THE PATH TO PLEASURE
How much better do you feel when you are well-rested? Unhurried? Imagine if you could dance while dinner's cooking instead of multitasking or thinking about what else needs doing. Or if you had the energy to engage politically without feeling like it was hopeless? What if...everyone was well-rested, confident in our bodies and abilities, and we all had enough time, money, and community support to do the things we want to do? This is the radical vision of Pleasure Activism, a Black Feminist political philosophy put forth by Audre Lorde, bell hooks, adrienne maree brown, and Octavia Butler, among many others.
THE PATH TO PLEASURE is a 4-Part concert series inspired by Pleasure Activism. Each concert is a lovingly crafted, screen-free event designed to facilitate the embodiment of one element of this liberatory movement through music. This is accomplished through creative musical programming, as well as context created through theme-specific "transition time," introvert-friendly opportunities for reflection, and handmade goodie bags. The four event themes were inspired by the chapters of Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey.
THE PATH TO PLEASURE is curated for 1781 Collective. It will premier this Summer 2024 at Per Anhalter festival.
Please contact me to arrange a performance, in whole or in parts, or to collaborate on a custom version for your ensemble.
Ethereal, resonant harmonies wash over you as your body sinks into the ground beneath you. You can feel the vibrations through the floor.
How does it feel to surrender?
A solo flute takes you on a gentle, meandering journey.
There is nowhere else to be.
Just you, here, now.
I. REST
II. PLAY
We play music!
The most exciting performances are the ones that surprise you. So forget boring, let go of perfection, and join us for an interactive musical playtime with introvert-friendly options for participation.
Together, we’ll ask, “What would happen if…?” And we will delight in the results, whatever they may be.
Extending far beyond the sexual, pleasure and desire are essential aspects of our daily lives. What do you want?
And what would it take for you to be fully satisfied?
Simple harmonies.
Luscious poetry.
Dance-able rhythms.
Quite simply, a musical celebration of the good things in life and our capacity for pleasures great and mundane.
III. DESIRE
IV. DREAM
Ranging from real (if seemingly impossible) possibilities to fantastical sci-fi, visionary fiction invites us to dream beyond the limits of our current world. So sit back, relax, and let us take you on a journey into the future.
Our concert journey ends with Jungian dreamwork, captivating music, and gripping storytelling, as we transform political apathy and disillusionment into a renewed sense of wonder and hope for a better world.
"[Pleasure Activism is the concept of] making justice and liberation the most pleasurable experiences we can have...Oppression makes us believe that pleasure is not something that we all have equal access to. One of the ways that we start doing the work of reclaiming our full selves — our whole liberated, free selves — is by reclaiming our access to pleasure. Pleasure activism, for me, is saying it’s not just you deserving it — so you opt out [of grind culture] — it’s like recognizing that you want to be part of community where everyone’s pleasure is attended to and accounted for, a community where everyone has access and time and resources to actually be able to pursue it."
-Adrienne Maree Brown