Fall 2022 WokeShop *now closed* Movement + Media WokeShop | with jumatatu m. poe
WOKESHOP: My Face in My Eye
We are excited to offer a new WokeShop: My Face in My Eye led by Blackspace Mentor, choreographer and performer: jumatatu m. poe. See the WokeShops details below, and if this looks like a good fit for you, please fill out the form so we can learn more about you and why we might be a good fit to learn together.
WOKESHOP: My Face in My Eye
MEDIUM: Dance, Movement, Photography, Film, Storytelling
LOCATION: Northstar Church of the Arts [220 W Geer St. Durham]
***(Nov. 8th & Nov 15th classes will be held at People’s Solidarity Hub: 1805 Chapel Hill Rd Durham, NC)
DATES: Tuesday nights: October 25 — November 22 (final presentation TBD)
TIME: 6:30PM-9:00PM
COST: FREE
MENTOR: jumatatu m. poe (read bio: https://theblackspace.org/movement/)
STATUS: OPEN TO AGES 16+ — CAP at 14 students
WHO IS THIS FOR?: Black and Brown people of African descent ages 16+ | this WokeShop will affirm queer and trans people
CONTACT: Blackspace Executive Director Kevin “Rowdy” Rowsey: [email protected] | Blackspace Mentor: jumatatu m. poe: [email protected]
DESCRIPTION: My Face in My Eye – the architecture of the selfie:
– invitation
– affirmation
– vulnerability
– ego
– eroticism
– megalomania
– power
In deep reflection on the possibilities of presentation and representation available in the architecture of the selfie, this WokeShop invites you to reflect upon your big ol’ self in all of its possible sizes. Choreographer and video maker jumatatu m. poe will facilitate a 6-week series of WokeShops that focus on:
- your moving body within the frame of the camera — utilizing the tech of the camera phone
- directing a narrative through your manipulation of the camera/frame — you will be both the camera person AND the performer for the camera, working at times solo and at times in small groups
- focus — sculpting your invitation to witnesses into observing what you think is most crucial, where the gravity of your narrative is located, how you need and want to be framed
We will explore the selfie as a way to reflect upon how we control our own narratives, and also how they can be out of our control. How do we shape ourselves with clear intention knowing both control and lack of control are a part of our narrative journeys?
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS WOKESHOP!
About jumatatu a. poe
I am a choreographer and performer based between land of the Tutelo-Saponi speaking peoples (Durham) and lands of the Lenape peoples (Philadelphia) who grew up dancing around the living room and at parties with my siblings and cousins. My early exposure to concert dance was through African dance and capoeira performances on California college campuses where my Pan- Africanist parents studied and worked, but I did not start “formal” dance training until college with Umfundalai, Kariamu Welsh’s contemporary African dance technique. My work continues to be influenced by various sources, including my foundations in those living rooms and parties, my early technical training in contemporary African dance, my continued study of contemporary dance and performance, my movement trainings with dancer and anatomist Irene Dowd around anatomy and proprioception, my sociological research of and technical training in J-sette performance with Donte Beacham. Through my artistic work, I strive to engage in and further dialogues with Black queer folks, create lovingly agitating performance work that recognizes History as only one option for the contextualization of the present, and continue to encourage artists to understand themselves as part of a larger community of workers who are imagining pathways toward economic ecosystems that prioritize care, interdependence, and delight.