KUUMBA, Toronto’s Black futures competition, is celebrating a thirtieth anniversary throughout the month of February 2025 at Harbourfront. Music, theatre, dance, spoken phrase, movie and extra are on supply throughout the month-long competition.
The final theme of the performances and different occasions seems to deal with the Black journey to liberation, and therapeutic by way of the humanities whereas smashing stereotypes.
We spoke to steer producer Diana Webley about a few of KUUMBA’s highlights this 12 months.
KUUMBA 2025: The Pageant
“It’s an enormous legacy,” Webley says of KUUMBA’s three-decade historical past. There’s quite a lot of performances, talks, movies, and extra. “I feel it’s one thing individuals of all cultures can get pleasure from.”
Bob Marley Birthday Tribute (February 6)
Three-time JUNO nominee Jay Douglas and the All Stars will rejoice Bob Marley on what would have been his eightieth birthday. With a wide-ranging legacy that solely continues to develop over the many years, Marley’s artistry as a singer, musician and songwriter will be subsumed in his cultural legend.
Jay Douglas is a 45-year veteran of the leisure enterprise, and first took the stage in Montego Bay, Jamaica. His repertoire has included R&B and jazz requirements together with Caribbean genres. He was a staple of Toronto and Montreal nightclubs throughout their golden period within the Seventies, and went on to carry out at festivals and on phases like Roy Thomson Corridor and Massey Corridor.
Douglas, alongside along with his band and a string of visitor artists, will dig deep into Marley’s music, and look at it from totally different angles. Webley says the checklist of visitor artists and musicians (which will likely be confirmed nearer to the date) contains individuals who labored with Bob Marley, and auditioned for him.
“There are very deep roots inside the tribute,” Webley says.
His outstanding legacy will likely be celebrated by what began all of it: the music that has gone on to affect music and musicians throughout a broad spectrum of genres from jazz to pop. “I feel that’s the explanation why it is sensible to listen to the lyrics and the sounds in several methods,” Diana provides. It permits for listening to the acquainted music with a contemporary perspective.
She mentions Toronto-based musician Kairo Maclean, who turned the youngest winner of the JUNO Award for Reggae Recording of the Yr on the Juno Awards in 2022. “[It’ll be interesting] to get his spin on how he interprets Bob,” she says, “as a brand new technology.”
Iconic Canadian singer Liberty Silver (and fellow JUNO winner) has been added to the roster as effectively.
“Another excuse behind having JUNO award winners entrance this type of live performance is to additionally give them their flowers,” Diana says.
Jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and music producer Eddie Bullen will likely be a part of the efficiency too, together with different visitor artists to be confirmed.
Dance
Dance is an enormous a part of KUUMBA 2025. “It’s that type of expression that’s ever evolving,” Webley factors out.
The KUUMBA 365 venture celebrates Black tradition all 12 months spherical at The Energy Plant Modern Artwork Gallery. The second iteration of the venture, set to launch in February, will embrace the work of choreographers Katlyn Addison, Lua Shayenne, Esie Mensah and Syreeta Hector as they reply to the gallery’s fall 2024 present. Their inventive course of will likely be documented by way of interviews and diary entries, with a stay efficiency to kick issues off.
“Dance has all the time been a part of this celebration as a result of there’s therapeutic in dance,” Webley says. “It’s actually the expression with these totally different dance kinds that brings a way of group and therapeutic.”
“Wanting even on the vogueing workshop, the historical past of voguing and the place that comes from,” she explains. It’s about being who you wish to be with out restrictions. “In a manner that you simply’re not judged.”
Silent Legacy is a dance duet between Krump aficionado Adeline Kerry Cruz and Siaska Chareyre, a piece choreographed by Maud Le Pladec. It takes the stage on February 13 and 15.
“It’s fairly beautiful,” Webley says of the work that blends modern and concrete dance. “It’s in your face.”
Primarily based in France, Maud Le Pladec studied on the Nationwide Choreographic Heart of Montpellier, and has labored with the Paris Nationwide Opera, amongst others. She turned director of the Nationwide Choreographic Centre of Orleans in 2017, and is a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters and of the Nationwide Order of Advantage. Maud was the Director of Dance for the 4 ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics Video games, and turns into director of the CCN-Ballet de Lorraine as of January 2025.
