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Participant Biographies*
: Peter Meinke
: Susan Alexander
: Ranney
: David Manson
: Dionisio Martinez
: Oluyemi Thomas
: Ijeoma Thomas
: Dundu Dole
: Photo Corps
: Julie Buckner Armstrong
: Irritable Tribe of Poets
: Venus Jones
: Manuel Ramos
: Jeffery James
: Pedro Jarquin
: Moving Current
: The Conscious Party
: Spittin' Image Performers
: SoulScribes
Peter
Meinke
Peter Meinke has published thirteen books of poetry, six in the prestigious Pitt
Poetry Series, including Zinc Fingers (2001), Scars (1996),
and Liquid Paper (1991). His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The
Atlantic, The New Republic, Poetry, and elsewhere. His collection of stories,
The Piano Tuner, received the 1986 Flannery O’Connor Award, and Zinc
Fingers the 2001 SEBA Award for Poetry (Southeast Booksellers Association).
Most recently (2004), a collection of poems called Maples and Oranges has been
translated and published in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Meinke’s poems have won many awards,
including the Olivet and Paumanok Awards, and The Emily Dickinson,
Gustav Davidson, and Lucille Medwick prizes from the Poetry
Society of America, as well as two NEA Fellowships in Poetry.
He taught at Eckerd College, where he was Director of the
Writing Workshop, for 27 years, and has been writer-in-residence
at numerous colleges and universities, including the U. of
Hawaii, Davidson College, Hamilton College, the U. of South
Florida, Converse College, and the U. of North Carolina at
Greensboro.
Currently Meinke holds the Darden Chair in
Creative Writing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.
He and his wife, the artist Jeanne Clark, have lived in the
Driftwood area of St. Petersburg for over 30 years.
Susan Alexander
Susan Alexander has worked in the Tampa Bay area for many years, as a professional
actor, director, writer and theater instructor. She has appeared on many Bay
area stages including American Stage, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's
Jaeb, Ferguson and Shimberg theaters, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Stageworks, The Playmakers
and The Loft. Susan has a bachelor's degree in theater from the University
of South Florida. She also studied with Shakespeare & Company in Lenox,
Massachusetts and Martin Barter (Meisner Technique) in Los Angeles. Susan received
a Columbia University Klingenstein Fellowship while serving as Fine Arts Chairperson
and Director of Theater for Tampa Preparatory School. She teaches adult acting
and is the Director of Conservatory Administration for the Patel Performing
Arts Conservatory in Tampa.
Ranney
"ranney" was the premier comedian for Laff Tuesdays, the world famous
Apollo Theater's professional comedy club in New York during the 1990s. One of
the most promising comedians of the last decade, "ranney" took a hiatus
from the mic, returned several years ago, and is now back in top form. He has
become a favorite among fans of radical and thought-provoking comedy. "ranney's
bay area appearances have included feature spots at Centro Ybor's The Improv,
Side Splitters, Giggles, and Coconuts Comedy Club.
"ranney's poetic rants are
legendary. He was a nominee for best international poet
by the United Kingdom's Farrago Poetry Group in 2003. "ranney" is
a also a presence in the Bay area performing arts community.
His direction and choreography of Joe Popp's original rock
musical Maxwell is still mentioned, by audiences
and critics, as one of Tampa's favorite shows in the last
three years. It is no coincidence that "ranney" has
had involvement with the other favorite shows of the Bay
area. This includes his stirring performance as "Boy
Willie" in The Center Co. Production of The Piano
Lesson, for which "ranney" was named 2003 "Best
of the Bay" best actor by the Weekly Planet. "ranney" was
also a member of the award winning quintet that took the
American Stage's Shakespeare in The Park's The Bomb-itty
of Errors to The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival (winning Best Ensemble), Dublin's
The Helix, and London's Ambassador's Theatre on the West
End.
