Posted on June 5th, 2007 in Dance, Events, Multimedia, Music.
PEN Canada and the Art for Real Change Collective present
The TAXI Stand Jam!
Date: Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 at 8pm
Location: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street (south of Wellesley at Yonge)
$10 suggested admission at the door
All welcome. Bring your imagination.
The TAXI Stand Jam is a feature event of the TAXI Project.
The TAXI Project: exploring freedom of expression through the arts is a new initiative by PEN Canada and the Art for Real Change (ARC) Collective that will engage communities across Ontario in a creative exploration around themes of freedom of expression. This multi-faceted project will be carried out over three years. In the first year the focus will be on the creation of a theatrical production, based on material generated by writers in exile. The focus of the second and third years will be a tour of the production to schools and communities in Ontario. The TAXI Stand Jam is part of the first-year development phase of the TAXI Project. The TAXI Project is generously funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
For more information or media interviews please contact Anjula Gogia at [email protected] or 416.703.8448 x23 or visit www.pencanada.ca.
Biographies:
Artists:
Suleiman Warwar was born in Nazareth, Palestine in 1977. He began playing Arabic Tablah or Dumbek at age 6. The self-taught musician was the lead Dumbek player in his high school orchestra in Nazareth and performed traditional and modern musical pieces around the country. Suleiman immigrated to Canada in 1995 where he was introduced to Latin American, African, Turkish and many other types of music. As well as traditional Arabic percussion including Dumbek, Duff, Katim and Riqq, Suleiman also plays Bongos, Congas and Djembe. His innovative style of drumming has led him to play with such artists as Bassam Bishara, George Wasouf and in various peace movement events. Suleiman has also teaches Middle Eastern, African and South American drumming through the Toronto Board of Education. Recently he has become the lead Dumbek player for Arabesque Dance Company.
da�™bi.young is a Jamaican-Canadian dub poet. actor. and playwright who believes in life. love. and revolushun. Her first play yagayah (co-authored with naila belvett) was published in volume ll of Testifyina�™: Contemporary African Canadian Drama, edited by djanet sears in a�˜03. Her premiere book of poetry art on black was published by Womena�™s Press in a�˜06. blood.claat, her critically acclaimed one womban show (nominated for five and awarded two Canadian Theatre Dora awards for outstanding new play and outstanding female performance a�™06 was recently published in English and Spanish by Playwrightsa�™ Canada Press.
As a dub poet and actor, da�™bi.young has performed extensively throughout Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe. She has produced four dub poetry albums and is currently working on her fifth, entitled ky-ky. She has been featured in numerous productions including the play da kink in my hair and Canadaa�™s first Afro-Canadian sitcom lawd have mercy. da�™bi.young has appeared on hboa�™s def poetry jam, Cubaa�™s cuerda viva, Bravo Televisiona�™s playwrighta�™s and screenwriters, and Showcase Televisiona�™s Literature Alive Series.
Her other writings have appeared in Fireweed Feminist Quarterly, Canadian Contemporary Verse, and the African Canadian Theatre Review. She is currently completing her second manuscript of poetry entitled riversa�|and other blacknessa�|between us. Recently she was appointed a two-year residency at the Soulpepper Theatre Academy and shortlisted for the inaugural Toronto Arts Council emerging artist award. She is currently preparing for a London, England premiere of a�˜da kink in my hair at the Hackney Empire Theatre. da�™bi.young resides in toronto, canada with her sun: moon.
Born Eddison B. Lindsay on the sunny isle of Trinidad, West Indies, BaKari has been perfecting his crafts for the past 24 years. He is a dancer, choreographer, singer, musician, costume designer/maker and researcher. Trained at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the School of Toronto Dance Theatre on scholarship and with various teachers from the Caribbean and the African Continent. BaKari holds a craftsman diploma in Style and Design and Masters Degree in Dance Ethnology, from York University, Canada. He researched and developed a�œA-Feeree a�“ The Physical Languagea� an innovative training method for dance practitioners working in an Africanist movement aesthetic. Co-founder of COBA a�“ Collective of Black Artists, BaKari danced for the Danny Grossman Dance Company (Canada) , Jubilation Dance Company (USA), Toronto Dance Theatre (Canada), Artcho Danse Repertoire (Haiti) and several independent choreographers in Canada. He was an original cast member of Canadaa�™s Production of Disneya�™s The Lion King. BaKari has choreographed for Les Enfants Dance Company, Entre Deux, The National Dance Company of Trinidad and Tobago, while also creating a body of work on COBA. He is on the faculty of Ryerson University, and has taught at York University, Humber College, Lester B. Pearson School for the Performing Arts, and several dance schools, institutions and community groups. BaKaria�™s artistic vision is to create a harmonious balance between artistic practice and traditional cultural values.
Lisa Pijuan-Nomura is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Toronto. She has performed theatre, dance, comedy, song and puppetry in Canada, Czech Republic, Austria, Mexico, and Ireland for the past 12 years. She is currently focused on combining storytelling, dance, sound and visual art to create dynamic performance pieces.
As a graduate of the School of Physical Theatre, Lisa has a unique style of combining storytelling, movement and music in both choreographed and improvised pieces. Her one woman shows Stories My Body Told Me and She Said Saffron were performed at fFida, Harbourfront Ritmo Y Colour Festival, Montreal Fringe Festival, Toronto Storytelling Festival, RESIDANCE, and RED:A Night of Live Performance. Both shows tell stories of her family and their relationship with food, history and culture. Dance Critic Paula Citron of Classical 96.3 Radio writes a�œLight on her feet and expressive of voice, Pijuan is absolutely captivating.a�
She is also the curator of the highly successful event, RED:A Night of Live Performance held bi-monthly at the beautiful Lula Lounge. This evening presents actors, dancers, puppeteers, stilt walkers, pregnant belly dancers, clowns, filmmakers, spoken word artists and many more performing artists. Over 300 of Torontoa�™s top artists have performed at RED. In April of 2007, Lisa is curating the 2nd RED Festival at Lula Lounge. This four day festival will feature multidisciplinary performances by artists from Toronto and abroad. Apart from curating and performing, Lisa has recently begun to use her experience as an artist to help others. After studying with creativity coach Eric Maisel, Lisa has begun to coach artists and those who crave more art in their life.
Lisaa�™s upcoming projects include creating a one woman puppet show, The Zoe Show and expanding her storytelling repertoire. In November of 2006, she will be filming her one-woman show, She Said Saffron.
Jani Lauzon is a three time Dora Mavor Moore nominated actress, a three time Juno nominated singer/songwriter and a Gemini Award winning puppeteer.
