, and Keith
I am connected
I am laughter
I am the phone being passed around the room for the missing person
I am missing home.

-Janine Holton, NEW ARTiculations


I am what I eat
I am a burro from the barrio
The barrio where mi mama was raised
made with homemade tortillas
I am what I eat

-Victor, City High School (gardening class)


I am what I eat
I am my family's cooking
I am the banana leaf and twine
that wraps the dong like a present.
I am what I eat
When I eat my aunt's cooking
I am
happy
surprised
hungry
I am what I eat.

-Carrie Soohoo, City High School (gardening class)


I am what I eat
I am the apple on the tree
I am the sun that ripens me
I am the girl who picked the fruit
I am the one who cherished each bite
I am the apple inside of me

-Lydia Davis, City High School (gardening class)


I am dusty, spiny, rocky slopes
I am parched arroyos with hidden moist sand
I am fuschia coyote poop
I am sugary, bloody nectar
I am grainy liquid on a hot black square
I am crispy, round, satiated

-Amy Schwemm


I am what I eat
I am a wild creamy Santa Cruz blueberry
I am a tart kitchen
I am a happy Gloucester amazake
I am a childhood bursting with almonds
I am sweet summertime
I am satisfying purple juice
I am a cold chunky family
I am me

-Julie Ray


I am what I eat
I am red and white
I am sweet and crunchy
I am happy
I am what I eat

-Abdikadir, age 7 (Somalia)


I am what I eat
I am spaghetti
I am hot
I am wiggly
I am what I eat
I am an apple
I am from Somalia

-Gamara, age 9


I am what I eat
I am hot
I am excited
I am an island
I am what I eat
I am home
I am brown, hard, full of juice
I am Madagascar
I am adopted.

-Cannelle, age 9 (Madagascar)


I am what I eat. I am strong, I am essential. I am my dad. I am what I eat. I am a craving, a burst of flavor. I am my mom. I am what I eat. I am longing, I am guilty. I am what I eat. I am energetic, satisfied I am me.


I am what I eat
Mama Maria’s kitchen warm
I am what I eat
Happy, sad, hopeful
I am what I eat.
Yellow kitchen, warm food, garlic, chili
I am what I eat
The sound of rock against rock in her molcajete
I am what I eat
Tortillas being kneaded and rolled out on the table,
Rolling, thumping, stretching



Every year I wait to eat
In Santa Rosa we meet

Just so I can have just one
I could eat a whole tone

The meat inside of it
there isn't just a little bit

All of us sit and wait
anxious like your first date

They're so good
I'd make them myself if I could

The masa so nice
we also have it with rice

Just gotta wait another year...

-Gabriella Enos, City High School (gardening class)

Performance/Workshop at Family Arts Festival

We'll be performing and conducting a food workshop at the Family Arts Festival on Sunday, Jan. 13, Presidio Park/La Placita/TCC.

We perform at 12:30 inside the Leo Rich Theatre.

From 2:00-4:00 we'll be offering a workshop in the TCC where you, the public, can share your food stories!

If you come at 11 am, you'll see the ceremonious procession led by Flam Chen and Batucaxe, the Brazilian drum orchestra!

More info here http://www.familyartsfestival.org/