651 ARTS is launching its Fall 2023 Season with Edisa Weeks’ epic performance trilogy 3 RITES: Life, Liberty, Happiness.
The performances created by the renowned Brooklyn-based choreographer are a series comprised of three different interactive performance rituals integrating dance, live music, text, visual installations, community discussions and shared meals. 3 RITES explores why life, liberty and happiness were included as unalienable rights in the United States’ Declaration of Independence.
Each installment centers around what these rights mean today, who has access to them, and how they manifest in the body. 3 RITES: Life premiered September 14-17; 3 RITES: Liberty will take place October 12-15 and 3 RITES: Happiness will take place from November 16-18.
“In 3 RITES I’m seeking to reckon with America’s past, present and potential future, by engaging people in the ideals that are a core part of America’s foundation and generating a dialogue about what needs to be done to ensure these ideals apply to everyone,” said Weeks. “I am interested in bringing diverse groups of people together through dance, song, installations, storytelling, laughter, food and conversations. I truly believe that art revitalizes the everyday to reveal something new about ourselves; and that revelation has the power to change the world.”
In 3 RITES: Life, Weeks examines that future with an emphasis on responsible stewardship of nature, environmental activism in marginalized communities and questions the nation’s dependency on fossil fuels. Set to premiere in October at the Mark O’Donnell Theater in Brooklyn, 3 RITES: Liberty addresses the past and present by humorously and poignantly digging into the pathologizing of African-Americans and the foundations and history of liberty in America. The final installment, 3 RITES: Happiness will premiere at the historic Weeksville Heritage Center in November and will investigate how laughter and pleasure reside in the body. This rite is about self-care, and making time to relax, laugh and recharge for the labor to uphold the values of life, liberty and happiness.
3 RITES: Life, Liberty, Happiness Schedule
3 RITES: Liberty
- Date: Thursday, October 12, 2023 - Saturday, October 14, 2023, 8:00pm; Sunday, October 15, 2023, 3:00pm.
- Location: Mark O’Donnell Theater (160 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201)
3 RITES: Happiness
- Date: Thursday, November 16, 2023 and Friday, November 17, 2023, 6:00pm; Saturday November 18, 2023 (Two Performances - 1:00pm. and 6:00pm.)
- Location: Weeksville Heritage Center (158 Buffalo Avenue - Brooklyn, NY 11213)
Tickets: 3 RITES: Liberty - $25.00 / $20.00 Students; 3 RITES: Happiness - $35.00 / $30.00 Students. There are limited packages available for 3 RITES: Life, Liberty, Happiness trilogy. For more information, please visit: www.651arts.org
