San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
The road to joy
Film series presented by Vanguard Culture captures real-life stories of struggles and successes
The journey to finding joy can feel like the search for a distant, even unattainable, destination. Yet the shared knowledge of Nobel Peace Prize laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama affirms that achieving a sense of bliss, even in turbulent times, is possible, right here, right now.
Their collective wisdom, published in “The Book of Joy,” has inspired a group of local arts organizations to unite in the creation of a four-part cinematic series that launches this month.
Vanguard Culture, a nonprofit that supports creative industries, has teamed with The Rosin Box Project contemporary ballet company and poet Gill Sotu to produce “The History of Joy,” the signature event of its 2021 season, “ALCHEMY: Exploring the Magic of Human Connection.”
The films reflect the real-life challenges of altering the perspective of others — and ourselves.
“The underlying message of ‘The History of Joy’ is that the road to joy is not always joyful. In fact, it can often involve fear, anxiety, disappointment and struggle,” says Susanna Peredo Swap, Vanguard Culture’s founder and executive director.
“Everything that humanity has lived through this past year, and continues to live through, is not for nothing. We can find a path to joy, not in spite of the struggles, but because of them.”
The four films have specific themes, beginning with “Social Justice” screening Thursday, “Generations & Sacred Rituals” on June 24, “Womenx” on Sept. 23, and “Our Earth” on Nov. 18.
“Generations & Sacred Rituals” deals with generational differences in a poignant and entertaining way, and “Womenx” tells diverse stories from a female viewpoint. “Our Earth” focuses on environmental concerns.
Each segment showcases a narrative that expresses more than one perspective and draws from an amalgam of artistic genres, including dance, opera, film, puppetry and theater.
In “Social Justice,” for instance, the audience will see large portraits of homeless people by artist Neil Shigley, who often interviewed his subjects as part of his “Invisible People” project.
Their personal stories, etched into their faces and visibly enlarged, make a powerful introduction.
“Social Justice” includes creative contributions from the Pacific Arts Movement, North Coast Repertory Theatre, the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art and the San Diego Repertory Theatre.
Two sides, one foundation
One of the theatrical components takes place at a rally, where two actors, a Black man and a White woman, play four parts, assuming both liberal and conservative versions of themselves.
Sotu, a Navy veteran, playwright and an award-winning poet, wrote the script. His task was to connect the theme of social justice, which is often marked by anger, hurt and fear, with the foundational “eight pillars of joy” revealed in “The Book of Joy” — perspective, humor, humility and acceptance, along with forgiveness, gratitude, compassion and generosity.
While researching, Sotu discovered online news footage of a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas. Blacks marched on one side of the street, and a counterprotest of mostly White Republicans and one Black man marched on the other side.
The groups acknowledged each other, started introducing themselves and ended their protest with hugging and prayer. The scene gave Sotu ideas for shaping the “Social Justice” segment.
“It showed that we can argue fundamentally, but still respect each other as human beings,” Sotu says.
“That was the joy in it. One of the things I learned is that joy isn’t always a wonderful and fantastic kind of feeling. It’s being comfortable in your own skin and accepting the things around you. There are things that you have to fight for, but you can still do that in the manner of common human decency. That’s what our great leaders have taught us.”
“Social Justice,” part of “The History of Joy,” features large portraits of homeless people by San Diego artist Neil Shigley.
‘Get out of our comfort zone’
The Rosin Box Project dancers are featured in all four segments of “The History of Joy” and perform as rally participants behind the actors in “Social Justice.”
Artistic director-videographer Carly Topazio works behind the camera to catch it all on film. Topazio founded The Rosin Box Project and says she was attracted to “The History of Joy” because of its many points of view.
The themes resonate to the dancers, who represent conservative and liberal roles with contemporary choreography that supports the dialogue.
“It’s something everyone will relate to,” Topazio says. “In recent months, there has been an awakening in the younger generation. They are more aware of the importance and gravity of the political climate.”
The “History of Joy” series gives dancers an opportunity to get out of their comfort zone, and Topazio says it fits the company’s artistic direction.
“We don’t want to just be a single-lane dance company,” she says. “My mission from the beginning, and one thing I love to do, is to get out of our comfort zone. I think growth is the most exciting thing for any artist. Exploring new areas and trying new things is scary, but it is everything we want to do.”
The pillars of gratitude and acceptance play a role in Topazio’s perspective, and that, she says, makes her joyful.
“Like many others, I’ve built my life around art,” she says. “At a time like this, for me, it’s a lot of reminding myself of what makes me happy and just believing in that. The arts will be tumultuous, and there are a lot of unknowns right now. But I don’t think that determines what I take away from it or how it affects me. Dancing and creating will always bring me joy.”
Making connections
“One of the things I learned is that joy isn’t always a wonderful and fantastic kind of feeling. It’s being comfortable in your own skin and accepting the things around you.” Poet Gill Sotu
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is quoted as saying, “It does help quite a lot to see yourself as part of a greater whole,” and that point, Peredo Swap says, is key to a flourishing arts community.
Vanguard Culture has a spreadsheet of resources that name the executives of San Diego’s arts organizations. Peredo Swap’s goal is to make connections that are vital to survival.
“What brings me joy is when I introduce people from two completely different creative sectors and worlds and they are able to work together and support one another,” she says.
“The San Diego arts community will not succeed unless there is collaboration,” she stresses.
“We do not need to reinvent the wheel. We don’t need to be fighting for the same funding when there are resources we can share. We have to live in service of one another if we are to get through this pandemic together.”