Eve Ensler’s A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer in NYC on March 26th

By now, you’ve probably heard of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues, a performance of monologues that celebrate the precious pussy (okay, you can use vajayjay if you prefer)!

This year, I’ve become involved with another performance of Eve Ensler essays entitled,
A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer: Writings To Stop Violence Against Women and Girls, which will be performed in various places around the world, from North Carolina to Israel. New York City will have its performance on March 26th at the Broad Street Ballroom, I am very excited to be a fundraiser for this groundbreaking event in NYC, also known as V-Day. Tickets are $85 in advance and $100 at the door.

Says the V-Day announcement: “V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.”

This V-Day event will benefit Circle of Health International (COHI), a non-profit organization whose mission is “to build the capacity of women’s health care professionals in crisis settings”, and they do that by sending nurses, midwives, and other medical professionals to areas around the globe where women are affected by poverty, war, natural disasters, occupation, and gender-based violence. 

After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, it was revealed that many women suffered physical violence and rape while living in the New Orleans Superdome when it became a hurricane shelter. So COHI also opened a center in New Orleans to help the women there. 

Ironically, on April 12th 2008, the New Orleans Superdome will become Superlove, to host “V-Day to the Tenth”, the 10th anniversary of V-Day. Celebrities such as Salma Hayek, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Jessica Alba, Glenn Close, Ali Larter, Julia Stiles, Sally Field, Marisa Tomei, Rosario Dawson, Kerry Washington, Didi Conn, Christine Lahti, Calpernia Addams, and musicians Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson, Common, Eve, and Charmaine Neville will share their talents and energies to celebrate V-Day’s 10th Anniversary, as well as clean up the Superdome’s karma. For more info on V-Day to the Tenth check out http://v10.vday.org/.

For more info on V-Day event in NYC on March 26th, 2008, visit the event site here.

Making the Band 4 ~ Finding Your Voice

I haven’t seen this week’s rerun of Making the Band 4 yet, but the scene in which the girls from Danity Kane sing solo for the vocal coach is still running through my mind. The girls are so present in their vocal expression, and it reminded me of how far I’ve come in my own musical journey.

When I first decided that I wanted to be a singer, I kept it to myself – don’t ask me why. When friends (and strangers) learned that I sang, they would usually ask me to sing something on the spot. I’d hem and haw to try to get out of it, but I’d finally give in if it was dark outside, and they allowed me to turn the lights off – and sing in the bathroom.

Even after I first started singing on stage, singing to one person a capella was also difficult. Even if I was singing to describe a song I’d heard on the radio, I used this funny high-pitched voice which drove my boyfriend at the time crazy. He was an accomplished musician, and I felt very self-conscious singing around him.

Finally, the week before I moved to New York from Miami (with the accomplished musician boyfriend), I decided to practice introducing myself as a singer. I figured that most of the people I’d be meeting in NYC would be strangers, so I should get used to calling myself a singer. By the way, if you’ve ever moved to another city, it’s amazing how many new people you meet right before you leave, so I definitely got lots of practice.

So during this week, I meet a guy in Miami and tell him I’m a singer. He says, “That’s great. Show me what you got!” And I immediately went back to my hemming and hawing mode. I didn’t get too far before he finally said something I’ll never forget: “Singers sing! If you want to be a singer, you have to be able to sing at the drop of a dime, with no hesitation.” And as much as that message stung at the time, I knew he was right. So I sang for him – right there on the sidewalk, in broad daylight. And since that day 13 years ago, I sing for anyone who wants to hear, no hesitation. And I also sing for myself, around the house, in the subway, and of course, on stage. Now I won’t shut up! And this is how I finally found my voice.

Any other singers out there want to chime in on your journey to free vocal expression??