About Me:
For the last twelve years, I have been founder/president of Bronitsky and Associates. At Bronitsky and Associates, we see around us a world that is in many ways growing smaller, more connected and more homogenous. Groups and artists around the world want to preserve and develop their culture and heritage and voices on their own terms in the new millennium; others want to experience new ways of seeing the world. The audience for cultural diversity is wider than anyone has imagined so far.
Our firm, with offices in New Mexico and Germany, specializes in working with Indigenous talent around the world in international cultural marketing of traditional AND contemporary art, music, dance; fashion; film/video; photography; theater; and speakers and writers (Native languages and English). For instance, we produced a summer of American Indian programs in Austria, featuring American Indian talent from the United States and Canada, including a Lakota rock band.
Over the last few years, we have begun offering our services to other native people. In May, 2000, for instance, we helped produce the Spirit of a Planet festival in Italy, and brought participants from Kazakhstan, Australian Aboriginals, an Irish band, Apache Indians from Arizona, Wodaabe from Niger, American Indians from Mexico, and more.
In 2001 we toured:
1. Fernando Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers (western New Mexico) to Taiwan,
2. Gummilaroi Yanni Yulidji Dancers (Australian Aboriginal) to Mexico,
3. Dakwäkäda Dancers (Yukon Territory, Canada) to Mexico,
4. Pa'a Taotao Tano Dancers (Guam) to the Netherlands, and
5. Yellow Bird Dancers (Apache) to Ireland.
In 2002 we toured the Fernando Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers to Australia and also toured
1. the Chinle Valley Singers (Navajo) to the Netherlands
2. the Fernando Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers (New Mexico) to Lithuania and Estonia
3. the Naa Luudisk Gwaii Yatx’i Dancers (Alaska) to Mexico
4. the Pa'a Taotao Tano Dancers (Guam) to Mexico and
5. the Yellow Bird Dancers (Apache, Arizona) to Italy and Germany
and in 2003 we toured
1. Matato'a (Easter Island) to Mexico
2. Chinle Valley Singers (Navajo) to Latvia
In 2004, we produced the tours of
1. Yellow Bird Indian Dancers (Apache) to Taiwan
2. Fernando Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers to Mongolia
4. Kross Kulchah (Australian Aboriginal rock band) to Russia
5. International Indigenous fashion show, St Petersburg, Russia
6. Jun Tiburcio, Totonac Indian poet and sculptor, Mexico, to Australia
7. Virginia Yazzie Ballenger (Navajo fashion designer) to Russia
8. Transjoik (contemporary Sami music from Norway) to Germany
9. Sun's Drum (Inuit drum dance group) from Nunavut and Ottawa) to Norway
and conducted an International Cultural Marketing Workshop in Moscow under the auspices of RAIPON (Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North), the Russian National House of Folk Arts of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Division of International Exchanges of the Russian Federation Ministry of Culture, and the Department of Economics and Strategic Development of the Evenkia Autonomous Region, with assistance from the United States and Canadian embassies
And in 2005
1. Sacred Land, Holy Land: American Indian and Jewish Poets Read From Their Work in English, Hebrew and Navajo: A Joint Fundraiser for the Solomon Schechter Jewish Day School and the Albuquerque Indian Center
2. Jerry Harmon (Appalachian storyteller and guitarist) to Germany
3. Maori artists Noelle Jakeman, Nigel Borell, Aimee Ratana to New Mexico
4. Navajo fluteplayer Andrew Thomas to Pakistan
In 2006
1 International Indigenous Business and Entrepreneurial Conference (iibec.mgt.unm.edu)(Senior Consultant) with inquiries and registrations from the United States (New Mexico, Washington, DC, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington) and Canada (Ottawa, Nunavut, Yukon, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario), Greenland, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Finland, Norway, Bulgaria, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Mongolia, India, India (Tibet), Pakistan, Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
2. Organizer, International Indigenous Playwrights Panel, International Conference on the Arts In Society (Edinburgh, Scotland
Crafted Panel Title: INDIGENOUS PLAYWRIGHTS SPEAK a. David Velarde (Jicarilla Apache Playwright), "We Talk, You Listen"
b. Sam Cook (Aboriginal Australian playwright) “For Us By Us – to share with the world”
3. Mitch Walking Elk to Germany
4. Sutaras Folk Dance Group (Lithuania) to Taiwan
5. Heath Bergersen, Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo player, to New Mexico
6. Inuit statesman and drumdancer Peter Irniq (Nunavut, Canada) to Mongolia, as a consultant to the Canadian Embassy in Beijing.