"ranney's most recent stage appearance was as Lucien P. Smith in Jobsite
Theater's The Boys Next Door. "ranney" can be seen in The
Bomb-itty again at the 2005 American Stage Shakespeare in the Park series.
Also, look for "ranney's latest one man jam (standup, characters, & spoken
word), Incendiary, and a spoken word - standup comedy cd, this summer. "ranney" is
a contributing writer to www.oneminent.com the popular poet website based in
Atlanta.
David Manson
David Manson is director of the EMIT series of adventurous music and former
director of the Tampa Bay Composers' Forum (1995-2003). He is a recipient of
two Artist Fellowships in music composition from the Florida Arts Council (1999,
2005), a Fulbright-Hays project in Turkey, was featured in the Southern Arts
Federation's JazzSouth radio program, and has received grants from Meet The
Composer. He worked with Cecil Taylor at the Atlantic Center for the Arts and
was artist-in-residence at the Sound Arts Workshop in Miami.
David produces the new music interview radio
series SoundVerge and has written for and performed with
jazz instrumentalist Sam Rivers and modern jazz groups Fluid
Motion, SHIM, Brazilian jazz sextet O Som Do Jazz and Zappa
repertoire band Bogus Pomp. David served eight years on the
board of the Pinellas County Arts Council (1995-2003) and
is a composer-in-residence with the Moving Current Dance
Collective and Peaceproject (a federal project managed by
the School District of Hillsborough County). He is a Fulbright
Senior Specialist in music technology. His degrees include
a doctorate from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
David currently teaches music and humanities courses at St.
Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Oluyemi Thomas
Oluyemi Thomas was born in Detroit, Michigan. As a creative musician, performer,
recording artist teacher and engineer, Mr. Thomas seeks to express his abiding
love for the hidden power of Art. Oluyemi’s primary focus is to touch
the inner core of individuals, be it in a forum, radio, television, recording
or on the bandstand. For two decades he & his lovely wife poet Ijeoma have
been members of the music and poetry unit Positive Knowledge. (Bass Clarinet/Saxophone)
He may be heard on Music & Arts, Ear Light Records, Eremite, Rastascan & BMG
labels. His travels to Africa, the Middle East & Europe are elements he
brings to the mix. Mr. Oluyemi believes “The musician’s art is
among those arts worthy of the highest praise”… and “Music
should lead to spirituality”…
Ijeoma Thomas
Wordsmith, spoken word artist, poet, vocalist and teacher, Ijeoma Thomas believes "all
art is a gift of the Holy Spirit". She has composed, performed and recorded
with the music unit “Positive Knowledge” and published many chapbooks
and individual poems in local and national publications. Born and raised in
Washington D.C. now based in Oakland, Ca., Ijeoma has traveled and toured in
New York City, Europe and West Africa. She has also been Artist - in - Residence
at Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin, California. Thomas has lent a vocal
poetic motif to the works of Cecil Taylor, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith,
Miya Masaoka, William Parker and Alan Silva.
Dundu Dole
Urban African Ballet
Dundu Dole Urban African Ballet Company has been in existence in Pinellas County
since 1991. For over a decade Dundu Dole has provided entertaining, educational
workshops, lecture demonstrations and cultural arts ballets for various schools,
universities, churches, hospitals, conferences, corporations and major theater
houses in the United States.
'Dundu Dole' in Wolof means, 'Life force and
Power.' This is a term used by the Senegalese to describe
the inner strength given to an individual by God to deal
with life's many challenges which aids in the achievement
of an individual's goals.
www.dundudole.org
Photo Corps
During the past four years the Arts Center of St. Petersburg has been developing
a dynamic photography program. Under the direction of photojournalist Beth
Reynolds, the program has grown from a small class of photography neophytes
to a robust curriculum with opportunities for photographers of all skill
levels to develop their artistic vision and technique, to learn about different
photographic media, and to perfect skills in both the traditional darkroom
and the new digital studio. Learn
more.
