Presented by the UW-Madison’s Division of Diversity, Equity & Achievement and produced by the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI), Line Breaks Festival brings the top new aesthetics in contemporary performance art to the UW-Madison campus and the surrounding community. It has evolved into a space for the investigation of contemporary American culture through the lens of hip-hop performance.
Line Breaks comprised of a weekly performance/ lecture/ discussion series, where invited professional artists engaged with the local campus community. This was sponsored by OMAI and tied to the Spring 06/07 Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s Arts Institute Residency. The project culminated in a final performance of student work called “Just Bust” – an event, which has evolved into our monthly open mic, now running for several years. Line Breaks has since evolved into a week long festival that cultivates performance art by building relationships among and between industry –leading artist professionals and aspiring student artists. In our commitment to create access to the work, all activities tied to this, the largest hip hop-centered performance festival in the Midwest are free and open to the public.
Founded by UW-Madison’s Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives and a program in the Office of the Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer, the First Wave Hip-Hop and Urban Arts Learning Community is a groundbreaking collective of spoken word poets, emcees, dancers, singers, actors, and activists from across the United States, brought together as scholars at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Using the pedagogy of traditional spoken word, movement and performance, the students use these principles of linguistics, writing, communications, social and political awareness as an additional learning framework for their major areas of study across the university. For more on First Wave and OMAI go to: http://omai.wisc.edu.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
All events take place at the Overture Center for the Arts, Promenade Hall unless otherwise listed.
TUESDAY, APRIL 11 — Film screenings at L160 Chazen
6:30 p.m. Baraha, A film by Gretchen Carvajal
Baraha is a short film by Gretchen Carvajal and Violet Jinqi Wang. It is based around how one girl’s tarot card reading forces her to confront, unpack, and let go of the things she’s been harboring. Duration (20 mins).
Gretchen Carvajal is a Filipina immigrant by way of the Bay Area, CA. She is an Art Major with a focus in Printmaking who’s art is centered around the stories of her family and her people. She is a 5th year Senior in the First Wave program and continues to write, sing and perform spoken word poetry and music for audiences around the country.
Violet Jinqi Wang is a Filmmaker and Communications Arts Major from China, her work has been seen in the Wisconsin Film Festival, UW Com Arts Department, and many other venues. Along with Baraha she is also working on another short, a 30 minute film called Traces.
MasKuline, A film by Garrett Pauli
Maskuline is a video project creating a mirror to reflect upon toxic masculinity / patriarchy. This project has collaborated with the Dear Masculinity letter-writing project in an effort to illustrate that masculinity is multifaceted through story-telling and critical self-reflection. This is a 30 minute film screening followed by a talkback with directors.
Garrett Pauli is a writer and playwright from the City of Sun; Phoenix, Arizona. As a senior in the First Wave scholarship program, Garrett is producing his 2nd one-man show for the LineBreaks Hip-Hop Festival. He specializes in creative non-fiction work which serves as a mirror of reflection for his audience.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12
6:00 p.m. The Studio Presents, Sellery Hall Student Artists
Under the direction of Associate Professor Faisal Abdu’Allah, Sellery Hall Arts students from The Studio will present work about altered states of consciousness and being, the impact of technology, the erasure of the present and how we will remember touch and intimacy.
6:30 p.m. Tearing Down the Walls, First Wave Touring Ensemble
Seven First Wave Activist Scholars will share sample work form their school year that has been utilized in spaces for the BGCA, NPR, MOSES and other organizations to impact students, community members and educators. Their work is meant to empower, motivate and contribute to the change they all want to see.
Touring Team: Ricardo De La Cruz, Jamine Kiah, Dequadray White, Pherow Drain, MacKenzie Berry, Nesha Ruther, Solomon Roller
7:15 p.m. Revelations and my Journey Home, First Wave 10th Cohort
Fourteen brilliant First Wave Scholars present work that builds around the theme of revolution and resistance.
8:15 p.m. Ball & Chain, Tiffany Ike
This is a story that explores the realities of our country. It speaks of blackness, masculinity, tokenism, and what it means to deal with love, goals, and relationships while also trying to stay alive or free in a society that doesn’t want you to exist. This tale is embodied through the narrative of a boy named Deandre Washington.
Tiffany Ike is an artist, athlete, and activist from Houston, TX. She currently studies Psychology and Communication Arts at UW-Madison. She is a First Wave Scholar where she continues her art as a visual and spoken word artist. She also works with The JVN project, an organization that uses hip-hop as a tool of empowerment as the Outreach & Development director. She dabbles in different art forms such as singing, photography and likes to involve herself in many activities. She also is a triple jumper for the UW-Madison Varsity track team. Ice cream is her meal of choice, black sitcoms before 2005 give her life, and every once in awhile she relives her hoops dreams at the gym.
