Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Marc Bamuthi Joseph (born 1975) is a spoken-word poet, dancer, playwright, and actor who frequently directs stand-alone hip-hop theater plays. Early life Joseph was born to Haitian immigrant parents and grew up in Laurelton, Queens, New York City. When Joseph was 10 years old, he made his Broadway debut as Savion Glover's tap dancing understudy in the musical, ''The Tap Dance Kid''. By age 12, he had appeared on television and toured nationally with the production. Joseph attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA., where he was involved in the spoken word movement with classmate, Saul Williams. After graduating from Morehouse College in 1997, he was hired by The Branson School to teach English and dance. Career In 1998, Joseph worked with the Senegalese National Ballet. In 1999, he became National Poetry Slam champion in 1999 as part of the San Francisco team. He went on to work with Katherine Dunham, Joe Hahn, Mos Def, and Bonnie Raitt. In 1999 he became the Arts in Ed ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Laurelton, Queens
Laurelton is a largely middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens and part of the former town of Jamaica. Merrick Boulevard, which bisects the community in a generally east–west direction, forms its commercial spine. It is bounded by Springfield Boulevard to the west, 121st Avenue to the north, Laurelton Parkway to the east, and Conduit Avenue to the south. Laurelton is located in Queens Community District 13 and its ZIP Codes are 11413 and 11422. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 105th Precinct. History Laurelton derives its name from the Laurelton station on the Long Island Rail Road, which was named for the laurels that grew there over 100 years ago. It was developed by Dean Alvord and was modeled after an English village, with stately Tudor-style homes, both attached and detached. A few co-ops exist in a former garden apartment complex, there has been some new construction but no high-rise buildings, which has enabled Laurelt ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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National Poetry Slam
The National Poetry Slam (NPS) is a performance poetry competition where teams from across the United States, Canada, and, occasionally, Europe and Australia, participate in a large-scale poetry slam. The event occurs in early August every year and in different U.S. cities. History The first National Poetry Slam was held at Fort Mason in 1990 in San Francisco. Aptowicz, Cristin O'Keefe. (2008). ''Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam.'' Soft Skull Press. "Chapter Six: Playing Nice; The First National Poetry Slam" Page 45. . It was organized by poet Gary Mex Glazner and featured three competing teams: Chicago ( birthplace of slam), New York City (Nuyorican), and San Francisco (host city). It has been held every year since. 2014).Aptowicz, Cristin O'Keefe. (2008). ''Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam.'' Soft Skull Press. "New York City Poetry Slam Teams" Page 366-369. . From 199 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Opera Libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as the Mass, requiem and sacred cantata, or the story line of a ballet. ''Libretto'' (; plural ''libretti'' ), from Italian, is the diminutive of the word ''libro'' ("book"). Sometimes other-language equivalents are used for libretti in that language, ''livret'' for French works, ''Textbuch'' for German and ''libreto'' for Spanish. A libretto is distinct from a synopsis or scenario of the plot, in that the libretto contains all the words and stage directions, while a synopsis summarizes the plot. Some ballet historians also use the word ''libretto'' to refer to the 15 to 40 page books which were on sale to 19th century ballet audiences in Paris and contained a very detailed description of the ballet's story, scene by s ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Opera Philadelphia
Opera Philadelphia (prior to 2013 Opera Company of Philadelphia (OCP)) is an American opera company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the city's only company producing grand opera. The organization produces one festival in September (Festival O) and additional operas in the spring season, encompassing works from the 17th through the 21st century. The famed Academy of Music (Philadelphia), Academy of Music, the oldest opera house to be continuously in use for its original purpose within the United States, is currently the venue for three of the company's performances. The company is led by David Devan, who was appointed general director in 2011. History The Opera Company of Philadelphia was established in 1975 with the merger of the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company (PLOC) and the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company (PGOC); two organizations which had competed with one another for many years. Adele W. Paxson, who headed the PLOC, was appointed the first president of the company's boa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Daniel Bernard Roumain
Daniel Bernard Roumain (known by his initials, DBR; born 1970) is a classically trained composer, performer, violinist, and band-leader, whose work combines classical music with jazz, hip-hop and rock. Composer In September 2010, ''Dancers, Dreamers, and Presidents —'' an orchestral tone poem inspired by Ellen DeGeneres and then-senator Barack Obama — premiered at the New World Symphony. DBR composed the opera, "We Shall Not Be Moved," in collaboration with librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and director and choreographer Bill T. Jones. The opera premiered at Opera Philadelphia on September 16, 2017. Discography *''Threads'' with David S. Ware (Thirsty Ear, 2003) *''I, Composer'' (2004) *''String Quartet'' (2004) *''Pulsing'' (DBR Music, 2006) *''Etudes4Violin&Electronix'' (Thirsty Ear, 2007) *'' The Need to Be'' with Ryuichi Sakamoto on the DJ Spooky Paul Dennis Miller (born September 6, 1970), known professionally as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is an American elec ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Humana Festival Of New American Plays