Photo Slam is visual/spoken word event during
the SAY WHAT? event at The Studio@620. Photographers are
asked to submit up to 5 images to be considered for this
unique performance. A distinguished group of 5 poets will
respond to 3 selected images each and spontaneously compose
a poem based on the projected photograph. Poets will have
no idea what image they will see. We are seeking a diverse
group of images, all subjects and styles of photography
may be submitted for consideration. Artists may submit,
simultaneously, applications to join the Photocorps and
to participate in Photo
Slam.
Julie Buckner
Armstrong
Julie Buckner Armstrong is Assistant Professor of English at the University
of South Florida St. Petersburg, where she teaches African American and Women's
Literature. Co-editor of "Teaching the American Civil Rights Movement:
Freedom's Bittersweet Song" (Routledge, 2002), Armstrong has also published
numerous essays on race and gender in the American South. Her current book-in-progress, "Mary
Turner and the Rhetoric of Lynching," studies the responses of writers,
artists, and activists to the 1918 lynching of a pregnant woman in Georgia.
Born and raised in Birmingham, AL, Armstrong
received her Ph.D. in English and American Literature from
New York University in 1997. She and her husband Thomas Hallock
are currently renovating a home in St. Petersburg's lovely
and bohemian Old Southeast.
Irritable Tribe of
Poets
With/Without : Melissa Fair and Susan Tyler of
Irritable Tribe of Poets, which is a music and spoken word/poetry
hybrid band, will read selections from their repertoire
and then share live recordings of the same pieces performed
with improvisational music to reveal the heights
and depths poetry can achieve when married to music. Also
discussed will be how they give the band musical direction,how
they choose pieces that will work with the band, and other
topics. There will also coaching opportunities for those
who wish to try their hand at reading their work to music.
Irritable Tribe of Poets, a collective of performing poets and instrumentalists
based in Tampa, FL, is an improvisation-oriented ensemble, actively mixing
jazz, rock, funk and world-music textures with sundry styles of poetry.
The group has performed two Dali homage concerts
at the Salvador Dali Museum for the 100th Centennial of Dali,
quarterly themed concerts at Viva La Frida, WMNF's Tropical
Heatwave (2001, 2003, 2004), Skipper's Smokehouse, the Orpheum,
various colleges and universities and played the last Thursday
of every month at King Corona Cigars in Ybor City for a year
and a half.
Recordings include: Kahlo, a cd of Frida Kahlo
based poetry by Rhonda J. Nelson and Irritable Tribe of Poets,
as well as Irritable Tribe of Poets Live at the Salvador
Dali Museum. Irritable Tribe of Poets' musicians back a collective
of female poets on the CD 'Vital Signs: The Primal Sessions.'
The band additionally has recorded with poets Stone Handy,
Kwabena Dinizulu, Bradley Morewood and Farrell X. Hall.
The core group consists of: Rhonda J. Nelson
(poet/artistic director), Jim Beckwith (percussion), Philip
Booth (bass), and Jon Priest (drums). Top talent guitarists,
keyboardists, woodwind and horn players are featured on a
rotating basis, which adds to the chameleon-like quality
of each performance. Other musicians in the collective include
Bob Brown, Willie Lawson, Darren Liebman, Peter Mongaya,
Jon Richardson, Alfredo Rivero, George Tortorelli and Ray
Villadonga.
The following poets/ spoken-word artists appear
with the Irritable Tribe of Poets on a rotating basis: Silvia
Curbelo, Kwabena Dinizulu, Pamela Epps, Melissa Fair, Stone
Handy, Myron Jackson, Lori Karpay, Bradley Morewood, Stazja
McFadyen, Rhonda J. Nelson, Paradox, Edgar Santiago, James
Tokley, Susan Tyler and Kevin Webb.
Venus Jones
Venus Jones is versatile! She’s an award winning speaker, writer and
entertainer. She’s a former MTV correspondent and an accomplished
actress, voice-over and model. She’s worked on blockbuster films
like the Punisher and Out of Time. She also credits over 100 print ads and
commercials to her name.
