Boxer and the Teapot

Filmed at The Paul Dresher Ensemble Studio

Boxer and the Teapot was a film created in the “Where Am I Now?” series, seeking to empower elders of color to tell their story and journey with Parkinson’s disease, and break the stigma and shame that so often results from this diagnosis. This piece delves into the potential cultural implications of having Parkinson’s, and uplifts the stories of Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous elders with Parkinson’s. We seek to use art as a tool for healing and to bring our communities together to share wisdom.

Boxer and the Teapot was created and filmed on Chochenyo and Lisjan Ohlone Territory (Berkeley and Oakland, California, U.S.)

Artistic Direction by Claudine Naganuma

Choreography by Claudine Naganuma and dNaga dancers

Interviewee: Joan Tarika Lewis

Live Percussionist: Joel Davel

Audio Engineering: Patrick Simms

Lighting and Visual Design: Dale MacDonald

Filming: Solitaire M. and Dale MacDonald

Editing: Solitaire M. ALL IM TV Productions

Stage Manager: David Young

Dancers: Joan Tarika Lewis, Tracey Lindsay Chan, Carolyn Choy, Malkia Chionesu, Mana Hayakawa, Janey Madamba, Leila Massoudi

Special Thanks to The East Bay Fund for Artists, The Paul Dresher Ensemble and Ruth Botchan of Dance-A-Rama

This project is supported in part by the Parkinson’s Foundation