Who We Carry film premiere party by Rejoice Diaspora Dance Theatre

The Cascade Festival of African Films & Portland Institute of Contemporary Art present Who We Carry, a film release and dance party with DJ Floyd Vader. Featuring the newest release by Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater preceded by a short film selection by the Cascade Festival of African Films.

Details

Date: October 10, 2021
Time:
- Door and dance party: 7:30 pm
- Film: 8pm
Cost: Free
Live and virtual premiere ticket reservations: Order online
Location: In-person, location released 24 hours in advance

“We call on these traditional ring shout practices to help us move forward. From this Black-centric knowledge, we create and manifest our own healing, process of mourning, and strengthening our community in the Pacific Northwest. This is where we depart from tradition and imagine Afro Futuristically.” — Oluyinka Akinjiola, Artistic Director

Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater’s newest dance film, Who We Carry, is a three-part journey of ancestral roots in the Ring Shout traditions of the Gullah Geechee, Yoruba Orishas in the African Diaspora, and lands in the Pacific Northwest. Who We Carry transforms grief and loss during the COVID-19 pandemic into an opportunity to reclaim our power. With labor, gratitude, love, and power, we become our intimate visions for the future. Co-produced by Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater and Portland Playhouse and Elijah Hasan Film.

Film credits and funding

Funding and support from the Collins Foundation, Oregon Cultural Trust, Oregon Community Foundation, the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Regional Arts and Culture Council, and Ronni LaCroute.

Co-production: Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater & Portland Playhouse
Director and filmmaker: Elijah Hasan
Artistic director: Oluyinka Akinjiola
Composer: Michael Galen
Choreographers and performers: Oluyinka Akinjiola (and Dami Allen Slizewski), Malik Delgado, Bethany Harvey (and Baby Harvey), Michael Galen, Jamie Minkus, and Decimus Yarbrough
Vocalists: Shalanda Sims and Habiba Addo
Costume design: Jamie Minkus
Prop design: Bethany Harvey
Lighting design and technical direction: Thyra Hartshorn
Introduction and Ring Shout Scholar: Tamara LaDonna Williams (Ifákẹ́mi Ṣàngóbámkẹ́ Moṣebọ́látán)