She’s the producer of the Multiverse
and as a spoken word artist she’s shared the same stage
with grammy nominated poet Nikki Giovanni. She’s
opened for Def Poetry on Broadway. She’s a three-time
Tampa Bay area slam winner. She served as the first resident
poet on WMNF. Her poetry has been published in the
UK’s X magazine, Underground Poetz, Artists Embassy
International and in Map of Austin Poetry. Her work has been
featured at The Salvador Dali Museum, The Tampa Bay Performing
Arts Center, The Improv and several poetry venues, conferences,
schools and festivals across the U.S.
More info on her workshops, performances and
products is available at www.venusjones.com.
Dionisio D.
Martínez
Dionisio D. Martínez was born in Cuba in 1956. He has been the recipient
of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation
and the Whiting Foundation. His book Bad Alchemy was one of twenty-five titles
included in the New York Public Library's 1995 "Books To Remember" list,
and History as a Second Language won the Ohio State University Press/The Journal
Award for Poetry. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines,
including The Norton Anthology of Poetry The Best American Poetry (1992 and
1994), The Jazz Poetry Anthology, Hard Choices: An Iowa Review Reader, In Brief:
Short Takes on the Personal, The New Republic, The American Poetry Review,
Tampa Review, The Georgia Review, and Kenyon Review. In 1999, Martínez
was invited by United States Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky to read at the Library
of Congress, where he also recorded his poems for the Library's archives; in
2000 he was on the faculty of Writers @ Work (Utah); in 2001 he was an artist-in-residence
at the Seaside Institute (Seaside, FL) and participated in Prairie Schooner
magazine's
75th Anniversary Celebration (Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln). Martínez conducts
writing workshops for the YMCA National Writer's Voice and his essays and reviews
appear in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Miami Herald, and the St. Petersburg
Times.
Manuel Ramos
- born in brooklyn, ny
- raised in virginia beach, va
- moved to tampa march of 04'
- hosted an open mic in ybor city for the month of october
- currently working on a collaboration of artists that are featured on the
tampa bay network site and acting as executive producer
- networktampabay.com is
a free site for artists and those who provide services and material for them
- the sister site is: networkphilly.com
- plans are being made for a network757.com for those in Virginia and
networkdallas.com to start a branch in the lonestar state
- my name is manuel ramos i go by manny informally but also use the pen name
Manual to reflect my desectularized lifestyle
- i'm a 20 yr old puerto rican who started out with hip hop then dove into
poetry when my thoughts deepened and i felt like hip hop became a restriction
for certain ideas i wanted to express...
- i'm still a lyricist, however and i do plan on releasing a cd by 4th quater
05'
- my music, my writing, my voice, Manual Labor: The Album... coming
soon
Jeffery James
Jeffery James a "TOKIN' POET" aka Prozaq, bio: Scumbag
Pedro Jarquin
Born in Nicaragua “with metaphors wrapped around his umbilical chord”,
Pedro Jarquin has “walked miles with the broken glass of shattered dreams
in his shoes” “and has come close to being stomped on by the steel
toe boots of man’s indifference” simply to be able to offer you
three realms of understanding the three layers of a poet’s soul through
the form of spoken word poetry. He’s a local poet and borderline
bum and can be found spittin’ poetry anywhere from parties to bars, to
weddings to funerals; dreaming up rabid poems and writing them “on top
of a tombstone on a page ripped out of a fairy tale book then folding it into
an origami swan and swinging it into the night so that the wind carries its
wings into the horizon” and setting unborn suns into fetal positions
so that you can forever enjoy the darkness of life. He also loves God, and
females, especially artists. Check out his CD "A Dog in This Place You Call
'America'" which you can only buy from him.[email protected],
or 727-698/3998.
