PROGRAM — #HellaBlack Live MixTape Vol 5: Soul

Image: Kayla Myers

About Boston Center for the Arts

Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) supports working artists to create, perform, and exhibit new works; develops new audiences; and connects the arts to community through our residencies, exhibitions, shows, performances, and more.

About #HellaBlack

#HellaBlack is the interdisciplinary live mixtape of BCA. Its purpose is to highlight Black artistry throughout our communities. It was created in 2019 to make room for Black art and a space for unapologetic Blackness. This event aims to lift up the many intersections of Blackness through dance, music, spoken word and visual art. Proving once again that Black art matters. This pop-up performance is the curated work of musicians, dancers, visual artists, and storytellers. Every year is a unique opportunity to highlight the remarkable talent in our communities. #HellaBlack has become a staple event for BCA. This year we are honored to work with our curator, Dwayne P Mitchell for the 5th volume!

BCA Land Acknowledgement

Boston Center for the Arts recognizes that we work, learn, and create on the ancestral land and unceded territory of the Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and Massachusett People. We affirm that it is important to understand, recognize, and honor the history of the Indigenous land that we occupy. We recognize that this acknowledgement is not enough and that it in no way undoes the legacies of violence and displacement of Indigenous people. We pledge to hold space and have begun the long, necessary steps that will pave the way to a future of decolonization and reconciliation.

Our Black Lives Matter statement

Black Lives Matter. It is incumbent upon us to act accordingly, and to identify those ways that we, as leaders of a cultural organization, can stop perpetuating pervasive and systemic white supremacist practices and lead through our actions. Boston Center for the Arts is committed to doing the hard work of dismantling even the most subtle forms of white supremacy in our organization, in our practices, and in the work we do to help make Boston a place where Black artists can live and thrive.

About The Curator

Dwayne P. Mitchell

Dwayne P. Mitchell (he/him) is an award-winning artist, activist, and actor, committed to creating space and opportunity for young Black artists and creators of color in every area of the arts. He earned a BA in Music from Fisk University, a historically Black institution. He also holds an MFA in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Dwayne has performed nationally and internationally, and is currently starring as Dennis Edwards in the First National Tour of Broadway‘s Tony award-winning musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.

Having lived, worked, served, and taught in the Boston community, he informs us that he is “honored to reunite with this community’s network of Black creators as an artist and as the curator for #HellaBlack Live MixTape Vol. 5: Soul.”

Curator’s Statement

“When we consider the word ‘Soul’, and the many intersections of this term, its iterations are rooted in tradition, artistry, and feelings that celebrate the very essence of Blackness in spaces for Black people by Black people. This is the evening before us.”

Photo: V.L. Kaiser Photography.

About The Artists

Amanda Shea

Amanda Shea (she/her) is an artist and educator residing in Roxbury, MA. Amanda has hosted BAMSFest and curated poetry events; facilitated youth workshops for spoken word poetry, visual arts, and public speaking. Last year, she was named among WBUR The ARTery’s 25 artists of color transforming the cultural landscape. She co-founded and curated four iterations of Activating ARTivism, a community festival to amplify POC through art, activism, and resistance. Amandaʼs work is primarily rooted in generational trauma, social justice issues as well as social norms and constructs. As the great Nina Simone said, “an artist’s duty is to reflect the time”, she strongly feels that by amplifying what can be deemed uncomfortable, controversial, etc., allows us to have real conversations and understanding through our vulnerability. Her pieces can be emotionally charged however she has pieces that speak to joy, love, and compassion. We must touch the soul to enlighten the spirit.

Photo: Courtesy of the artist.

Charmaine Santiago Galdón

Charmaine Santiago Galdón (she/her) is a resident of Boston. Charmaineʼs parents are from Puerto Rico. She attended Jose Julian Acosta, a high school specializing in theatre, in Old San Juan. During her time there she was trained by teachers who were trained in different forms of theatre. Charmaine started working as a teaching artist at age 14. Charmaine then went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from UMass Amherst. During her time at UMass, she would be cast in many plays. Charmaine later became a cast member and subsequently the co-director of Body Politics. After college she gained an internship at the Puerto Rican theater company, “Pregones Theater.” Charmaine then founded an Afro Puerto Rican Folkloric Bomba group and named it Bomba Sankofa due to her journey of understanding her identity. The group was unique by mixing storytelling through spoken word and hip hop elements. In 2019, she co-produced with with her father, Jorge Arce who she also directed, a musical called “Esto es Puerto Rico.” Charmaine was also the Playwright, funded by the Boston Foundation.

Photo: Courtesy of the artist.

Leonard Tshitenge

Leonard Tshitenge (he/him), born in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa, is a multi-talented leader, award-winning certified poet, and recognized by the Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. He brings a unique perspective to the arts, blending Spoken Word, Creative Writing, and Multidisciplinary Arts to tackle issues of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and social justice affecting communities of color, including African Diaspora populations.

