RAISE THE VIBRATION: Hartford – A V-Day 2021 Event
Feb 24, 2021
Charter Oak Cultural Center & Sageseeker Productions
RAISE THE VIBRATION: HARTFORD – A V-Day 2021 Event
Curated & Directed by Jasmin Agosto
On view now through March 2, 2021.
A virtual showcase of Hartford stories of gender violence and resilience told through ritual, storytelling, poetry, music and choreography, centering Black, Latinx, queer and intergenerational artists.
Donations gratefully accepted with all funds raised benefiting the work of the following organizations that seek to aid the victims of gender violence in our community: Interval House, My Sister’s Place, and CT TransAdvocacy Coalition.
To register CLICK HERE.
When you register, your confirmation email will contain the link to the performance video. Enjoy the show!
MEET THE ARTISTS
Click the arrows to see our amazing cast. To read their bio, place your cursor on the image. To enlarge the image, click on the image.
JASMINE McPHERSON
Jasmine Mcpherson is a 21 year old dancer and choreographer from Hartford, CT. She dances full time with Studio-8-Sixty, where she trains in all styles of dance. Some forms include modern, jazz, popping and locking, hip hop, and contemporary. She currently dances for the 860 Dance Crew Senior division dance team, the WNBA Connecticut Suns dance team, as well as The Hartford Dance Collective. Aside from dancing, Jasmine teached a youth jazz class and Co-coaches the 860 Dance Crew Junior division dance team. She’s also choreographed musical plays, Ebony Annie and Hairspray! A Soulful Rendition for Act Up Theatre; a local theatre company in Hartford for kids. When she’s not teaching, performing on the stage or court, Jasmine works as the costume coordinator for Studio-8-Sixty. In the future, she hopes to make it on Broadway and be in the musical Chicago.
KAI
Kai is originally from Tanzania, home of Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. She is a wife, mother and lover of all things art. Kai is an immigrant living in a foreign land, miles away from home. She fell in love with the New England waterfalls and made Connecticut her home. In Hartford, she serves on the Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs. She is a committed and passionate advocate for the immigrant and refugee community. Kai considers herself a strong voice for human rights and opportunities. She hopes her story will heal broken hearts and uplift those who've given up.
KARLEIGH WEBB
Karleigh Webb has been in sports journalism and sports broadcasting for 26 years. She is currently a writer-contributor to Outsports in addition to doing varied freelance editing/videography and producing projects through her Connecticut-based firm Karleigh Webb Video. When not chasing a story, Karleigh is a crisis operator for Trans Lifeline, North America’s only 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week hotline dedicated to the need of transgender people. She considers her service as an honor as great as her awards and commendations she has earned as a journalist. Her Trans Lifeline work also fuels her work as an activist centering around human rights, anti-war issues, and the fight against economic violence placed upon working people.
Sports is not just a piece of her craft and passion, it is also her hobby. A lifelong athlete, Karleigh is an active, budding duathlete-triathlete, and loves to get behind the plate in softball and be the signal-caller behind center in flag-football.
KEILA MYLES
Singer, songwriter, and rapper Keila Myles is no doubt a woman of many hats and a force to reckon with. After releasing her freshman project titled Just Add Water, she set the tone, demonstrating her versatility and vocal dynamism. Her most recent release single, “Love As Is,” shows her softer side while leaving fans to wonder what is next to come. One thing is for sure, Keila says she plans on giving fans "soul and experience" on her sophomore project. Follow her on Instagram: @keyzbelieveme
MAOMBI JOLIE
Maombi Jolie is 18 years old and attends Hartford Public High School. She is a creative dancer full of life. She speaks Swahili, Chichewa, and English. When she moved to the United States from the Congo, life was challenging from the beginning because she was not able to speak English fluently. Maombi says, “the question I always asked myself was, how will I cope with the new system and a life so different from everything I knew? I was only thirteen years old and a whole new world was at my feet - a new life filled with struggles and obstacles that I had to overcome. I am a warrior not a worrier. I still stand tall. I still thrive and I will dance for the rest of my life.”