9:25 p.m. Goddess at Your Feet, Jamie Dawson
Inspired by the black musical tradition of masking in which lyrics can represent both the trifling love of a relationship and a trifling system that stands against a person and community, Goddess at Your Feet follows the character Angel as she heals from personal heartbreak while still recognizing the breaking of black bodies from this world as a result of institutional pressures and systematic oppression. Through poetry, dance, and multimedia arts Jamie Dawson cultivates a journey consisting of love, laughs, sacrifice and redemption.
Jamie Dawson is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin Madison. After 5 years of building with Heard Em Say Youth Poetry Troupe, she took her talents to the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Scholarship on campus as a part of the 9th Cohort. Jamie studies Afro American studies, psychology, and is pre-health. Jamie’s pretty cool and brings the sunshine and heat of her hometown, Tampa, Florida, everywhere she goes.
THURSDAY, APRIL 13
6:00 p.m. Kaleidoscopes, John Paul Alejandro
This is a dance theatre work that explores the idea that difference is beauty. Often times the world makes us try to become someone else and we start to forget to just be ourselves. Come into this realm to challenge yourself and to explore what is possible in our society for the betterment of our own communities. This ensemble work features choreography and spoken word by John Paul Alejandro along with the guidance of the artistic director, Maureen Janson Heintz.
John Paul “JP” Alejandro is a first-generation Filipino-American spoken word artist, dancer, and designer from the Bay Area of California. He is currently attending UW-Madison and pursuing a double degree in communication arts and dance. He is also part of UW’s First Wave program, which focuses on hip-hop pedagogical studies and activism here on campus. Many of John Paul’s works revolve around ideas of identity, culture, and challenging the systems that work against self-reclamation. John Paul plans to continue to explore his studies in dance which include using the body as a medium for story-telling and combining modern techniques with hip-hop styles.
7:15 p.m. Revelations and my Journey Home, First Wave 10th Cohort
Fourteen brilliant First Wave Scholars present work that builds around the theme of revolution and resistance.
8:15 p.m. Ball & Chain, Tiffany Ike
This is a story that explores the realities of our country. It speaks of blackness, masculinity, tokenism, and what it means to deal with love, goals, and relationships while also trying to stay alive or free in a society that doesn’t want you to exist. This tale is embodied through the narrative of a boy named Deandre Washington.
9:15 p.m. First Wave Poetry Sharing
First Wave students (TBD) who represent a strong activism model in their writing, will shift thought and move us into a space of change with their poetry.
9:40 p.m. The Sun Doesn’t Always Come Out Tomorrow, Kenneth Dizon
Come watch a young, aspiring comic give it his all on his debut comedy show. Kenneth will explore many topics including depression, suicide, and interpersonal relationships. Come watch a young, aspiring comic give it all on the stage, while blissfully ignorant of the many struggles he will encounter as he tries to pursue a career in comedy. Maybe he’ll make you laugh. Maybe he’ll make you regret coming to his show. But you’ll never know unless if you come.
Kenneth Dizon is a stand-up comedian in the ninth cohort of First Wave. He plans to major in Communication Arts and Environmental Studies because those are the best majors that the university offers that would disappoint his Asian, immigrant family. Even though Kenneth wants to make a living as a stand-up comedian, his main dream in life is to become Beyoncé. If not, he could settle for one of those less relevant people in Destiny’s Child.
FRIDAY, APRIL 14
6:00 p.m. The Studio Presents, Sellery Hall Student Artists
Under the direction of Associate Professor Faisal Abdu’Allah, Sellery Hall Arts students from The Studio will present work about altered states of consciousness and being, the impact of technology, the erasure of the present and how we will remember touch and intimacy.
6:30 p.m. Tearing Down the Walls, First Wave Touring Ensemble
Seven First Wave Activist Scholars will share sample work form their school year that has been utilized in spaces for the BGCA, NPR, MOSES and other organizations to impact students, community members and educators. Their work is meant to empower, motivate and contribute to the change they all want to see.
Touring Team: Ricardo De La Cruz, Jamine Kiah, Dequadray White, Pherow Drain, MacKenzie Berry, Nesha Ruther, Solomon Roller
7:30 p.m. Goddess at Your Feet, Jamie Dawson
Inspired by the black musical tradition of masking in which lyrics can represent both the trifling love of a relationship and a trifling system that stands against a person and community, Goddess at Your Feet follows the character Angel as she heals from personal heartbreak while still recognizing the breaking of black bodies from this world as a result of institutional pressures and systematic oppression. Through poetry, dance, and multimedia arts Jamie Dawson cultivates a journey consisting of love, laughs, sacrifice and redemption.
Jamie Dawson is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin Madison. After 5 years of building with Heard Em Say Youth Poetry Troupe, she took her talents to the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Scholarship on campus as a part of the 9th Cohort. Jamie studies Afro American studies, psychology, and is pre-health. Jamie’s pretty cool and brings the sunshine and heat of her hometown, Tampa, Florida, everywhere she goes.
