Projects

Think by the Bay!

Think by the Bay is a new inclusive post-secondary education program at CSUEB!

We are very excited to announce that Think by the Bay will launch in August 2023. Think by the Bay will welcome, include, and support students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) at CSUEB. Learn more on the Think by the Bay page!

Project ASPIRE

Lead Faculty/Staff/Students:

• Dr. Shubha Kashinath, Project Co-Director
• Dr. Meaghan McCollow, Project Co-Director

Project ASPIRE (Autism Specialists Pioneering Inclusive Research-based Education) integrates evidence-based education and service learning to prepare ASPIRE Scholars to become autism specialists in speech language pathology or special education. Project ASPIRE provides an opportunity to learn with scholars in special education and participate in an interprofessional training experience that will prepare them to work effectively in teams in early intervention and school settings. Project ASPIRE funded by a grant provided by the US Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Wandering in the Wilderness

Lead Faculty/Staff/Students: 

• Directed by Eric Kupers (Professor of Dance and Inclusive Performance and Theatre and Dance Department Chair).
• Assistant Director: Raven Malouf-Renning (Dance/Music Artist and Theatre and Dance Dept. Adjunct Faculty
• Collaboratively developed with the Wandering Ensemble (CSUEB students, alumni, staff, faculty, and community members along with members of Dandelion Dancetheater)

Dandelion Dancetheater and the CSUEB IIE (Inclusive Interdiscplinary Ensemble) have joined forces to create Wandering in the Wilderness. The piece has emerged from examination of the Torah story of the Jews escaping slavery, crossing the Red Sea, and then wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, even though their “destination” was really only a few months of travel away.This story has given us lots of food for creative thought around the process of leaving not just the physical constraints of oppression, but the inter-generational, inner conditioning. And the in-between states that are encountered on such a journey. We have decided to take 40 years to create this performance work, even though a possible premiere for it is could have been a few months of rehearsal away. We want to approach performance in a new and sustainable way, and to take the time and space needed for inter-generational, artistic evolution.

More info: https://www.dandeliondancetheater.org/wandering-in-the-wilderness/

IIE (Inclusive Interdisciplinary Ensemble)

• Directed by Eric Kupers (Professor of Dance and Inclusive Performance and Theatre and Dance Department Chair).
• Assistant Director: Raven Malouf-Renning (Dance/Music Artist and Theatre and Dance Dept. Adjunct Faculty)
• Ensemble Members: CSUEB students, alumni, staff, faculty, and community members

The CSUEB IIE meets every semester as: a class in the Dept. of Theatre and Dance; a community performance ensemble; and a laboratory for inclusive, interdisciplinary artmaking and inquiry. All people are welcome to train and create with us. We are committed to neurodivergent, creative community made by and for people with and without disabilities, and of all shapes, sizes, ages, ethnicities, genders, cultures, body identities, experience levels, and artistic points of view. IIE includes the Creativity Lab (a partnership with the College Link Program to support neuro- and physically-divergent student artists); IIE Taiko (an inclusive drumming group); Wandering Ensemble rehearsals, and Ultrasonic Current (a neurodivergent Experimental Rock Band).

More info: https://www.csueastbay.edu/theatre/inclusive-interdisciplinary-ensemble-dancesing-drum-company.html

CSUEB Inclusive Performance Festival

1. Directed by Eric Kupers (Professor of Dance and Inclusive Performance and Theatre and Dance Department Chair).
2. Co-Created by student, alumni, staff, faculty, and community member artists and activists

The CSUEB Department of Theatre and Dance is collaborating with Dandelion Dancetheater and a wildly diverse group of artists, activists, free-thinkers, and creative rabble-rousers to present evolving annual manifestations of the Inclusive Performance Festival (IPF.) The IPF is a grass-roots, DIY, radically inclusive, process-oriented festival that is experimenting with sharing performance in accessible, relevant, life-affirming, and innovative ways to meet the needs of many intersecting communities in this new era for the arts. Planned collectively by a council of Queer, BIPOC, Autistic, Disabled, Jewish, Neurodivergent, Fat, Young, Elder, Outsider, and uncategorizable artists & activists, the festival will present live:

1. dance
2. music
3. theatre
4. drag
5. ritual
6. educational events
7. participatory performances
8. cultural exchange
9. discussions
10. workshops
11. ceremonies

and more. 