REGINA S. DYTON
Regina S. Dyton is an activist, writer, performer and a lifelong social justice activist. Regina has only recently begun to share and perform her work publicly in response to requests to be presented in connection with social justice events. As such, her work speaks to issues such as racism, sexism, oppression, growth, hope and transformation that are both personal and political. Regina is a member of Journey Writers and performed with them at multiple venues. Regina has performed at the PRIDE Festival of CT Valley Hospital’s Gay/Straight Alliance, The Transgender Day of Remembrance, The Women’s Recognition Day at Uptown Vibz Uptown in Hartford, The CT Science Center’s September 11 Memorial Program, The (former) Hartford Gay and Lesbian Community Center, The Free Space, The University of CT School of Social Work, West Hartford Public Access TV and other venues. Regina is a contributor to the 2020 Every Kinda’ Lady Poetic Anthology. Her short story, “Uncle Bubby,” is included in the June 2021 upcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul book of writings by African American women.
SAVANA JONES
Savana Jones is a native of Hartford. At the age eight, she began her studies in dance at The Artist Collective, learning African dance under the tutelage of Aca Lee Thompson. From that point on, she continued studying in many styles of dance including jazz, tap, hip-hop, modern, and social dancing. Savana graduated from The Hartford Conservatory as a Dance major in 2009. She is now a well-known dance instructor and choreographer in the Greater Hartford area.
ALEXANDRA MURILLO
Alexandra Murillo is a 23 year old dancer born in Hartford, CT. She has been training at Studio-8-Sixty for eight years where she now holds the position of Captain of the Senior Dance Company, class instructor & choreographer. She's trained in Hip hop, Popping, Krump, House and Modern Technique along with a variety of other styles. She hopes to one day choreograph for major artists and travel all over the world with dance.
JEWELS
Jewels Lauren R is a dancer, model, and creative from New Britain, CT. She is a proud queer Boricua. She has been dancing since she was about 3 years old with her father who is a turntablest & bboy. She started to expand her dance career once she started high school at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. There, she took ballet, modern, jazz, graham technique, etc. Outside of school, she spent most of her time training at Studio-8-Sixty since she was about 13.
CHANTAL EDWARDS
Chantal Edwards is a Jamaican born, New Jersey raised professional dancer. For 20 years her love for dance has taken her around the U.S. and planted her in Hartford, CT. Chantal has performed with various artists, danced in commercials and has choreographed music videos. She is currently dancing with various companies in the Hartford area and plans to continue enjoying the journey dance is taking her on.
KEYOFDEE
KeyofDee is a multi-instrumentalist, educator and producer from the Hartford area. Influenced by the great Nina Simone, she brings her own sultry twist of neo soul and jazz. KeyofDee has performed for Make Music Hartford, Juneteenth celebration, La Sala Femme, and sang with Grammy award winning artists such as Charmagne Tripp. Her future goals are to open her own school of music, spreading her lifelong knowledge and skills to other passionate youth.
JASMIN AGOSOTO
Jasmin Agosto is the founder of Sageseeker Productions, an event/experience curation company based in Hartford, CT that centers Black womxn, womxn of color, non-binary folks, and the queer POC community, as shown with her performance installation series, La Sala Femme. By day, she is the Education and Community Outreach Manager at the Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library. She has been working with artists, activists, students, and elders to organize cultural arts and history/herstory focused festivals, events, exhibitions, and programs for more than a decade. Jasmin holds a BA in Educational and American Studies from Trinity College and a MA in Artist Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Community Development from NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
ZULYNETTE
A Chicago native who was raised in Hartford, CT., Zulynette is a queer, Puerto Rican, womanist, artist, social worker (MSW), performer, and author. As the creator of the annual storytelling show A Little Bit of Death, she uses her artistry, research background, and social work background as tools for community transformation. Her work explores the themes of identities, our emotional resonance as humans, and death as a metaphor for change. Recognized as the first Hartford Iron Poet champion and a 100 Women of Color honoree, she has chosen to dedicate her life to using the arts as her form of social work.
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Sponsored by:
UConn Hartford
UConn Women’s Center
UConn Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program
Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Center at UConn Stamford
An Anonymous Donor at The Hartford Foundation for Giving
Greater Hartford Arts Council
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