FREE COMMUNITY ARTS SHOWCASE SET
TO HONOR THE ANCESTORS IN WEST PHILLY
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 multidisciplinary arts showcase to celebrate with this theme. Join the free event from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
There will be an ancestral altar. Everyone is welcome to bring photos of their ancestors and offerings.
Artist Lineup:
Plum Dragoness - spoken word, theatrical dance and fire performance
Poetry Reading - local poets and youth guests
Carol Moog - Featured published poet reading from her book
Leana Song – Afro-Cuban band led by Shawn Hennessy
Richie Olivera – Peruvian flautist
B.A.D. Blaze and Friends plus live DJ - Fire show featuring Ambra Renee, Bryce Adams, and Fern McMillian
A visionary painter will be on hand to do live painting of the event (artist TBA).
The next Poet-Tree En Motion event will be held in December to celebrate the Winter Solstice.
The Poet-tree En Motion is supported by grants from the University of Pennsylvania. Donations will be collected at the door for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to support emergency famine relief and aid to war-torn regions around the world. Tips are also welcome and encouraged for the artists.
For information about Poet-tree En Motion, email de Burke at plumdragoness@gmail.com and join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/116980678334215.
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 (artist Plum Dragoness)
Founder/Event Organizer Poet-tree En Motion
484-557-9605
FOR LISTINGS:
Poet-tree En Motion multidisciplinary arts showcase 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 at The Rotunda located at 4014 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104. The event is free and open to the public. The theme is “Honoring the Ancestors.” For information about The Rotunda, log on to www.TheRotunda.org. For information about Poet-tree En Motion, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/116980678334215 and email Gabrielle de Burke at plumdragoness@gmail.com.
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 18 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 and FRIENDS -- 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
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 that will dazzle you with his backflips.
On Instagram: @bryceiznyce
Fern McMillian is a radiant force of movement and self-expression. She brings playfulness and strength to every spin of her hula hoop. A mother, fitness inspiration, and well-known fire dancer, she’s been featured in the Burning Man Conclave and at Rhythm and Ritual with Departed and Minimal Chaos. Pure joy in motion, set aflame. She wields a fire staff, palm torches, and an iso hoop.
On Instagram: @fern52984
B.A.D. Blaze on Instagram: @b.a.d._blaze_philly
LEANA SONG – band fronted by SHAWN HENNESSEY
Shawn Hennessey’s childhood growing up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in northeast Philly belie his soul connection to world rhythms, drums and percussion. An artist at heart and composer, Shawn’s music embodies rhythm-as-life, that invisible, universal pulse at the core of all we do, musically or otherwise.
Shawn’s deep, abiding love and passion for percussion and drums has taken him around the world in a career spanning the globe in known percussion hotbeds of innovation and rich history, countries like Ghana, Cuba, Haiti, Israel, Tahiti, and Istanbul.
A Latin Grammy-nominated percussionist in the category for Best Tropical Album for his work with El Caribefunk on their 2020 release, Energia para Regalar. Shawn is also a prolific songwriter and producer based in Philadelphia and performs regularly with a variety of notable national and local acts, including bassist Bakithi Kumalo of Paul Simon's band, Uprooted featuring Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root, Bollywood star Jeffrey Iqbal, Trinidelphia, Ryan Tennis, The Disco Biscuits and Don McCloskey. Shawn has played at The Philadelphia Folk Festival, The Mann Music Center, and Radio City Music Hall.
His two passion projects over the past decade have been Hennessey Bonfire—lush, organic, original songs soulfully rooted against the backdrop of world rhythms and sounds—and Leana Song, a genre-defying fusion of traditional and contemporary Afro-Cuban music, the likes of which have landed Shawn on major Spotify playlists alongside world music icons. For the past 2 decades, Leana Song has shared the bill with for Tinariwen, Vieux Farka Toure, Chris Berry, and Antibalas.
Leana Song’s first album, “Orisha Love Songs Vol.1” was released in 2008, and blends ancient Ghanaian and Cuban drumming and songs with modern harmony and instrumentation.
Hennessey Bonfire, released “Let’s Get Carried Away” in 2013. This self-produced, sophomore release is a world-folk in nature, highlighting Shawn’s gift for songwriting and pop production. Soon after the sold-out release at World Cafe Live, Shawn was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He had surgery and has been in good health ever since.
In 2018, His 3rd studio album “Orisha Love Songs Vol. 2” was recorded in Cuba and remastered and released worldwide in 2024. While in Cuba, Shawn had the distinct honor of being consecrated “Omo Aña”, a child of the spirit in the drum in the Afro-Cuban religion of Ifá.
Shawn released his 4th studio album in June of 2023 as Hennessey Bonfire. “A Wake on the Boulevard” Is an eclectic blend of world rhythms and folk harmony, with electronic sensibilities and lush production. “This record is about becoming a father and forgiving my own” Hennessey says.
Shawn also teaches Songwriting at Germantown Friends School where he has worked for over 20 years and is currently attaining his MA in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music.
For more info and to download music go to www.shawnhennessey.com and https://linktr.ee/hennesseybonfire. On Instagram: @Hennesseybonfire www.shawnhennessey.com
RICHIE OLIVERA – Solo Flautist
Richie Olivera is a Peruvian-born musician specializing in traditional Andean flutes, including the quena, zampona, and quenacho. Beginning his musical journey at age twelve in Lima, he performed throughout Peru before moving to New Jersey in 2007. His style blends the soulful sounds of the Andes with global influences from jazz, rock, and Celtic music. Richie has performed across the tri-state area, including Princeton University’s Café Improv and cultural festivals such as the Andes Festival in Perth Amboy. His performances evoke the spirit of his heritage while bridging cultures through sound.
On Facebook: @RichieOlivera and @RichieQuena
On Instagram: @Richie_Olivera
On Youtube: @RichieOlivera
CAROL MOOG
Dr. Carol Moog is a psychologist in private practice, an accomplished blues harmonica player, and the author of “Are They Selling Her Lips” (William Morrow) and “The Autism Playbook for Teens” (New Harbinger). She can also be found improvising with Tongue and Groove Spontaneous Theater, voicing vintage radio plays, and communing with insects on nature walks.
She lives in Pennsylvania with her loving husband and adventure-partner, Roger, with whom she has traveled the world. In lieu of teleportation, she treasures cross-country time with her vibrant daughter, Julie; son-in-law, David; and grandson, Henry.
She has never understood why people tell children to sit still.
For more information about Moog, visit https://www.carolmoog.com/
