Bewomaning-One Woman Healing Show

· Inspires the female spectators with an
astonishingly powerful performance, dance,
music and visual arts;

If you can imagine this innovative performance,
you are envisioning María Mar's Bewomaning,
a QuestArt spectacle. Maria Mar created this
genre of performance to allow spectators to
quest for answers to their lives using the
show as medium.

In Bewomaning Maria Mar tells the story of
how she inherited a false definition of power
from her grandmother Lucha,* who passed
on to her daughters the beliefs she learned
as a young girl facing a violent family. The
story, told through the blending of dance,
poetry and theatre, takes the audience
through a journey of loss and recovery. As
Maria tells the story of her loss of the Female
Face of Power, the audience tracks down their
own personal stories. Maria then interacts with
the spectators, who become SpectActors as
they ask, listen, explore and quest
for their own Faces of Female Power.

The QuestArt
María Mar's new genre of performance, the
QuestArt, allows the spectators to quest for
personal power during the performance. It
allows you to ask questions about the topics
covered in the performance, and Maria Mar
answers these questions through the language
of art. It even allows you to track down your
own memories as Maria tells her story, and to
actively participate in the exploration of new
practices to change your life in small, but
practical ways. The QuestArt is all about the
alchemical power of art to change your
everyday life.

The QuestArt uses comedy, drama, movement,
dance, drumming, storytelling, dialogue, and
participatory experience to take you in a journey
of insight that will shift your perception of
yourself and your world.

Why be a spectator when you can be a SpectActor?
Journey for the answers to the questions you have
always wanted to ask in this unique new genre
of performance, the QuestArt.

The Show Bewomaning
During the first part of this QuestArt, Maria
Mar, actress and author, presents a story
through dance-theatre. The stories presented
in Bewomaning depict several topics including:
family dynamic, the wounding of Female Power,

discovering your Faces of Female Power, and
the process of Bewomaning, or awakening the
Female Face of Power in you.

In the second part of the QuestArt, Maria goes
into a dialogue with the audience, whose
questions she answers through instant
improvisations. A master of improvisation, Maria
takes the audience deep into the question, and
from there she brings them out into a world of
new perceptions.

Maria uses her Shaman's Bag, where she keeps
cards indicating the different tools and secrets
of personal power she learned during her own
initiation as a Woman of Power. Maria dips her

hands into the bag, and lets Spirit select the tool
that will answer the question posted to her.

“That way I make sure that I am listening to
Life Mother,” explains Maria, “and I am always
delightfully surprised and challenged. It keeps
it interesting. The performance is never the same.”

Maria Mar has an astonishing expressive range.
She can go into a woman’s fear, for example,
and become this fear with her whole body. She
transforms herself into an archetypal mask that
the woman can feel viscerally, and then she
shapeshifts into a female power that transforms
that fear into knowledge.

María Mar's QuestArt spectacles are a mix of a
stand up comedy, a monologue, dance-theatre,
a participatory lecture, a workshop and a powerful
shamanic journey. With her you will travel to places
within yourself you didn't even know existed! You
will find answers to questions you always wanted
to ask. Windows of perception will open before you,
revealing the hidden enemies to your dreams. You
will leave the show to find that you are walking into
a new world.

Through improvisation, enactment, movement,
dance, music, impromptu ceremonies, drumming,
poetry, storytelling, comedy and participatory
rituals, María Mar conveys a wealth of wisdom
acquired during her ten-year training as a shaman.
She reveals simple, effective and soulful truths
about how your perception has been altered to
create the world that you know, and how you can
change the beliefs that trap you in the past and
take your dreams away. María shares valuable
knowledge on how the “domestication” process
distorts the Architecture of your Self and how to
reclaim your Sacred Self. In her performance,
storytelling and her dialogues with the audience
you will recognize how your habits were born, how
you may still be repeating dysfunctional dynamics
of your family of origin, and how you can use
attention, body and awareness to change.

Who is Maria Mar?
María Mar is a performer, writer, visual artist
and shaman who created Theatre of
Transformation, a new modality of art that
can be applied to theatre, performance, visual
arts and literature to create interactive, healing
and transformative art experiences. Theatre of
Transformation methodology was featured
in Puro Teatro: A Latina Anthology, published
by The University of Arizona Press in 2000. It
reclaims the original intent of art as collective
ceremony for healing and transformation, and
places it in a modern, non-religious context.

