The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts (presenter) fall 2020 interdisciplinary artist, Michele Byrd-McPhee is having a series of virtual events this fall as part of her residency.
Michele Byrd-McPhee is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, producer, curator and director of Ladies of Hip-Hop. Byrd-McPhee has been working for many years to re-contextualize spaces and conversation about Hip-Hop culture along gender, sex, cultural and socio-historical and racial lines for decades.
Besides teaching the course, “Hip-Hop Culture, Women & the World” this semester, Byrd-McPhee will be hosting a series of virtual events. Guest artists include renowned spoken word and recording artist Ursula Rucker (week of Oct. 26); dancer, dance educator and scholar LaTasha Barnes (week of Oct. 19); and visual artist and graphic designer Stacey “Flygirrl” Wilson (week of Nov. 2). The three of them are participating on Madison Mondays at 7-8 p.m. on Oct. 19 (LaTasha Barnes), Oct. 26 (Ursula Rucker) and Nov. 2 (Stacey Wilson).
All of the guest artists are presenting in the course and some are also presenting in other units. In addition, Maori Holmes, curator, filmmaker, writer and director of BlackStar Film Festival presented to the students in the course in late September. Assistant Professor Duane Lee Holland, Jr. in the Dance Department, is the lead faculty for Michele Byrd-McPhee’s residency. Their longer biographies and photos are listed below.
All of these virtual events are open to the public and are free unless noted otherwise. Advance registration is encouraged for those who want to log-in through Zoom.
PUBLIC EVENTS
Events are subject to change and other events.
WEEK OF OCT. 19
Oct. 19 from 7-8 p.m. CDT | Madison Mondays: Conversation with LaTasha Barnes
Michele Byrd-McPhee will be joined by guest artist LaTasha Barnes for a virtual conversation. Barnes is an internationally recognized and awarded dancer, and educator and will talk about various dance forms and her research.
Barnes performs and competes in these cultural traditions: House, Hip-Hop, Waacking, Vernacular Jazz and Lindy Hop. Besides performing in the International Lindy Hop Championships and the Ladies of Hip-Hop Festival, she collaborates with many artists and organizations. Her performance and research bridges the gap between communities of practice and academic cultural dance research, performance and preservation.
This event is free and open to the public and will be recorded. The event will be offered on Zoom, and will be streamed to @uwmadisonarts on Facebook.
WEEK OF OCT. 26
Oct. 26 from 2-3:30 p.m. CDT | Creating Racial Justice & Change Through the Arts and Why It’s Important
Michele Bryd-McPhee is one of the keynote speakers for the annual Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru) National Conference.
This presentation is $20. Registration and schedule (the a2ru conference goes from Oct. 15-30): https://www.a2ru.org/events/2020-a2ru-annual-meeting-2/
Oct. 26 from 7-8 p.m. CDT | Madison Mondays: Conversation with Ursula Rucker
Michele Byrd-McPhee will be joined by guest artist Ursula Rucker for a virtual conversation. Rucker is a renowned spoken word and recording artist and activist. At this event, they will discuss her background and career.
Ursula Rucker is a Philadelphia born poet, mother, activist, and recording artist. She has been performing, recording, and releasing works for over 20 years. She has five solo recordings and collaborated on over 100 songs. Rucker has been awarded the Leeway Foundation’s Art for Change and Transformation Awards and a Pew Fellowship. She is the subject of the documentary short “POET” and continues to perform her first one-woman show and live memoir, “My Father’s Daughter.”
This event is free and open to the public and will be recorded. The event will be offered on Zoom, and will be streamed to @uwmadisonarts on Facebook.
Oct. 27 from 7-9 p.m. CDT | Passing the Mic: Ursula Rucker and Marc Bamuthi Joseph in Conversation
Guest artist Ursula Rucker and former Interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence Bamuthi (Marc Bamuthi Joseph– IARP spring 2007) will be in conversation during the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) 2020 Passing the Mic Festival. Additional details forthcoming.
WEEK OF NOV. 2
Nov. 2 from 7-8 p.m. CST | Madison Mondays: Conversation with Stacey “Flygirrl” Wilson
Michele Byrd-McPhee will be joined by guest artist Stacey “Flygirrl” Wilson for a virtual conversation. Wilson will talk about her artistic practice and background in event planning.
Stacey “Flygirrl” Wilson is the founder of Flygirrl, which incorporates her art, design, music and ground-breaking promotions and events. She has produced and promoted thousands of events. Her design and event production clients include a long roster of notable artists. Her art works on wood, canvas, and sneakers have been featured in various exhibitions, media outlets and TV shows. Wilson teaches graphic design classes as well as teaching painting for all ages.
This event is free and open to the public and will be recorded. The event will be offered on Zoom and will be streamed to @uwmadisonarts on Facebook.
Nov. 6 and 7. Nov. 6: starts at 8 p.m. (pre-recorded) | Nov. 7 from 1-3 p.m. | Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) Just Bust! on Friday and workshop on Saturday
Stacey “Flygirrl” Wilson will join OMAI’s Just Bust! on Friday with a video lapse of her artwork. On Saturday she will lead a visual arts/graphic design workshop. Additional details forthcoming.
ABOUT THE FALL 2020 INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
The Fall 2020 Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program is presented by the UW–Madison Division of the Arts and hosted by the Dance Department with Assistant Professor Duane Lee Holland, Jr. as lead faculty. Co-sponsors include the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) & First Wave Learning Community, The Studio Creative Arts Community, Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE), Art Department and Drum Power. Other campus and community supporters include Department of Afro-American Studies and Barrio Dance.
The UW–Madison Division of the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program (IARP) brings innovative artists to UW–Madison to teach semester-long, interdepartmental courses and to publicly present their work for campus and community audiences and is funded through the university’s Office of the Provost.
BIOGRAPHIES
MICHELE BYRD-MCPHEE
Michele Byrd-McPhee is the founder and Executive Director of Ladies of Hip-Hop. Byrd-McPhee has been working for many years to re-contextualize spaces and conversation of Hip-Hop culture along gender, sex, cultural and socio-historical and racial lines for decades. She also situates the arts and dance techniques in spaces that honor and acknowledge their roots and the many creative pioneers who have shaped them. This is especially important given the ways in which Black dance has been co-opted into studio appropriation – given its community cultural origins.
Michele Byrd-McPhee earned her BS from Temple University and an MS in Nonprofit Arts Management from Drexel University. She has also spent the last 15 years working as a production coordinator at Brooklyn Academy of Music and then as a Senior Music Coordinator at “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” She also currently serves as the Chief Strategic and Artistic Advisor for “Showtime NYC!,” besides her ongoing commitment as Executive Director to the Ladies of Hip-Hop.
DUANE LEE HOLLAND, JR.
Duane Lee Holland, Jr.
comes to UW-Madison after serving as a full-time associate professor of dance and Hip-Hop instructor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee in Boston, MA. His professional background includes work as a performer with some of the top Hip-Hop and modern dance choreographers in the world, including Ronald K. Brown, Garth Fagan, Bill T. Jones, Rennie Harris, Maurice Hines and Makeda Thomas. He has served as the assistant artistic director of Rennie Harris Puremovement, the first theatrical Hip-Hop dance company in the U.S. and has performed in the original cast of “The Lion King” on Broadway. Holland is the lead faculty for Michele Byrd-McPhee’s residency.