Watch the video: https://youtu.be/O4F2HJjrNdA

Last year, I collaborated with Cynthia Jones, Artistic Director of Inspirata Dance Project, for the upcoming dance production Inspirata Dance Project Presents: "Koinonia". The purpose of this collaboration was to highlight the perspectives and stories of individuals that have settled in the Twin Falls, Idaho region as refugees from their home countries. In total, Cynthia and I recorded three interviews with three incredible women: Samra Culum, Milica Popović, and Liyah Babayan. Audio segments from each of these interviews will be featured in the upcoming dance production KOINONIA, which will be presented at the College of Southern Idaho Fine Art Auditorium May 23-25 at 7:30pm. If you are in the Southern Idaho/Magic Valley area, please come! Tickets are $15 at the door, and can be purchase online at https://idpkoinonia.brownpapertickets.com

Each of these collaborative interviews were released as episodes for the Last Born In The Wilderness podcast. In this video, I explain what brought about this collaboration with Cynthia Jones, what it was like to speak with these incredible women, and for each of us to listen and document their life stories. I present some information on the upcoming dance production KOINONIA, and at the end of the video I present some short segments from each of the interviews we conducted with Samra, Milica, and Liyah. Down below, there will be links to each of the episodes I released with these women, if you wish to listen to the full interviews with them.

Samra Culum is Student Development Coordinator at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI), and a refugee. Samra, as a child, fled with her family from war-torn Bosnia, and through the CSI Refugee Resettlement Program, settled in Twin Falls, Idaho with her family. Her story was featured in episode #95 “Our Humanity In Times Of Peril: War, Community, & Revisiting Trauma.” Listen: http://bit.ly/KOINONIAsamra

Milica Popovic is an Associate Professor of Art at the College of Southern Idaho. Milica discusses her personal experiences with the social and economic disintegration in her home country of Serbia, during the fracturing of the Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990's. Milica and her husband made their way to the United States, where Milica eventually settled in Twin Falls, Idaho, and took up a position at the College of Southern Idaho, where this interview was conducted. Her story was featured in episode #105 “War, Art, & The Hardships That Shape Our Lives.” Listen: http://bit.ly/KOINONIAmilica

Liyah Babayan is a local entrepreneur, activist, Armenian refugee, the owner of Ooh La La! consignment boutique in Twin Falls, Idaho, and is the author of ‘Liminal: a refugee memoir.’ Liyah goes over her life story - framing it within the cultural/historical/political framework of her home country of Azerbaijan, where she had spent much of her early childhood, before fleeing with her family from severe persecution and mass genocide. Her story was featured in episode #131 “The Other: Genocide; Life After.” Listen: http://bit.ly/KOINONIAliyah

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