ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE
January 27, 7:30PM
Live/Reserved Seating
Priority Seating: $35
General Seating: $25
Part III: POETRY
Music & Poetry: Thulani Davis + Wadada Leo Smith
Playwright, journalist, librettist, novelist, poet, and screenwriter Thulani Davis and trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser Wadada Leo Smith, a frequent collaborator and Pulitzer Prize-nominated musician and composer, perform an evening of poetry and music alongside Smith’s Kikuyu Ensemble, engaging with Davis’ works, Nothing But the Music and The Emancipation Circuit.
Davis, an interdisciplinary scholar, mentored artists including journalist Greg Tate, and collaborated with artists including Laurie Carlos, Jessica Hagedorn, and Ntozake Shangé. She also wrote for The Village Voice for more than a decade, becoming a Senior Editor for the publication. Davis is one of several women poets connected to the Black Arts Movement, whose work continues to breathe impressionistic life into the Black Arts Movement’s sonic-social history.
For the last five decades, Smith has been a member of the historical and legendary AACM collective, one of the pioneering ensembles of the Black Arts Movement. He distinctly defines his music as “Creative Music,” and his diverse discography reveals a recorded history centered around important issues that have impacted his world. Smith is a recipient of the 2016 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award and the Hammer Museum’s 2016 Mohn Career Achievement Award.
For over 20 years, Harlem Stage’s signature dance series, E-Moves, has brought together phenomenal choreographers, artists, musicians, and dancers of color to showcase their choreographic visions and pull audiences into an exploration of movement and message. The Black Arts Movement: Examined series inspires this year’s program, curated by Jerome Robbins Award-winning dancer, choreographer, and Harlem Stage alum Stefanie Batten Bland, and will feature works in conversation with the Black Arts Movement. Join us for an evening showcasing emerging, evolving, and established choreographers experimenting with and responding to the legacy of the past while creating dances that lean into the future.
Artists:
Wadada Leo Smith, Trumpet & Digital Piano
Thulani Davis, Poetry Recitations
Ashley Walters, Cello
Erica Dohi, Piano & Electronic Keyboard
Pheeroan akLaff, Drums
Black Arts Movement: Examined is supported by the Mellon Foundation.
BEFORE YOU PURCHASE YOUR TICKET, know that you must show proof of full Covid-19 vaccination having completed the vaccination series at least 14 days prior to the performance date. Masks are required. We will continue to update our safety protocols to remain in line with CDC guidelines. Learn more about our safety protocols.
Harlem Stage continues to host a captivating array of performances by talented Black Artists from around the world, as well as right here in bustling New York City. To ensure you never miss out on the latest live and digital shows, be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
