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| Shihan Van Clief |
Photo by Neil Raja.
Greenway Arts Alliance (Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz, Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors), in association with Da Poetry Lounge, presents the 2ND ANNUAL LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL, celebrating hip-hop and spoken word. The festival takes place from April 7 – 28, 2018. Events will be held at the Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles) and Melrose Trading Post (7850 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles). Da Poetry Lounge Co-Founder Shihan Van Clief serves as festival artistic director.
The 2ND ANNUAL LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL will play host to the 10th Anniversary of inkSlam: L.A.’s Premiere Poetry Festival with awards sponsored by Greenway Arts Alliance in celebration of Greenway’s 20th Anniversary and National Poetry Month. Other festival highlights include Dahlak Brathwaite’s critically-acclaimed one-man performance Spiritrials; Atlanta based Poetry vs. Hip-Hop; invitational team and indie slams from all over the country from youths to adults; showcases; workshops; and other events.
“We are excited to provide a platform for the incredible talent and diverse voices of Los Angeles and beyond. In light of recent events in our country, it's a perfect time for expression and coming together through spoken word events like ours,” said Whitney Weston, co-founder and co-artistic director of Greenway Arts Alliance.
“If you want to get past the 24-hour news cycle and really connect with what is happening in your Los Angeles community, Shihan is your guide,” stated Pierson Blaetz, Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Greenway Arts Alliance. He added, “The talent that he is gathering for our annual LA Get Down Festival is extraordinary."
"This year the LA Get Down Festival has upped the ante in regards to programming. Poets from around the world will take the stage and facilitate workshops breaking down preconceptions of what poetry is and what it could be,” said Shihan Van Clief, festival artistic director and co-founder of Da Poetry Lounge. “From Dahlak Brathwaite's Spiritrials to Poetry vs. Hip Hop, we're looking toward to giving people a real opportunity to experience the full range of emotions expressed through poetry. I can't wait for the festival to get started."
2ND ANNUAL LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL FULL SCHEDULE
PERFORMANCES:
Saturday, April 7 at 9:00 p.m.
Spiritrials starring Dahlak Brathwaite
Location: Greenway Court Theatre
In Spiritrials, addiction, religion, and the law intersect in a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program. A timely exploration of the American criminal justice system, this multi-dimensional play blurs the line between hip-hop and dramatic performance. Dahlak Brathwaite (writer/performer) weaves through the autobiographical and the fictional, music and monologue, to examine his place in what appears to be a cultural rite of passage for a young Black male.The Portland Mercury said, “It’s a powerful and persuasive account of racism and injustice the War of Drugs has wrought…humorous and poignant.” And, the Sacramento News & Review praised Brathwaite, “His presence is breathtaking, chilling…dynamic and heartfelt.”
Thursday, April 12 at 9:00 p.m.
Poems are Gay!
Location: Greenway Court Theatre
Hosted by Edwin Bodney, the evening features luminary poets from the LGBTQ community including Fei Hernandez, Jay Dodd and Aleah Bradshaw with special musical guest Jade Hendrix.
Friday, April 13 at 8:00 p.m.
Say Word Finals hosted by Kat Magill
Location: Greenway Court Theatre
Competition is a great catalyst for building character, which is where the Say Word Youth Slam Team steps in. Each young poet will write, edit and perform original works, adhere to pre-set guidelines and judged on a point system at each Slam event. The top-scoring poets advance toe semi-final and final competition rounds where the top five poets earn a spot on the Say Word Youth Slam Team.
Saturday, April 14 at 9:00 p.m.
Chingona Fire
Location: Greenway Court Theatre
Chingona Fire, a Latina Feminist poetry collective from Los Angeles, was founded by the poets Angela Aguirre and Yesika Salgado in February 2016. Their goal is to create safe space and visibility for women of color. Aguirre says,"Patriarchy will have you believe that and internalize that, so we are trying to change that narrative to one that celebrates with other women instead of competes with them." She added, “We need to stop feeling pain and jealousy from someone’s success and instead see it as them breaking a barrier that's helping you get closer and closer to that door."
Sunday, April 15 at 1:00 p.m.
Emerge and See: Youth Poetry Showcase hosted by Matthew Cuban Hernandez
Location: Melrose Trading Post Main Stage
Emerging youth poets from Fairfax High School and other schools throughout LAUSD perform their original works.