And in 2007
1. Consultant to Greg Nedved and Catherine Ann Martin, Mi'kmaq filmmaker, in production of Mi'kmaq language film, The Little Boy Who lived with Muini'skw.
2. ORIGINS: Symposium of First Nations Theatremakers, London
-Wesley Enoch (Australia), William Yellow Robe (USA), Drew Hayden Taylor (Canada), Miria George (New Zealand)
3. Joy Harjo (Mvskokee poet, USA) to Germany
4. Andrew Thomas (Navajo fluteplayer) and Heath Bergersen (Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo player), joint CD recording and tour in Australia
5. Aboriginal Australian didigeridoo player Heath Bergersen and Mariach Imperial de America (Houston) to World of Melody Festival, Mongolia
6. Lois Suluk Locke and Karen Panigoniak (Inuit throat singers, Nunavut, Canada) to Festival of World Cultures, Ireland
2008
1. Origins: Festival of Indigenous Theater From Around the World, London
We also publish a monthly e-newsletter, From All Directions, which goes out to over 4000 people around the world.
Area(s) of Expertise
international cultural marketing
Current Area of Employment
international cultural marketing
Comments
I am a PhD student in Development Economics at North Carolina State University and because so much of my future work will be alongside Anthropologists I am taking a course on anthropology to understand the methods and techniques of the discipline. Our professor asked us to interview an Anthropologist that works in an area similar to ours to gain a better understanding of why and how you chose this career path. Based on your experience I believe you’re an excellent example of what can be done. As a favor I was hoping for only a couple minutes of your time when it is convenient for you, and I will keep the process quick because I am sure your schedule is very demanding.
Thank you for your time and I'll be looking forward to hopefully speaking with you.
Jonathan Whittington
Jonathan.whittington@sas.com
I let my AAA membership lapse several years ago--tired of the socialist/left cant, tired of the anti-Israel politics, tired of "capitalism is evil". What did they do in 2005 that made you quit?
Too bad I won't be in LA to hear you sing--I'm sure it will be great. On the other hand, if you'd like a rock band from Greenland, an Inuit heavy metal band, a Maya rock band, a Papua New Guinea anti-AIDS theater troupe, a gay mariachi band, whatever--just let me know!
Gordon
I'm based in Los Angeles and when we last e-mailed I was working in institutional research capacities in universities (university administration). For the last five years I've been working as a consultant, owner of REAP Change Consultants, doing social science Research, program Evaluation, academic Assessment, strategic Planning and organizational change with non-profits, higher education, and some government agencies (see http://www.reapchange.com for more). It keeps me out of trouble but not in a lot of money. I just got back from the Institute for Community Research, Crossroads II conference where a bunch of researchers, community activists, and some artists got together around social justice concerns.
I've always been interested in your cultural presentations approach including contemporary art, music, dance, etc. and see that you are still at it. Good for you!! I would think that with the advent and rise of the "Anthropology of Tourism" what you do would be more acceptable to more anthropologists. However, from your response you seem as outspoken and acerbic as ever!! :-) When I was on the NAPA Board recently I tried to get them to divorce from AAA but got nowhere.
I've finally stopped paying for AAA membership, although I'll miss NAPA, after the leadership's behavior with regards to the 2005 meetings in SF. However, I'm keeping connected as a SfAA member and a member of SCAAN although SfAA seems to be getting kind of academically focused as well. My friend Allyn Unterberger (sp?) in Florida has also stopped her AAA and NAPA membership but remains part of SfAA, I think. She was on the NAPA Board with me, starting as a student rep, and wanted to "Make Anthropology Cool" (MAC) but she didn't have any more luck than I did with NAPA.
No one knows yet how the SfAA network is supposed to work. It's up to us all to create it as an online social environment. At a minimum being my friend means your photo and name appear on my webpage on this site as linked as "friends." I haven't tried to see if one can do mass communications to friends or what. Have you tried to put up any video clips or anything yet? I've only put up some photos since I'm still not into videos.
Other than that, I continue to sing with an excellent church choir that in a way meets my own cultural heritage needs (I'm 3/4th German-American) and nourishes my creatie soul. Should you be in Los Angeles tomorrow (June 15), we are singing J.S. Bach's "Magnificat" and also his Motet #6 with orchestra at Westwood Presbyterian Church.
Does that help remind you who I am??? Take care.
Steve