Adeline Kerry Cruz started hip-hop dance courses on the age of 4. In 2019, she turned a part of a aggressive dance troupe, and in 2020, carried out in a dance movie for director Vincent René Lortie and the Jacob Jonas The Firm. That’s when she was launched to krump, a road dance style, and he or she’s by no means seemed again. Her journey within the artwork continues, with a particular curiosity in telling tales with dance.
Dancer Siaska Chareyre relies in Lyon, France. She started her profession as a contemporary jazz dancer earlier than taking a detour into modern dance on the Conservatoire de Lyon. Siaska graduated from Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance in 2023.
It’s a excessive power, fast-paced piece. “It’s most likely going to be exhausting for folk to remain of their seats,” Webley says. “It’s a complete physique expertise. Sitting in your seat, you’re going to really feel one thing.”
With a Voguing Workshop (February 8), Breaking Workshop (February 16), and the Rock More durable B-boy and B-girl competitors (February 15 and 16), you don’t should be an expert dancer (but) to get in on the enjoyment and therapeutic energy of motion at KUUMBA.
“Get your sneakers on and be part of us,” Diana urges, “It’s that freedom of expression that can open you up. If you happen to’re not courageous sufficient, what’s stopping you?”
The Eighth Day: A Play Studying by Nicole Brooks (February 8)
Nicole Brooks, whose credit embrace work as a filmmaker, director, performer, playwright, composer, curator, instructor, and extra, has had her earlier initiatives broadcast on VisionTV, the CBC, OMNI, and different distinguished platforms over a two decade plus profession.
Brooks might be finest recognized at the moment for the landmark manufacturing Obeah Opera, which she composed, wrote, and carried out in. The opera tells the story of the Salem witch trials by way of the eyes of Obeah, a slave girl from the Caribbean. The work has been staged in numerous kinds and variations between 2009 and 2019, and in 2020 was an official Pageant Choice of the 2020 Nationwide Alliance of Musical Theatre’s Pageant of New Musicals in New York.
The work takes European-based classical music and fuses it with blues, jazz, gospel, Caribbean and African genres. The outcome was a mixture of opera, dance, visible artwork, conventional and musical theatre. Brooks and Obeah Opera are newly again in North America after a tour to South Africa within the fall of 2024.
Brooks’ new play takes audiences again to Black Montréal in 1928. There, in a secretive speakeasy referred to as Lelu’s Cave, a mysterious girl recruits a motley assortment of 9 Femme Noires burlesque performers for a brand new present.
However, it’s not only a new present — it’s the top of the previous, and the daybreak of a brand new day.
After the studying, Brooks will reply questions from the viewers in a Q&A session.
“It’s been within the works shortly,” says Webley of the play.
Audiences can anticipate genuine particulars of the period to be included into the story. “She positively digs deep into her analysis,” she provides. “The truth that she brings it into previous Montréal, Black Montréal, and having it in a speakeasy, it’s phenomenal,” she says.
Particulars in regards to the venture are intentionally scarce. “I don’t wish to give an excessive amount of away.” Webley does promise that viewers will hear a number of the sounds and songs of the pivotal period within the studying occasion.
“I can’t anticipate individuals to listen to it.” It was a pure to program for KUUMBA. “I feel what caught my eye was type of the […] music of the time, the burlesque performers.” As soon as once more, Brooks will likely be writing and producing the present herself.
“I’m pleased for Harborfront to showcase her work.”
And extra…
Together with performances, the Pageant contains quite a lot of talks and panel discussions, quick and have movies, together with Any Different Approach: The Jackie Shane Story, a movie documentary and Q&A in regards to the lifetime of the late Canadian trans soul singer. Soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee’s quick movie A New Tune will display earlier than the documentary characteristic.
Iconic rapper Maestro Recent Wes’s quick movie Wes to the East – Ahead Movin’ will likely be proven earlier than the full-length characteristic A Mom Aside, a movie about motherhood and therapeutic by Laurie Townshend. The movies are screened in partnership with The Nationwide Movie Board.
- Discover extra particulars about KUUMBA [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is a Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an skilled freelance author, blogger and writing teacher.
