#upper 9th ward

[aliciajrose-blog]

My new music video for incredible Swedish songstress Theresa Andersson - shot on location at The Music Box AKA Dithyrambalina in New Orleans, LA premiered today!  

When I first heard Theresa Andersson's "Street Parade" I wanted to pair it with a visual treatment that was steeped in New Orleans magic, but without veering into how most people have seen and experienced the city. Once connected to The Music Box (aka Dithyrambalina), I became completely intrigued.  I wanted the narrative to honor both the sentiment of the song - what it feels like to experience the highs and lows of Mardi Gras and New Orleans' culture - and to draw from the wonderfully soulful impermanence of the Dithyrambalina installation itself. Nestled into an empty lot in the Bywater neighborhood, the "Heartbeat House" actually exists in the middle of the fantastical shanty town, all the beautifully crafted structures within containing wild instruments built into the walls. What if a single key was secretly passed around the city that allowed only one new person a night to experience this enchantment, the gilded musicians coming to life only with the power of each "conductor's" heart.  Now that would be some serious NoLa magic.  The Music Box is having its last concert this weekend - then they will tear down the structure you see in the video to replace it with another.  Oh, New Orleans...soulful impermanence indeed.

A week I will never forget. 

And check out that amazing dress - by NoLa designer Amanda Deleon!

xx

ajr

[neighborhoodr-neworleans]

New Orleans police officers and members of a loosely knit marching group clashed late Sunday night in the Upper 9th Ward area, resulting in some marchers being struck with stun guns, and at least six officers being injured.

According to eyewitnesses, the confrontation came to a head about 10:30 p.m. near the intersection of St. Roch Avenue and Chartres Street in a largely residential neighborhood.

An NOPD spokesman could not immediately provide details about the incident but said a preliminary police report showed that officers tried to break up a crowd about an hour earlier at 9:30 p.m., near Frenchmen and Dauphine streets. Officer Garry Flot said reports showed six officers were treated for injuries and two police cars were damaged.

According to a parade participant, police began to follow the krewe a short time after it began its stroll through the Marigny and Upper 9th Ward.

Emily Ratner, a Loyola law student who marched with the parade, said police pulled in front of the group near Chartres Street and St. Roch Avenue and grabbed a man, telling him "you don't have a permit."

Ratner said the tension quickly escalated and that police brandished guns and deployed Tasers on several marchers.

Police could not immediately say whether Tasers were used. Anytime an officer uses force or deploys a Taser, police protocol dictates that the action must be documented in a "resisting arrest" report.

On Sunday night, shortly after the clash, Ratner described a chaotic scene.

"It seemed like they were grabbing people at random," Ratner said of the officers.

Colleen Tucker, of Flagstaff, Ariz., who was in town visiting a friend, said she saw 14 police cars at the intersection. Tucker said a melee break out between marchers and officers.

Tucker said she spoke to some police who told her there had been vandalism to police cruisers.

"We saw no violence directed at police," she said. Tucker, a tourist, leaves for home Monday.

"This was my last impression of New Orleans."