Thursday, April 19 at 9:00 p.m.
Atlanta Based Poetry vs. Hip-Hop featuring Queen Sheeba and DJ Knodat
Location: Greenway Court Theatre
Is Poetry and Hip-Hop really one in the same? Have emcees forgotten their roots? Is poetry a lost art to today's musicians?
Friday, April 20 at 9:00 p.m.
Heartstorms written by and starring Arianna Basco aka Lady Basco
Location: Greenway Court Theatre
A play. A show. A mic. Heartstorms tells the story of the people who come; the lives in their art; and the lady that holds down the mic.
Saturday, April 21 at 8:00 p.m.
inkSlam Indie Championship hosted by Shihan Van Clief
Location: Greenway Court Theatre
The 10th Annual inkSlam Indie Championship features twelve of the nation's most recognized poets competing for $1,500 in prizes sponsored by Greenway Arts Alliance. InkSlam is produced in association with Da Poetry Lounge.
Friday, April 27 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 28 at 8:00 p.m.
What It Iz
Location: Greenway Court Theatre
Adapted by ten incarcerated artists in a creative writing workshop, facilitated by acclaimed poet and performer Bryonn Bain, at the oldest women’s prison in the State of California, the California Institute for Women (CIW), What It Iz is a prison abolitionist, hip-hop theater, and spoken word remix of The Wiz. The spring performances at Greenway Court Theatre benefit programs serving incarcerated youth at BJN Juvenile Hall, where workshops based on the production, engaging human rights and transformative justice, have inspired an oral history project and college course using theater to develop legislative proposals.
NOTE: The above performances are subject to change.
FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS:
Writing and performance workshops are facilitated by Alyesha Wise, Matthew ‘Cuban’ Hernandez and Taalam Acey; and publishing and touring workshops facilitated by Daniel Lisi.
Visit www.GreenwayCourtTheatre.org/LAGetDown for a full listing and schedule of the LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL workshops. All workshops are subject to change.
The 2ND ANNUAL LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL is presented with the support of the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts program. For more information, please visit www.weho.org/arts or follow via social media @WeHoArts. Additional support is provided by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
Greenway Arts Alliance, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary year, kicked off their milestone last October at the Melrose Trading Post with a community event and accolades from Los Angeles’ Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles Councilmember Paul Koretz, Los Angeles Councilmember David Ryu, West Hollywood’s Mayor John Heilman and LAUSD Superintendent Michelle King. For two decades, the nonprofit GAA has been uniting communities through art, education and social enterprise. Greenway, a community leader and role model in social enterprise, runs the Greenway Court Theatre (a professional 99-seat theater), the Greenway Institute for the Arts (an arts education program at Fairfax High School, Title 1 high school in Los Angeles) and the Melrose Trading Post (a weekly open-air arts-based marketplace).
The 2ND ANNUAL LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL will take place from April 7 – 28, 2018. Tickets and passes to the festival are available online at GreenwayCourtTheatre.org or by phone 323-673-0544. For a full schedule visit GreenwayCourtTheatre.org/LAGetDown. Single ticket prices range from $10 – $30. Full festival passes are also available for $75. Patrons 25 or younger can select five events for $25.
Venues for the 2ND ANNUAL LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL include:
Greenway Court Theatre
544 N. Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Melrose Trading Post
On the Campus of Fairfax High School
7850 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Main Stage
Shihan Van Clief – Along with being the first and only poet to have a poem named 'download of the week' on iTunes; this National Poetry Slam Champion and 4X National Poetry Slam Finalist has been featured on a variety of media outlets including 7 appearances on 6 seasons of HBO's Def Poetry, NBC, Oxygen Network, Current TV, Nike Battlegrounds, Reebok, Adidas, NBA, CNN, ESPN, Complex and Billboard Magazine, several national commercial spots, 5 National Tours including the Tony Award Winning Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry Jam International Tour and 2 Spoken Word documentaries, SP!T and the sequel to 1997's cult doc Slam Nation, Slam Planet. Shihan was also the 1st 'Poet' to sign an exclusive Sponsorship deal with Sports Giant, Adidas and he is the current voice for The Sprite Street Mix, a radio program broadcasted in over 14 countries in Africa. His abilities to transcend cultural and generational boundaries have made Shihan a much sought after talent.
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