Moving Current Dance Collective
Moving Current Dance
Collective is launching an exciting NEW project! On the Spot is an experimental
and informal concert series that will give its audiences an insider's view
to making dances through the art of improvisation. Similar to theater improvisation,
dancers like actors, are given a framework to create dances On the Spot, constructing
and deconstructing within the given structure. It's an ongoing venture
that presents different dances every evening in intimate performance spaces.
The
Conscious Party
To call "The Conscious Party" merely 'a poetry troupe' is an understatement. "The
Conscious Party" is a group bound together through life experiences, that seek
to inflict social change through the art of spoken word. The group actively
accomplishes this goal by hosting "Black on Black Rhyme" one of Tampa's largest
and longest running spoken word venues.
The group first organized in 2001, when the
need for an spoken word venue that embraced the voices and
needs of minorities could no longer be ignored.
The members consist of JB, Life, and Wally
B., all of whom are successful in their individual endeavors
as spoken word artists.
They have performed in venues all over the
world including: The Motion Bar (London, England), The University
of Wisconsin, The University of South Florida, The University
of Florida, Florida State University, Legacy Bookstore (St
Louis, MO), Funk Jazz Lounge (Miami), The Improv (Tampa,
Orlando, Miami), & The House of Blues (New Orleans, LA).
The troupe members are also poetry slam champions,
taking 1st Place in team
competition in The 2003 Hot Air Slam (State of Florida Championship) and 3rd
and 5th Place in individual competition at the 2004 Southern Fried Regional
Slam, featuring slam teams from all over the Southeast.
All three members have spoken word CD's available:
JB's releases include "Pieces of Reality: A P.I.M.P.'s Dream" and "Feloniously
Livin". Life currently has a self-titled CD available and
is presently completing a new CD project (to be released
in April 2004). Wally B.'s "Millennium Psalms: and "He Said
WHAT?!" are both available for purchase.
For more information on 'The Conscious Party'
please visit
www.blackon
blackrhyme.com
Spittin' Image Performers
Asia
Asia, a unique talent and rare find, at the age of 14 debuts her playwriting
skills but undoubtedly presents her outstanding poetry performance gifts in
this extension of the arts. Currently, Asia is a ninth-grader at Blake High
School focusing her attention on theatrical performance. She is a former member
of The Write Side Poets, having at one time served as Secretary to the Vice
President. Her dedication to her craft is unmatched and her abilities are not
to be surpassed. She intends to follow her spiritual path wherever it may lead
her, discerning at even her young age that she is here to help her fellow man
in whatever capacity she is lead to do so. At this time, her calling is poetry.
Lacey Nagy
This Gemini twister has been winding her winds throughout the Bay Area since
hitting the poetry circuit not but a mere year ago. Though a few encounters
with love may have left her jaded, cynical and mistrusting, this wordsmith
still believes in the fantastical love that will proverbially prevail. Lacey,
a native of Florida, hailing from Polk County, has not only survived through
some of life's most heroining experiences that she puts on paper and masterfully
crafts into poetry, but she's also a confident woman, creative genius and an
imaginative person broken free from societal standards of refinement and what
is deemed acceptable: Lacey is her own woman... none can compare 'cause none
would dare. As the former Creative Director of The Write Side Poets and Co-director
of Tongues, Lacey was challenged to extend her perameters of artistic insight
from her comfort zone of home decor and beautifully designed, beyond heavenly
tasty dishes to writing, performing and all the accolades that have followed
for this bold move forward and out into the limelight of poetry nightlife.
SoulScribes
Callie Thompson
Callie Thompson is a young slam poet and senior studio art major at Dartmouth
College in Hanover, NH. She has performed at dozens of art openings, open mics,
readings, political rallies and poetry slams as well as up on a table in the
middle of dinner for 400 unsuspecting students in a Dartmouth dining hall,
on the streets of Berkeley with the Dartmouth and Texas State Nationals teams
and many times at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC's East Village. She has also
opened for Odetta and performed at a private party for poet Grace Paley and
her husband, writer Robert Nichols. A member of the 2004 and 2005 Dartmouth
Collegiate Nationals teams, Callie was the winner of the first poetry slam
at Dartmouth in May of 2004.
Anna Sian
Anna Sian, a Filipina American born
and raised in the East Village, NYC, is now a sophomore
psychology major at Dartmouth College in NH. She grew up
under the mentorship of poets such as Beau Sia and Ishle
Park at the Asian American Writers Worskshop in NY and
gets her inspiration from the NY poetry scene; the Nuyorican
Poet's Cafe, Bowery Poetry Club and Urbana at CBGB are
her second, third, and fourth homes, and not necessarily
in that order. Anna won second place in a citywide poetry
contest for the Bertelsmann Foundation in 2003 and competed
at UC Berkeley with the 2004 Dartmouth team for the National
College Unions poetry slam. She thrives off of Hip Hop
and mangoes, and loves to write about love.
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Program
: Dates
: Overview
: Curator
: Schedule
: Workshop Descriptions
: Sponsors & Supporters
: Press
Release
Program Dates
03/03/05 - 03/19/05
Program Overview
SAY WHAT? will be a unique spoken word experience,
the first of it's kind in the Tampa Bay area. This event is a celebration of
the richness and diversity of the spoken word in the Tampa Bay area showcasing
local poets and venues.
Poetry
Focusing primarily on the Poetry Slam phenomenon that has been taking place nationally
and internationally over the past few years. We will experience some
of the history of poetry with readings and performances ranging from Shakespeare's
time to the Dada poets of the early 1900's and from Jazz to Hip Hop.
Visual Art
SAY WHAT? will include 15 noted visual artists displaying a variety of work. These
outstanding artists have been selected for this show because they often include
text, words or letters as a critical ingredient in their art. The variety
and manner in which they include sentences or shapes of letters in their medium
draws the viewer deeper into the understanding of the artist's intent. Shadows
cast by deeply incised text may be what you first read in Shirley Spear-Begley's
works. Illuminated words that spiral around Duncan McClellan's beautifully delineated
glass sculpture draw the viewer deeper into the work. This exhibition is
a visual and verbal delight and includes the artists Grace-Ann Alifero, Shirley
Spear-Begley, Rocky Bridges, Lisa Kirksey, Martha Lent, Betsy Lester, Renee Little,
Duncan McClellan, David Meek, Lenn Neff, Leslie Newmann, Ruth Pettis, Kim
Radatz, Celeste Simon, and David Williams.
Music & Dance
Musicians as well as dancers will interpret and explore the texture and rhythms
of words.
Some performances are part of the EMIT
Series.
Educational Workshops
In addition, we will conduct workshops for aspiring poets of all ages.
Program Curator
Pedro Jarquin, poetry
activist and student, is the Curator and Conceptual Planner for SAY WHAT?
Program Schedule
March 3, Thursday
(Opening Night )
8:00 pm
: Presentation of Venues
: Poets
March 4, Friday
8:00 pm
: Open Mic
: Music
March 5, Saturday
1:00 pm
: Positive Knowledge Workshop
(EMIT Series)
Workshop Descriptions >
Register Now >
3:00 pm
: Ranney Workshop
Workshop Descriptions >
Register Now >
8:00 pm
: Positive Knowledge
(EMIT Series)
: Special Performance
: David Manson and Dionisio Martinez electronic translation and poets
March 6, Sunday
1:00 pm
: Dundu Dole Workshop
Workshop Descriptions >
Register Now >
3:00 pm
: Kwabena Dinzulu Workshop
Workshop Descriptions >
Register Now >
8:00 pm
: Video of the work of Edmund Skellings, Poet Laureate
of Florida
: Theater of Poetry ...SPITTIN' IMAGES, a play on words
March 9, Wednesday
8:00 pm
: 'LOOKING BACK' with poets reading historical
works including Bob Devin Jones-Shakespeare, Susan Alexander-DaDa, Julie Armstrong,
USF, presentation of Gospel to Hip Hop
March 10, Thursday
8:00 pm
: Network open
mic and competition
March 11, Friday
8:00 pm
: Theater of Poetry.... SPITTIN' IMAGES,
a play on words
March 12, Saturday
1:00 pm
: Ranney Workshop
Workshop Descriptions >
Register Now >
3:00 pm
: SHOWCASE YOUNG POETS Hosted by Ranney
8:00 pm
: Improvisational
dance based on spoken word, performance by Moving Current
Bring a large pillow to sit on and get first row seats!
9:00 pm
: Open Mic
March 13, Sunday
1:00 pm
: Bob Devin
Jones Workshop
Workshop Descriptions >
Register Now >
3:00 pm
: Susan Alexander Workshop
Workshop Descriptions >
Register Now >
8:00 pm
: Photography Improvisation
March 16, Wednesday
8:00 pm
: Network Show.... competition
finale
March 18, Friday
8:00 pm
: James Tokley and Peter Meinke
March 19, Saturday
(Closing Night)
1:00 pm
: Irritable Tribe of Poets
3:00 pm
: Soulscribes
8:00 pm
: Fashion Show
with poems
General Gallery
Days & Times
Wednesday - Sunday
1:00 pm - Until Last Performance
Workshop Descriptions
March 5, Saturday
1:00 pm
Positive Knowledge, a
New York based group, will lead this workshop for adults. They
work with the 'spirit' of music and the spoken word. Oluyemi
and Ijeoma Thomas have recorded and performed together for the
past two decades, composing and sharing their joyful Creative
World Music Systems with lovers of music and poetry around the
world. Ijeoma Thomas - Wordsmith, spoken word artist, poet
vocalist and teacher believes 'all art is a gift of the Holy
Spirit'. Composer, teacher musician Oluyemi Thomas brings
elements of life and work to the flow and he believes: 'The musicians's
art is among those worthy of the highest praise'.
3:00 pm
Ranney workshop for adults. See thte 'Tunin'
workshop described below.
March 6, Sunday
1:00 pm
The Drum Speaks Workshop will be conducted by members of Dundu
Dole Urban African Ballet Company. This workshop is open to poets
of all ages. Dundu Dole is a well known local organization that provides
opportunities for young and old participants to learn and perform African American
dance and drumming. Demonstrations of drum speak will be given and drumming
instruments will be provided to students. Students will practice both
historical rhythms and make up their own systems of communication.
3:00 pm
Kwabena Dinzulu will
lead this workshop for young poets. This workshop
will introduce young people to the rich history and expressiveness
of poetry.
Kwabena Dinizulu is a critically acclaimed, internationally know Performance
Artist, Poet and Griot. For over a decade, he has captivated, educated,
enlightened and entertained audiences of all ages.
March 12, Saturday
1:00 pm
Ranney provides a 'Tuning' workshop for
young poets twelve years old and up. This workshop starts out with a
purging, a series of exercises that wipes the mental. physical, and spiritual
slate clean. With the instructors assistance, the artists will go through
a series of exercises designed specifically for finding the artist's best connection
and performance avenue through the piece. Ranney was a nominee for best international
poet by the Farrago Group. He is a key figure in the Tampa Bay performing arts
scene.
March 13, Sunday
1:00 pm
Bob Devin Jones will go over the powerful
elements of communication through body language. In addition the workshop
will include the concepts of stage presence. Students will have the opportunity
to practice their newly learned skills in front of their fellow students.
3:00 pm
Susan Alexander will
conduct a workshop dealing with methods that can be used
to memorize and internalize poems. Techniques
include exploring how to manipulate sound, breath and movement
to clearly communicate ideas. Susan is a well known
actor in the Tampa Bay area. She has performed extensively
at American Stage and other venues in our community.
Program Sponsors
& Supporters
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