Performance Project Benefit Concert 2024
FEATURING:
The Lost Tribe, Fynta Sidime, Iyawna Burnett, First Generation Ensemble.
Saturday, October 26th - 7:30 PM
Edwards Church
297 Main St, Northampton MA
Extraordinary artists and musicians are coming together to share an incredible evening of music, poetry, and theater to support youth voice and leadership, the arts, and social justice - the focus of the Performance Project!
The Lost Tribe is an Afro-funk fusion ensemble, led by multi-percussionist Jocelyn Pleasant. Rooted in West African rhythms, their phenomenal sound travels through history, and moves through many genres. Tribe performances are packed with energy and GROOVE! They have opened for international acts Mokoomba (of Zimbabwe), and Trio da Kali (of Mali), and were a featured artist at the 2018 Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. The Lost Tribe also won first place at the 2019 Valley Music Showcase of Western Massachusetts. The Tribe’s initial home base was MAC650 Gallery, an artist-run co-op space in Middletown, CT. Many of the musicians in the group, past and present, were reared in some of CT’s premier arts institutions like the Artists Collective, The Hartt School of Music and the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts (GHAA). These institutions have cultivated a “Hartford sound” that can be heard in jazz-infused horn solos and the driving drum rhythms of the group. Connecticut roots are vital to the sound and direction of the group but each member also brings their own flavor and cultural background to the music. Song arrangements are fluid, and each musician is encouraged to bring their personality to the forefront. This mixture of energies creates a unique blend that is palpable to audiences, inviting participation and a sense of joy.
Fynta Sidime Fynta, a former First Generation ensemble member, is a Guinean-American multidisciplinary artist, dancer, playwright, singer, and devised theater-artist. As a multidisciplinary artist, her work is deeply rooted in multicultural mediums and transpersonal narratives that reflect social and cultural issues, identities, and rituals. Having spent the early part of her life between Kankan and Conakry, Guinea, weaving all her languages into her craft is essential to her. Fynta performed as a guest artist in Sokio Rio’s piece, From the refugee camp, and has appeared in dancer/choreographer Marilyn Sylla’s performances as part of the Five College Dance Concert series in Western Massachusetts. Fynta is working towards opening an international theater company in her homeland of Guinea, West Africa, that will serve her global artistic community. Fynta has an MFA from Columbia College Chicago and Arthuas LISPA Berlin in physical theater, and has studied dance in Cuba and West Africa. She serves on the Performance Project Board of Directors, is a collectivizing member, offers artistic support to ensemble members, and is often invited to perform with First Generation.
Iyawna Burnett Iyawna is a writer, performing artist, activist, and mother of two who joined First Generation when she was 15. Active in the program for seven years, she co-authored and performed in First Generation pieces Ripple Effect and Fo n’ ale (we must go), and then co-authored and co-directed the subsequent pieces, Tenderness and Mother Tongue. Iyawna has been a First Generation leader since the age of 16, as a powerful role model to First Generation members and as a peer counselor for members struggling with family addiction and incarceration. She has also co-facilitated First Generation workshops in DYS facilities. Iyawna is a lover of PURE HUMAN CONNECTION!