Humana Festival of New American Plays is an internationally renowned festival that celebrates the contemporary American playwright. Produced annually in Louisville, Kentucky by Actors Theatre of Louisville, this festival showcases new theatrical works and draws producers, critics, playwrights, and theatre lovers from around the world. The festival was founded in 1976 by Jon Jory, who was Producing Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville from 1969 to 2000. Since 1979 The Humana Festival has been sponsored by the Humana Foundation which is the philanthropic arm of Humana. History The Actor's Theater of Louisville hosted the first Festival of New American Plays in March 1977. It was founded by the former artistic director of the Actor's Theater, Jon Jory. The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn, one of the plays presented that year, went on to open on Broadway later that year and would win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1978. The 1978 festival line up included Marsha Norman's Getting Out, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Smithsonian Magazine
''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' magazine, was asked by the then-Secretary of the Smithsonian, S. Dillon Ripley, to produce a magazine "about things in which the Smithsonian nstitutionis interested, might be interested or ought to be interested." Thompson would later recall that his philosophy for the new magazine was that it "would stir curiosity in already receptive minds. It would deal with history as it is relevant to the present. It would present art, since true art is never dated, in the richest possible reproduction. It would peer into the future via coverage of social progress and of science and technology. Technical matters would be digested and made intelligible by skilled writers who would stimulate readers to reach upward while not turning them off with jargon ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kamilah Forbes
Kamilah Forbes is an American curator, producer, and director. She created and directed the Hip Hop Theater Festival from 2000 to 2016. She has held directing roles for television and theater productions such as ''Holler if Ya Hear Me'', ''The Wiz Live!'', and the 2014 revival of Lorraine Hansberry's ''A Raisin in the Sun''. Forbes was named executive producer of the Apollo Theater in 2016. Early life and education Forbes was born and raised in Chicago to Jamaican immigrant parents. She attended Howard University with the intention of attending medical school but changed her major to theater to pursue acting. While at Howard she met Chadwick Boseman and they collaborated on a play about their generation. Career Theater In 2000, Forbes wrote and directed ''Rhyme Deferred'', a play that used a mythic fairy tale format to explore the existential nature of hip-hop. That year, she also created the Hip Hop Theater Festival in 2000 citing the need to feature work created for and b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Adia Whitaker
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority ( ar, جهاز أبوظبي للاستثمار, ADIA) is a sovereign wealth fund owned by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (in the United Arab Emirates) founded for the purpose of investing funds on behalf of the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It manages the Emirate's excess oil reserves and is estimated to manage $790 billion. ADIA's operations have been characterized as secretive and opaque. History In 1967, Abu Dhabi emirate created the Financial Investments Board which operated within its Department of Finance and was responsible for managing the Emirate's excess oil revenues. However, in 1976, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding president of the United Arab Emirates, converted it into the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. The goal was to invest the Abu Dhabi government's surpluses across various asset classes, with low risk. At the time it was novel for a government to invest its reserves in anything other than gold or short-ter ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rennie Harris
Lorenzo Harris (born January 28, 1964) is a dancer, choreographer, artistic director and professor of hip-hop dance. Harris formed the first and longest running hip-hop dance touring company, Rennie Harris Puremovement in 1992. In 2007, he conceived another touring company, RHAW or Rennie Harris Awe-Inspiring Works. Harris has received numerous awards for his theatrical hip-hop dance performances or what he refers to as, "Hip-Hop concert dance". He is known for such works as Rome and Jewels, Facing Mekka, 100 NAKED LOCKS, Heaven, and a host of innovative repertory works, which have broken many stereotypes and expectations of hip-hop dance. After receiving an honorary doctorate from Bates College and an honorary doctorate from Columbia College, Harris' company was chosen as 1 of 4 US companies to serve as cultural ambassadors for President Obama's "Dance Motion USA." In 2012, it toured the Middle East, performing and giving hip hop workshops to Egyptians, Israelis and Palestinians. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Def Poetry
''Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry'', better known as simply ''Def Poetry Jam'' or ''Def Poetry'', is a spoken word poetry television series hosted by Mos Def and airing on HBO between 2002 and 2007. The series features performances by established and up-and-coming spoken word poets. Performances also include special appearances by well-known actors and musicians, as well as occasional performances by Mos Def himself. Co-created by Bruce George, Danny Simmons, Deborah Pointer, Stan Lathan, and Russell Simmons, the show is a spin-off of the popular ''Def Comedy Jam'' which began airing on HBO in the 1990s. As with ''Def Comedy'', Simmons appears at the end of every episode to thank the audience. The series included historical legendary poets such as, The Last Poets, Nikki Giovanni, Amiri Baraka and Sonya Sanchez. It also featured poets, Saul Williams, J. Ivy, Jessica Care-Moore and Lemon. Though technically not a poetry slam, ''Def Poetry'' has become heavily associated with t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk, and country. She was also a frequent session player and collaborator with other artists, including Warren Zevon, Little Feat, Jackson Browne, The Pointer Sisters, John Prine and Leon Russell. In 1989, after several years of limited commercial success, she had a major hit with her tenth studio album '' Nick of Time'', which included the song of the same name. The album reached number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. It has since been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry. Her following two albums, '' Luck of the Draw'' (1991) and '' Longing in Their Hearts'' (1994), were multimillion sell ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |