ITHACA, NY — The story of three young women struggling to maintain their love of the Harlem community they grew up in will be demonstrated in a performance at Ithaca College on Monday, Feb. 15. Titled “Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale,” the presentation of spoken word poetry, theatre, dance and song will be held at 7 p.m. in Klingenstein Lounge, Egbert Hall. It is free and open to the public.
Through stories deeply moving and uproariously funny, the performers bring to life their home neighborhood and highlight one vital idea that rings true for them all: They wish to establish a new Harlem Renaissance that will embrace the inevitable change to their community while revitalizing the rich culture of its past.
“Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale” is performed by the Harlem KW Project, an organization created to use artistic expression to cultivate, create and encourage a local arts culture. Its executive director — and one of the performers — is 2010 Ithaca College theatre graduate Jaylene Clark Owens. A native of Harlem herself, Owens is a producer, director, playwright and actress who has won numerous spoken word competitions, including a first place in Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater. She founded the college’s Spit That! student poetry organization.
The performance is sponsored by the Ithaca College Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity (CSCRE). For more information, visit www.ithaca.edu/cscre.