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Finding Home: Immigrant Stories and Music from Boston and Beyond

September 18, 2021 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Hoopla Productions (with Boston for All) presents Finding Home: Immigrant Stories and Music from Boston and Beyond, a celebration of struggles and successes through music, poetry, dance and storytelling on September 18th from 6-8 pm. (rain date, 9/19)..

It’s sunset at Jamaica Pond... The sky is tinged with purple and orange, and music wafts through the air. From faraway boats, we hear faint strains of saxophone and percussion, accompanied by the mysterious silhouettes of two dancers.

Music will be led by Stan Strickland, celebrated singer, saxophonist, actor, and teacher, who is also the Artistic Director for the event. He’ll be joined by musicians Rebecca Cline, Jeannie Gagné, Akili Jamal Haynes, Fernando Huergo, and Ricardo Monzón. Dance will feature members of Jean Appolon Expressions, including Jean Appolon, his 7-year-old
son Cedric Laine (in his first official public performance!), and Mcebisi Xotyeni. Jean is from Haiti and Mcebisi is from South Africa; both will also share pieces of their immigrant stories through words and dance.

Storytelling/poetry will feature Boston’s Youth Poet Laureate, Alondra Bobadilla, along with other storytellers from a variety of cultural backgrounds and ages. They will include Puerto Rican poet, Yara Liceaga Rojas; Karen Chen, Director of Chinese Progressive Association, who came to the U.S. from China at age 10; Afro-Brazilian dancer/storyteller Isaura Oliveira, and Ty Ruwe, actor/storyteller whose parents are from Zambia, paternal grandfather from Malawi, and paternal grandmother from South Africa. Indigenous storyteller, singer and dancer Annawon Weeden, of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, will
open the event with a land acknowledgement and incantation, and will tell a piece of his story later in the show. Multi-talented actor, director and teacher Vincent Siders is the stage manager, and will also share a story from the perspective of descendants of those kidnapped from the west coast of Africa. The MC for the show will be Yhinny Matos, teacher, dancer and event maestro extraordinaire.

Partners in this production is Boston for All, who are providing invaluable support behind the scenes in many, many ways. They have also invited a group of local organizations that provide support to immigrants in Boston; representatives of these groups will be on site to offer information and opportunities to attendees.

Like all Hoopla Productions events, Finding Home will be free of charge.
Hoopla Productions is grateful for the support of Adobe, Sam Adams Brewery, and individual donors who believe in the healing power of the arts.

Details

Date:
September 18, 2021
Time:
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Venue

Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 United States + Google Map

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