Maria's performances have been featured in
PBS, in "Las Americas Series" (1992) as a
Latino theatre deeply connected to the
community. Maria was featured in New
York/Newsday Manhattan Profile and other
media as a pioneer in the use of theatre in
the prevention of violence in the family and
against women and children. Ms. Mar's work
has been presented in colleges, mainstream
and alternative art venues, galleries and theatre
across America, in South Africa, Puerto Rico and
other countries, and she has taught and worked
in Mexico and South Africa. She has taught
arts-in-education for ten years, and has worked
with women in the use of theatre and literature
for personal growth. (See a list of the
organizations Ms. Mar has worked with.)

Maria Mar has worked with thousands
of women nationally and internationally
and has 30 years of experience as a
specialist in personal growth through
the arts. In Bewomaning, María Mar
places her vast experience working with
women from all cultures to address the
limitations and myths that keep women
disempowered. In this QuestArt, women
quest to find their Female Faces of Power.
In the QuestArt Bewomaning, Maria Mar
answers the spectators questions by
sharing the tools she has gathered into
a personal growth process called
The ShamansDance Way (previously
Path of the Swan).

Currently Maria Mar is writing a book series
to help women quest for the Female
Faces of Power. Read more about
The Bewomaning Book Series
and the first book of the series:
Daughter of the Ancient Trees.
Many of the teachings contained in this
book and series are shared in the performance
of Bewomaning.

In the show Bewomaning María Mar addresses
topics that affect all women and families, such as:

You will laugh and you will cry. You will observe
and participate. You will be moved and you will
be challenged. But above all, you will be moved!

We offer Bewomaning to art venues, women's service organizations, theatres, festivals, colleges, professional and student's organizations, community organizations and other institutions in the USA.

We offer three versions of this production, to please all types of budgets and audience sizes.

When you contact us, we respond to your request immediate, sending you information about the show, including versions, costs, production requirements and other information.

You can choose to contract the performance for your own special occasion, and you can also choose to join our network.

If you are interested in joining our network, then we place your organization's name, region, mission and constituency description in our roster and in our website. When corporations contact us, they can choose from our roaster to sponsor a Bewomaning QuestArt Spectacle for you or for a group of organizations in your area. This means that your costs will be reduce and you will be able to offer this performance at a low cost or no cost to your constituents. READ MORE.

Type of Activity: (QuestArt) Performance spectacle with interactive component.

Audience: The general public, women-only groups, families. This performance can be offered for large audiences. See Versions.

Versions: SPECTACLE: This is a large spectacle, including a circle of drummers, visuals projected on a large screen, and a chorus of dancers for the interactive part. It can last about 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the level of participation. Suggested for large spaces and audiences and for the corporate PR packages that desire high profile at a specific location.

PERFORMANCE: This is an exquisite presentation with high production values, including visuals projected on a large screen, live music and several dancers for the interactive part. But the light and sound costs come down. It can last from 1.5 to 2.5 hours, depending on the level of participation. Suggested for medium size theatres, festivals and special events in conferences where there are theatre facilities. For corporate PR packages that desire a national tour and more intimate events.

SHOWCASE: This is a modest, yet well crafted presentation. There is live music, one dancer for the interactive part and a simple stage setting. No big screen or sound equipment is needed, and lighting is recommended, but not required. It can last from 1 hour to 2 hours, depending on the level of participation. Suggested for community settings, fundraisers and conferences where there are no theatre facilities.

QuestArt (Alone)
The QuestArt without the story, related to the Bewomaning topic or to personal growth or women's issues.

You can include this innovative form of interactive empowerment through the arts as part of a conference or theme. You can even intersperse Maria's intervention as part of the discussion! Maria will receive questions and answer them using the knowledge from the ShamansDance Way (previously Path of the Swan), to help women and families reflect on their habits, perceptions, family wounds and issues. It's a powerful way of livening your presentations!

Languages:

Bewomaning is also available in Spanish.
The Spanish version is also culturally sensitive,
not just a translation.
Ask for Enmujecer.

