From the moment the Ujammaa Board led the audience in singing the Black National Anthem, the atmosphere of Jubilee could only be described as electric. Held in Crowell Concert Hall this past Saturday and running more than two and a half hours, Wesleyan’s Black Cultural Show showcased some of the finest talents the University has to offer, with performances ranging from dance to spoken word to musical numbers.
The evening’s four hosts, Nicole Reid ’07, Jason Lalor ’07, Portia Hemphill ’07, and Jennifer Celestin ’07 started the night with a “Price is Right” game show skit that tried to determine the actual cost of a Wesleyan diploma after the costs of living and graduating. The final value came in at around $4. The skit was a great beginning to the full night.
Kalalu followed the opening act. Donning dark outfits and glow sticks, performers’ dances consisted of great group choreography and intense, well-executed moves.
“As a West Indian dance troupe we wanted to, of course, dance to music from the islands, but also show how talented our dancers are in being able to dance to different genres,” said LaShawn Springer ’08, co-chair of Kalalu. “The rhythm and the beats of these songs tell a deeper story than we think, it tells us stories about our past and our relation to one another.”
Later in the evening came the much anticipated audience favorite of the dance groups, Westep. With amazing synchronicity, the group utilized dozens of different formations and some background music to put on one of the best performances of the show.
“Femme Noire” by Senegalese poet and politician Leopold Senghor was performed beautifully by five women, who were later joined by others to dance to the “The Lord’s Prayer/ Ma Folie.” Both showcased and revolved around African women and their presence within the University and modern day life.
“In past years, I’ve felt a lack of African presence during Black History Month,” said Rabs Hutchful ’07. “Reciting ‘Femme Noire’ by Senghor and performing our own dance piece was our attempt to fill the void. I’ve had the honor of sharing my Wesleyan years with strong, driven and talented African women and I was proud to share the stage with them.”
The most emotional and thought provoking performances came from the amazing original spoken word and poetry in the show. Both Jillian White ’08 and Ruby-Beth Buitekant ’09 read moving poetry that touched on personal emotions and societal issues relating to race.
Claude Moise ’09 and Justin Douglas ’08 performed an amazing two-person poem/spoken word/ monologue about a student contemplating a normal day in his life at a theoretical small liberal arts school. Douglas and Moise recited two opposites views of the inner monologue of a boy who, at first, announces he has had a terrific day but then realizes he has been tokenized by his teacher, mocked by his peers, and profiled by the police. The performance ended with both announcing together that the day had indeed actually be quite horrible, but typical. Touching on issues relating to the current campus climate at the University, Moise and Douglas used their piece to both address important contemporary issues and treat the audience to an amazing performance.
Student band Kinky and the Spigots rounded out the evening. Lead singer Lillian Ruiz ’08 demanded that the audience rise and dance to the group’s lively set. By the time they finished their performance, some of the audience had dissipated into the night, but all left in attendance were dancing and singing along. This proved to be a fitting end to a night full of eclectic and spirited performances that celebrated black cultural life at Wesleyan and in the world.
“There is no one thing that defines black culture, but instead we all have different ways of defining ourselves and deciding how to express our culture,” Springer said. “We don’t put Jubilee on every year as simply a showcase for people to consume what we perform but for people to walk away thinking. Mostly though, I do it for myself and for my group. Everyone in the show poured their hearts out into their performance, and while its great to have the audience acknowledge that, at the end of the day, we feel good because of what we accomplished for ourselves.”
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