Photos
A Peek into Collaboration
Working on bomba performance practice and meeting with members of the Hispanic Heritage Folkloric Dance Group
Bomba Then and Now: Uncovering and Understanding the Afro-Puerto Rican Diasporic Connections Through Communication, Music, and Dance
Lecture at the 2024 International Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora (IGGAD) Symposium:
February 24, 2024
Freedom on Their Own Terms: Understanding and Reassessing Enslavement Insurrections on the Island of Puerto Rico
Lecture at the 2022 Slave Dwelling Project: September 8, 2022
From Ring Shout to Bomba Book Presentation: August 4, 2022
Expanding the Repertoire for a New Generation
These photos were from a concert by the Savannah Philharmonic All-Star Ensemble, a group of talented musicians from across myriad high schools in the Savannah, Georgia area. Under the direction of conductor Keitaro Harada, this group servers as one of many ways in which the Savannah Philharmonic strives to serve the community by performing engaging orchestral and band works. They also practice inclusiveness by sharing that music with multiple communities and age demographics in the city. This was evident at the concert because the program by the All-Star Ensemble largely consisted of energetic pieces from both the classical and popular repertoire-- from Gustav Holst, to Taylor Swift-- and (in their "encore") encouraged participation from the audience through clapping.
Unidos en la Música
These are highlights from the annual Unidos en la Música (United in Music) festival in St. Augustine, FL. The all-day event showcased the diversity of traditions across the Hispanophone (Spanish-speaking) and Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) regions of Latin America and the Caribbean through music, dance, and cuisine. The photos shown below present examples of traditional folkloric music and dances from Venezuela, Peru, and Colombia. The festival also openly acknowledged the Indigenous and African presence in the Latin American and Caribbean cultural narratives, as I noticed in the music and dance presentations representing Peru and Colombia, as well as an Afro-Brazilian Capoeira martial arts dance performance that would take place later in the day (not shown). To encourage audience participation, Unidos en la Música also featured moments with reggaeton rap and funk, in addition to providing interactive workshops involving different forms of dance, like salsa
Lost in (Mis)Interpretation
Here are snapshots from events and friends met along the way at at the 2022 IGGAD Symposium: including footage from my lecture presentation on understanding and preserving Gullah/Geechee and Afro-Latin musical, religious, and linguistic connections