Occasions: Bewomaning is perfect for:

Campaigns for a family without violence
Women's events, symposia or conferences,
Mother's Day Special Event
Women's History Month
For mother-daughter or family symposia or events
Personal growth events
New Age or alternative spirituality events
Professional conferences in the social service, psychology, sociology or women's studies fields.
Latino events and Hispanic Heritage Month
Theatre events, theatre or performance or dance theatre festivals,
Storytelling events or festivals,
As a treat for your employees or members,
For your constituency or customers.

Program: We will be publishing Eye of the Moon once a year. In this publication we offer articles for personal growth focused on women, interactive pages and other writings and art for women. This is a sponsored publication, and it may or not be available for your performance.

Whether Eye of the Moon is available or not, we provide the presenters with a program that includes information about the activities, biographies, and some interactive pages. The presenter needs to print enough copies for the audience, until otherwise agreed.

Requirements: We will send you a list for the production requirements once you contact us. The cost of each performance decreases if you buy more than one performance for the same week in the same place. For national and international touring the costs also increase. Any place outside Manhattan needs to pay transportation. Any state outside NY --or more than 2 hours train travel from NY-- needs to pay transportation, travel, room and board and other expenses we detail in the description. The performance and spectacle require several days of set up, dress rehearsal and striking, which need to be included in the room and board budget. Contact information and description of request process below.

CONTACT US AT Shamansdance@nyc.rr.com

Remember to include:

Organization's name,
Your Name or name of appropriate contact,
Email address,
Phone,
Version of activity you are interested, if you know,
Mission, constituency description and information on the event you are organizing
Any information about your organization that can help us choose the materials to send you, questions and ideas.

We will phone you to confirm the request, and then we
will send you an email with a link to our PDF catalog for presenters. If you are interested, we will follow up with a call, a meeting if you are nearby, and a contract when you are ready. A retainer fee of 10% is necessary for us to reserve a day for you, payable upon signing of the contract.

List of Institutions
in which
MARIA MAR

has worked, studied, participated or by which she has been funded.

ORGANIZATIONS:

roberto clemente family guidance center
violence intervention program
charas/el bohio community center
steps to end family violence
women’s network/mujeres unidas
rutgers university
cuny
tauro college
latin american writers in new york
st. lukes roosevelt hospital
pedro albizu campos cultural center
nyc youth bureau
brooklyn college
boricua college
university of massachusetts
club orlando martinez
hostos community college
regent hotel- homeless mothers program
james weldon johnson community center
the friendly place
asociación de pescadores de vieques
bronx girls club
washington houses community center
salvadorean women’s union
lower east wide network against violence against women
urban women society
youth and elders
action for community empowerment
women’s media watch, Cape Town, South Africa
otherwise, cape town, south africa
association of hispanic arts
progress, inc.
cuny graduate center
new school for social research

ms. mar has taught arts-in-education in these PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

jhs 52
i.s. 98
i.s. 136
i.s. 233
i.s. 164
p.s. 51
p.s. 86
p.s. 121
p.s. 161

AND DOZENS MORE.

RADIO STATIONS IN WHICH María MAR HAS APPEARED:

wbai

wkcr- Columbia University Station

WADO - Spanish Radio in NY

Brooklyn College Radio Station

Back to Radio Series

performance companies or ART VENUES:

theatre of transformation
ecuelecua interarts performance collective
the village gate
performance space 122
aaron davis hall
baca downtown
puerto rican traveling theatre
pepatian
caribbean cultural center
penn state university
longwood arts project
p.s. 39, longwoods art gallery
vistas latinas women’s art exhibition
teachers and writers
poets in public places
el museo del barrio
intar- duo theatre
arts connection
arts partners
pregones at st. ann’s church
silver whale gallery
cafe teatro el caney
children’s express
el diario/la prensa
otto rene castillo center
context studio
boricua college’s winter poetry series
aphrodites productions
centro cultural cubano
african caribbean poetry theatre
na¡uma, south africa
antidefamation league of b’nai brith
neither nor media center
teatro cuatro
cayman gallery
teatro tapia, puerto rico
teatro sylvia rexach, puerto rico
teatro del patio, puerto rico
teatro upr, puerto rico
cafe teatro la tea, puerto rico
cafe teatro la taona, puerto rico
anamú theatre company, puerto rico
morivivi theatre company, puerto rico
colectivo nacional de teatro, puerto rico

