NEWSLETTER
The Five-Day Festival Will Celebrate African American Art, Identity, and Activism
Brooklyn, NY – Asase Yaa Cultural Foundation, one of New York City’s most revered African performing arts organizations for over 23 years, proudly presents the 2nd Annual Rhythms & Movements of African American Culture Festival, an extraordinary five-day celebration commemorating the 55th Anniversary of Black History Month. It will be presented February 12 – 16, 2025 at the historic Abrons Art Center, Playhouse Theater (466 Grand Street, New York, NY 10002).
This year's theme, "Revolution Requires Resistance," chronicles a powerful exploration of African American identity, activism and cultural resilience. The Festival features 14 performances, including six youth performances, four evening headlining events, a post-music concert Talk Back, a visual arts exhibit, and a series of spoken word artists that will open the evening shows. There are 11 featured artist performers and over 100 contributing artists featured throughout the Festival.
Sponsors of the Festival are The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, and Kolibri Foundation, and it’s produced by the Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation. Tickets for the evening performances are $35 and school performances are $20. Both are available through the Abrons Art Center box office and here. The four headlining evening events include:
February 12–14: SUNJATA KAMALENYA BY THE EXPERIENTIAL THEATER COMPANY, this interactive play brings to life the heroic journey of Sunjata Keita, the Lion King of West Africa, offering audiences a cultural adventure rooted in leadership, unity, and family values. Showtimes: 10:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.
February 13: BLACK DANCE PIONEERS: LEGACY DANCE PERFORMANCE, featuring Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble, FIYAA Forces of Nature Youth Arts Alliance, and Ife Youth Dance Theater. This evening pays homage to the dance and cultural trailblazers who paved the way for African American dance. Showtime: 7:30 p.m.
February 14: TRIBUTE TO ARTISTS OF THE REVOLUTION: MUSICAL PERFORMANCE. The extraordinary duo of artists Weedie Braimah and Balla Kouyaté will take you on a journey through traditional Djeli music from Mali that sparked West African revolutionary freedom movements, to the soulful voices of African American soul and jazz artists' that fueled activism and unrelenting resistance to racism in the US. They are reuniting on stage for the first time in over a decade. Produced by Chief Ayanda Clarke and the Fadara Group, there will be a free post-performance talk hosted by Chief Clarke offering unique insights into the performance's cultural and historical significance. Showtime: 7:30 pm.
February 15 - 16: DJEMBE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM: MUSICAL PERFORMANCE, featuring the Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater. This electrifying performance blends West African tradition with contemporary music, chronicling the evolution of African dance in New York City. Showtime: 7:30 pm.
Sunday Matinee: 3:00 PM.
Other highlights of the Festival include VOICES OF RESISTANCE: SPOKEN WORD SERIES, a collective of spoken word artists who will open the evening performances with an original work inspired by the festival’s theme, taking place between February 13-16. And the EVOLUTION OF ACTIVISM: VISUAL ARTS EXHIBIT, sponsored by the Matisse Foundation, which will highlight works by student artists and activists from District 16 in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. The exhibit explores how art has elevated activism and societal change. It will be on view in the theater lobby throughout the Festival.
All the performances will take place the Abrons Art Center’s Playhouse Theater which has a capacity of 350 people. Asase Yaa is also offering special All-Access Festival ticket packages to all major performances and pre and post-events for $250, and a Festival Event Pass to the four headlining performances for $125.
ABOUT ASASE YAA CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION
The Brooklyn-based Asase Yaa (“Mother Earth”) Cultural Arts Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to fulfilling its core tenets to Enrich, Educate, Entertain. They offer an educational, cultural, and historical based curriculum that teaches youth about the movements and beauty of African Diasporic dance and drumming at its highest level. They hope to empower youth to become strong leaders who can elevate and preserve their culture and communities in the future.
In September (2024) they moved to a new location in the Bed-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. They currently oversee a thriving School of the Arts, a Children’s Summer Arts Camp, an Arts Outreach Program that serves schools throughout metropolitan New York, a Youth Ensemble, the award-winning Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, and Asase Yaa Theater Company. Some of their most notable events include, Dreams In Action: An Evening of Black Elegance and Excellence ( first gala, 2024), the ART IS ALIVE FESTIVAL, It Was All A Dream: A Musical, Ghana: The Place Where The Chief Sleeps, Djembe In The New Millenium, and youth shows Hip Hop Kingdom and Wale And The Cocoa Village, among others.
They will kick off their 24TH Anniversary in 2025 with their 2nd Annual Rhythms & Movements of African American Cultural Arts Festival in February, followed by their second gala in May.
For more information info@asaseyaaent.org contact: Kofi Osei Williams Tel: (646) 468-0710
Or visit https://www.asaseyaaent.org/