IT’S TIME TO HONOR THE ANCESTORS
Poet-Tree En Motion Arts Showcase and Dia de los Muertos Altar Return on Wednesday, Oct. 30 to The Rotunda in West Philadelphia
WEST PHILADELPHIA – During the autumn season, it has been believed by many cultures around the world that the veil that separates our world of the living and the land of the dead grows thin. It becomes possible that we may be able to communicate with our deceased ancestors. It has often been a time of celebration.
While the secular version of Halloween has lost that element of honoring the ancestors, many still choose to remember and get in touch with their loved ones.
It has been an annual tradition for the Poet-tree En Motion seasonal multidisciplinary arts showcase to celebrate this holiday. Join the free event from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at The Rotunda in West Philadelphia.
Artist Lineup:
◦ Zara Tagnac - poetry reading/performance
◦ Kiriaki Aletheia - poetry reading/performance
◦ Plum Dragoness - spoken-word/performance poet-tree and dance theatrics
◦ Bryce Iz Nyce - parkour break dance movement performance
◦ Jan Jefferies (and guest artists) – percussion-based collaborative grooves steeped in audience participation
◦ B.A.D. Blaze and DJ Big Cuz - fire and flow arts performance accompanied by live selecta beatz
Brujo de la Mancha will also set up a Dia de los Muertos altar in front of The Rotunda. It will be up from Oct. 30 to Nov. 8 and be accessible 24/7.
This year, the altar, or ofrenda, is dedicated to all of the cultures that have been affected by genocide in some way, including loss of connection, identity, practice, language, land, and life. We remember the people who died during a genocide, the people who are dying right now, and those who will suffer and die as a result. We also honor those who fight to preserve their cultures for themselves and for future generations.
Brujo will also conduct a Dia de los Muertos ceremony on Nov. 1 at The Rotunda. See the link for more details: https://therotunda.org/event/an-ofrenda.
The next Poet-Tree En Motion event will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18 to celebrate the Winter Solstice.
Poet-tree En Motion is supported by grants from the University of Pennsylvania. Admission is free. Donations at the door will benefit Brujo de la Mancha’s Philadelphia Aztec cultural group, Ollin Yolitzli Calmecac. Tips are also welcome and encouraged for the individual artists.
The Rotunda is located in the University City section of West Philadelphia at 4014 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104. information about Poet-tree En Motion, email de Burke at plumdragoness@gmail.com. To be updated about the seasonal events, join the Facebook group at Poet~Tree enMotion.
ABOUT POET-TREE EN MOTION:Poet-tree En Motion works to inspire both artist and audience to connect and work together toward cultivating the arts community in Philadelphia, welcoming artists of all kinds to experience performances local to the neighborhood.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Gabrielle de Burke
Founder/Event Organizer Poet-tree En Motion
484-557-9605
plumdragoness@gmail.com
Gina Renzi
Director of The Rotunda
267-934-3705
gina@therotunda.org
ARTIST BIOS:
PLUM DRAGONESS
Native to West Philadelphia, Plum Dragoness (aka Gabrielle de Burke) is a multi-talented thespian, dancer, martial artist, instructor, poetess, and writer who has been involved with performing arts since childhood. She is known for her poetic style, vocal performance, fire dance, flow arts, and choreographic flair throughout Philadelphia and abroad.
Over the past 17 years, she has toured as a solo artist, founding member/core performer/assistant artistic director of Archedream for HumanKind among many others. She has independently released two albums of original work with the project Plum Dragoness & the Elements, known for its fusion of multimedia, live world-beat musical infusions, spoken-word vocals, and lyrical poetry. She has also helped bring together the all-female performance group trio The Femme-Mynistiques, who released their debut EP “Here She Comes…” in the summer of 2016.
Since 2007, Plum Dragoness has been a resident performance artist, as well as host and organizer for the successful performing arts series Poet-tree En Motion. This has allowed her the opportunity to share her own creative performances (including collaborative projects she initiated) and work created by many unique artists within the West Philadelphia community and beyond.Her work as a healing arts practitioner and instructor continues to intersect with her work as an interdisciplinary performance artist through the incorporation of internal and martial arts forms in combination with dance, poetry, and theater presentation. She has been teaching in the Philadelphia area and abroad since 2000.
On Instagram: @plumdragoness @dragonspiritarts @authentic.eccentrics
B.A.D. BLAZE FIRE ARTS TROUPE
Ambra Robinson, aka Ambra Renee, is a Philly-based fire performer. Her journey with fire spinning began in 2017 after performing with Setu Tribe in the great circle at “the big burn.” Inspired by her Setu sisters and the PEX community, she continues to tell her stories through movement and fire dancing. Her favorite prop is fire fans.
Ambra is also a radio co-host on 98.5 FM’s “Uptown Date Night.” When she’s not spinning fire, Ambra enjoys experimenting with flow props while roller skating.
On Instagram: @ambra_luv
Dafna Schroeder Cohen, aka DAFNA, is a trained ballet and modern dancer who has found her way back to dance through hoola hooping and skating. She has performed with Philly Fire Jawn at the big burn, PEX parties, the Ghostly Circus, and many private parties on her skates with LED hoops, fire hoop, and fire fans. When not delighting audiences, she is a physical therapist and mom to three boys.
On Instagram: @cohen_dafna
Bryce Adams, aka Bryce is Nice, is a professional break-dancer, acrobatics coach, flow artist, and fire performer. He has been practicing his art for over 10 years. He is also a professional Parkour athlete and all-around entertainer who will dazzle you with his backflips.
On Instagram: @bryceiznyce
B.A.D. Blaze on Instagram: @b.a.d._blaze_philly
DJ BIG CUZ, aka Michael James Patrick Robinson, is the program director of 98.5 FM (Uptown Radio) since 2018 in Philadelphia, the eighth biggest radio market in the United States. Working with a small group of motivated individuals, 98.5 FM has grown from one weekly show to 30 original programs and a shining beacon for North Philadelphia. Michael started off in the music business in 2002 as an emcee. Then he became a host, an event planner, and now a DJ.
Since 2006, Michael has been working with Philadelphia At Risk Youth professionally as a social worker. Michael’s work specialized in transitioning youth out of the system and into successful roles as adults. Michael is the founding member of the Philadelphia Freedom Project 501c3, which teaches leadership training through community service. Michael created Most Slept On Radio, an FM radio brand devoted to showcasing local and worldwide independent talent. Michael created Travel Gang International, a travel brand that encourages people to travel outside their comfort zone. Travel Gang Intl has partnered with groups in Puerto Rico to assist with hurricane relief efforts. Instagram: @mostsleptonradio
KIRIAKÍ ALÉTHEIA is a mixed indigenous woman, artist, singer, poet, and activist. She was raised to develop a love for her diverse ancestral traditions, which she expresses through her work. She is passionate about finding ways to heal and protect our earth and each other through activism, sustainable living, difficult conversations, and of course, art. Through her poetry, Kiriakí ignites a fire with her raging courage and truth.
On Instagram.com:_volcanocean_
ZARA TAGNAC is a Jamaican-American poet and author of primarily slipstream and magical realism. Her work has been published in the US, UK, India, and Jamaica. Her first poetry chapbook, Through the Ether, is available on Amazon.com.
She can be contacted by email: ayanalovesprose@gmail.com and Instagram: @ztlovestoread.