Ms. mar has worked in the following COUNTRIES outside the usa and usa territories:

puerto rico: did theatre in most of its towns and theatre spaces

cuba: popular theatre encounter 1975

yucatan, mexico 1998

cape town, south africa 1998-2001

Ms. mar has Studied in:

university of puerto rico
brooklyn college
fordham university
new york university
hunter college
clark center for the performing arts
open center

...and others

Ms. mar work has been FUNDED BY:

nyc department of cultural affairs
new york state council on the arts
north star
hunts alternative (now sister fund)
manhattan community arts
poets & writers
con edison
chase manhattan bank
ms foundation
united way of new york
catholic charities
penn writers fund

...and others

Last updated: May 2004

Glossary

Motete

This Spanish word signifies "bundle." It has a connotation of something that is tied up in a messy knot, something heavy and of clutter. In Path of the Swan it is used to signify the Shadow Bundle, or psychic bundle we carry in our psychic shoulders, full of guilt, false beliefs and old family dynamics. This bundle is a knot that ties our power and locks us in the tiny room of our past. Good news: you can drop your psychic bundle and fly into your dreams!

TOP

Polarity

This term is used often in the healing journey that Maria helps the audience take. Our world is full of duality, and we often think in either/or terms. This damages our imagination and keeps us within limited options. When we heal polarity, we can merge things we thought opposite, like power and love, vulnerability and strength, spirituality and prosperity, for example. What two important things in your life did you learn to polarize? How can you bring them together?

TOP

Female and Male Shields

Like everything that exists in the material world, we are made of two apparently opposite, but intrinsically complementary forces. These forces, akin to the negative and positive currents that come together to create an electric charges, are our Female and Male Shield, which carry our Female and Male Power. To have integrity, we must marry these two powers. Because we mostly live in a Male Shield widowed of its Female Shield, Maria helps the audience discover the powers of the Female Shield within them. Let's see how your Marriage of Power is doing. Choose your favorite definition of power: a) control b) grace c) communion d) money e) fulfillment. Click here for answers.

TOP

Transmutations
In our physical discipline, called Dancing the Bones, we share several types of movements that help you inhabit your body and change your life. Transmutations are simple movements that you use when you need to change an emotion or habit, face a fear or leap into a new way of acting. In your process of evolution, honor the tiny steps you take each day to be more truthful to your soul and your dream. These Steps of Power walk you through the distance between who you were pressured to be and who you truly are.

TOP

Shadow Inheritance
Your inheritance, like wheat, has a nurturing part and a part that can hurt you. The Shadow Inheritance is that part of your emotional inheritance made up of false beliefs, fears and defensive habits, limited perceptions and other elements that sabotage your dreams. This Shadow Inheritance weighs you down and limits your potential. The Ancestors' Gifts is that part of your inheritance that nurtures your soul and your genuine dreams. To separate the wheat from the chaff, you need to release the Shadow Inheritance and nurture yourself with the Ancestors' Gifts. That is the process of Becoming.

TOP

The Shaman says you are ready to learn all five Medicines! So begin at the TOP of our Glossary list, and stroll down. The terms we share here with you today are only a fragment of what you can learn in Bewomaning, where the exploration of these power tools takes place through the arts, in ways that are organic, touch your Emotional Intelligence and open your Female Way of Knowing. Don't miss the show nearest you! SIGN THE INTEREST LIST NOW!

For more Power practices from the Female Way of Knowing, sign up for Maria's upcoming book: The Healer Who Forgot to Dance (Weaving the Sacred Self).

TOP

Sponsor a Show for your consumers

ShamansDance
offers your company a
Bewomaning Public Relations package
for your campaign.

What are your needs?

Target populations and topics

Activities and products
for your PR Package

Bewomaning
Creative System

Benefits

Contact Information

What are your needs?

Whether you are searching for a:

one-time promotional spectacle,
month-long or seasonal campaign,
for example: women's history month,
cause-based campaign, for example:
family without violence,
a fundraising gala event donated to your
favorite institution as a PR event for both
a special treat for your clients, employees
or community that generates a good PR story;

Bewomaning Public Relations Package
will satisfy your needs.