8:30 p.m. Revelations and my Journey Home, First Wave 10th Cohort
Fourteen brilliant First Wave Scholars present work that builds around the theme of revolution and resistance.
9:15 p.m. Dancing Towards Change, Featured Local Dance Artists
Local Dance Groups perform.
SATURDAY, APRIL 15
6:00 p.m. Kaleidoscopes, John Paul Alejandro
Kaleidoscopes/Collide of Scopes is a dance theatre work that explores the idea that difference is beauty. Often times the world makes us try to become someone else and we start to forget to just be ourselves. Come into this realm to challenge yourself and to explore what is possible in our society for the betterment of our own communities. This ensemble work features choreography and spoken word by John Paul Alejandro along with the guidance of the artistic director, Maureen Janson Heintz.
John Paul “JP” Alejandro is a first-generation Filipino-American spoken word artist, dancer, and designer from the Bay Area of California. He is currently attending UW-Madison and pursuing a double degree in communication arts and dance. He is also part of UW’s First Wave program, which focuses on hip-hop pedagogical studies and activism here on campus. Many of John Paul’s works revolve around ideas of identity, culture, and challenging the systems that work against self-reclamation. John Paul plans to continue to explore his studies in dance which include using the body as a medium for story-telling and combining modern techniques with hip-hop styles.
7:00 p.m. The Sun Doesn’t Always Come Out Tomorrow, Kenneth Dizon
Come watch a young, aspiring comic give it his all on his debut comedy show, The Sun Doesn’t Always Come Out Tomorrow. Maybe he’ll make you laugh. Maybe he’ll make you regret coming to his show. But you’ll never know unless if you come.
Kenneth Dizon is a Filipino stand-up comedian.
7:30 p.m. Romeo and Jul*et, Daniel Kaplan
Romeo and Juliet is an abstraction of the ancient story of love, told through sound, space and color. The one-person show explores the nature of relationships in contemporary 21st century society, as the audience is taken through the circular process of love and loss.
Born in Los Angeles, raised in North Carolina, Daniel Kaplan is an interdisciplinary artist in the First Wave Program at the University of Wisconsin that explores invisibility, intersectionality, and the changing nature of contemporary identity. Under the name Son!, Kaplan makes sound, space, and time to allow the audience to explore the boundaries of their own self as a means of exploring his own. As a member of the First Wave Program, he abstracts the hip-hop processes of sampling, cultural documentation, and his own narrative to create work across mediums and genres that is rooted within a hip-hop framework.
8:30 p.m. Ball & Chain, Tiffany Ike
This is a story that explores the realities of our country. It speaks of blackness, masculinity, tokenism, and what it means to deal with love, goals, and relationships while also trying to stay alive or free in a society that doesn’t want you to exist. This tale is embodied through the narrative of a boy named Deandre Washington.
9:45 p.m. Music Workshop, led by Daniel Kaplan & Eric Newble
Led by First Wave Scholars Daniel Kaplan, and Eric Newble, this is an advanced music workshop, created to grow the musical talent and projects of First Wave students, culminating in a musical project of sharing and performance during the Line Breaks festival.
SUNDAY, APRIL 16
3:00 p.m. Romeo and Jul*et, Daniel Kaplan
Romeo and Juliet is an abstraction of the ancient story of love, told through sound, space and color. The one-person show explores the nature of relationships in contemporary 21st century society, as the audience is taken through the circular process of love and loss.
3:45 p.m. Love has no season Featured Artist, Rain Wilson
This is a show speaking to the place love has in shifting the vibration for humanity in these times.
Rain Wilson is a writer, performer, teacher and director sought after for her ability to educate and empower artists and audiences alike. She utilizes innovative techniques that allow students to reach deep into the words that embody their personal narrative, using theater as a space for it to connect others in needed dialogue for social change. Rain has a B.A. from Columbia College and an M.F.A in Theater from Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts. She is currently the Artistic Director of First Wave, where she engages with some of the most talented artistic youth in the nation and beyond. Rain has been teaching and performing for over 20 years. She has performed multiple one woman shows in Los Angeles, Wisconsin, Chicago and New Jersey. Rain has done television and several plays, receiving a Jeff nomination for Best lead Actress for “Breath Boom”. Rain has written and composed original full length plays that have been shared to sold out audiences – most recently in Feb. of this year in New Orleans. Her newest play entitled, “Police State” that deals with the topic of police brutality and a family scarred by it, has been engaged in workshop efforts in Los Angeles and will be utilized in part in HUE-Man. Rains Mission is to reach out to the community and beyond through the arts, to help change and transform our lives, to unify and grow in our role as a more empowered people.
4:30 p.m. Music Workshop, led by Daniel Kaplan & Eric Newble
Led by First Wave Scholars Daniel Kaplan, and Eric Newble, this is an advanced music workshop, created to grow the musical talent and projects of First Wave students, culminating in a musical project of sharing and performance during the Line Breaks festival.