All events are FREE admission. Some have options to donate to the artists. Some have limited “seating” and require RSVP’s. Some are presented online, some in-person, and some in both formats

More info here: https://www.dandeliondancetheater.org/inclusive-performance-festival/

Disability Justice Working Group

1. Co-facilitated by: Christina Chin-Newman, Professor of Human Development & Women’s Studies, Diversity and Equity Liaison Officer (DELO); Chair, Faculty Diversity and Equity Committee (FDEC); Vice Chair, Academic Senate
2. Co-facilitated by: Eric Kupers (Professor of Dance and Inclusive Performance and Theatre and Dance Department Chair).
3. Group members are faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members of CSUEB interested in working towards Disability Justice

The Disability Justice Working Group brings together CSU East Bay students, alumni, staff, faculty, and community members who share values around implementing Disability Justice in all aspects of CSU East Bay’s work. The group meets once a month and works on projects together throughout the year. To join the group, send an email to eric.kupers@csueastbay.edu and christina.chin-newman@csueastbay.edu. 

Ultrasonic Current

1. Eric Kupers: Mandolins, Percussion, Vocals, Composing (Professor of Dance and Inclusive Performance and Theatre and Dance Department Chair);
2. Raven Malouf-Renning: Harmonium, Vocals, Composing  (Dance/Music Artist and Theatre and Dance Dept. Adjunct Faculty)
3. Corissa “Reese” Johnson: Percussion, Vocals, Composing  (CSUEB Theatre and Dance Alumna, Professional Dance and Music Artist)
4. Max Sovine: Bass (Queer Mental Health Advocate/Activist);
5. Anik Bapna: Keyboards (CSUEB Alum and Professional DJ);
6. Chris Verga: Keyboards (CSUEB Student majoring in Physics);
7. Kyziah Shavers: Vocals (CSUEB Student majoring in Theatre & Dance);
8. Micharelle Malouf-Renning: Guitar, Vocals (Health Care Administrator)

Ultrasonic Current was founded in 2016 by Professor Eric Kupers and Creativity Lab student Jacob Goldstein. The band embraces neuro- and physical-divergence and creates genre-defying music collaboratively. Our first album was released in 2021 and can be found here: https://ultrasoniccurrent.hearnow.com/

More info: https://www.dandeliondancetheater.org/ultrasonic-current/

Smith & Marcus Inclusive Performance Scholarship

1. Administrered by Eric Kupers (Professor of Dance and Inclusive Performance and Theatre and Dance Department Chair).
2. CSUEB Theatre and Dance Department will house the scholarship until it becomes endowed (at $25,000) at which point we’d like to transfer it over to the center as its permanent home
3. Seeking two DJRC colleagues to serve on the Scholarship committee with Eric. 

This scholarship is named after two pioneers in Inclusive Performance who were important mentors for Eric Kupers in starting Inclusive Performance programs at CSUEB, and who both have contributed hugely to the field. Judy Smith is one of the founding members and longtime Artistic Director of AXIS Dance Company in Oakland, and Neil Marcus was an independent artist, disability activist, writer, and sacred art trickster.

This scholarship will give $1,000 each year to a student interested in pursuing studies in Inclusive Performance in the Theatre and Dance Dept. at CSUEB (or $500 each to two students). We will work to build the scholarship fund up to $25,000 so it can be an endowed, permanent scholarship, eventually housed by the center. We currently have over $12,000 in the fund.