With a professional background in psychology, leadership psychology, and a strong understanding of cross-cultural issues and emotional intelligence, Leonard promotes the use of artistic approaches in mental health and organizational development. He leverages his expertise in psychology to encourage the use of the arts in businesses, with a focus on improving organizational development, community building, and advancing the causes of social justice and racial equity.

Trilingual and highly skilled in connecting with audiences, Leonard’s mission is to foster community building and to encourage the use of the artistic expression as a tool for mental wellness, personal growth, and social change.

Photo: Ken Tuju.

Makeda Wallace

Makeda Wallace is a first generation Caribbean-American artist born and raised in Boston. Her love for music and movement started in her grandmother’s living room at the age of 5. Since then, she has flourished in anything that allowed her to express herself artistically; including visual arts, spoken word and as an artisan.

Makeda has a diverse range of training which started with Jay Brown Dance Company, who was one of Janet Jackson’s background dancers. Her passion for learning brought her to OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center, Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre and the Ailey School. She has performed nationally and internationally with different companies and household names such as the Ailey School, Oompa, J. Cole, dancehall legend Mr. Vegas, Joyner Lucas and at the Celtics halftime show. Makeda has competed in dance battles around the country starting in 2018 and won the Stackin’ Stylez Freestyle Dance Festival in 2020.

Currently, Makeda is a principal Dancer for Mr. Vegas, a teaching artist at Berklee and runs Evolve Sol Art Collective.

Evolve Sol Art Collective is a collection of artists that believe in the multi-dimensional space within humans. Standing on the power of the arts to be healing and a space to be experimental, it guides people to explore the layers of themselves through the arts.

Evolve Sol Art Collective provides seasonal classes and invite teaching artists from all over the country to share through our yearly workshops and event called The Sol Session. These offerings provide a safe space to explore, express and train in various dance styles with a focus on young women.

Photo: Valerie Anselme Photography.

Nancia Músic

Nancia (she/her) is an R&B Artist from Boston. She creates music that tells stories of pain, joy, history, and women’s empowerment. As a woman in the industry, she has faced many challenges and therefore uses her platform to give light and hope to other women. Some of her work includes songs curated to empower Black Women like the song “Black Queen.” To further her cause she created the song “I Am A Queen” for a docu series that highlights local Women in our community. She recently hosted and performed for Hot Girl Cypher for Bridge cypher that featured all women. This event was co-directed by her and was a huge success as the ladies united on stage creating a sisterhood of music. Nanciaʼs discography includes three albums and she has been nominated for best R&B artist of the year at the Boston Music Awards.

Photo: Jay Hunt.

Timi O

Timi O (he/him) is a caricature of his emotions. When growing up as a Nigerian male in Worcester, MA, you’re not typically presented with opportunities to say how you feel. He realized that this resulted in him not being able to effectively process emotion later in life. To combat this, he sought therapy and decided to shift towards communicating emotions directly through music. This also bleeds into his music making process, as he is now freed from any self imposed limitations. “I find that you will always have something to write about when you allow yourself to be vulnerable.” Timi O draws inspiration from his culture, anime, and his vulnerability. The result is Hip Hop music with heavy attention to detail and an ability to always bring something new to the experience. The “anti-social extrovert” has also quickly been embraced by the Boston music scene, demonstrating high energy performances, a wide vocal range, and unique ability to command the crowd. The potent lyricist continues to show his artistry with surreal visuals, depicting a direct representation of his identity.

Photo: James Brockett.

About The MC

Kadahj Bennett

Kadahj Bennett is a songwriter, actor, and writer that has been recognized as one of WBUR’s ARTery 25 2021 changemakers of color and is an Elliott Norton award-winning actor. We are thrilled to announce he will be returning to #HellaBlack as its MC for the next #HellaBlack Live MixTape Vol 5: Soul on March 2, 2023. Educated at Hamilton College and Boston Arts Academy, Kadahj is currently the Songwriting and Performance Manager at Zumix, a Luminary Artist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and an Artist in Residence with the Freshman Arts Program at Harvard University.

As a frontman and writer for the Downbeat Keys, a Brooklyn-based neon soul collective, Kadahj has toured extensively and shared a bill with Bon Jovi in Times Square and Future at SXSW. He also has extensive theatre and music experience for SpeakEasy Stage, A.R.T., Huntington Theatre Company, Company One, Front Porch Collective, Wheelock Family Theatre, and Dancelujah. Kadahj continues to tell stories of empowerment through his art and hopes to provide the proper pathways for future generations to do so as well.

Photo: OJ Slaughter.

Our Collaborators

Lighting Designer — Piper Phillips

Sound Designer — James Cannon

Photographer/Videographer — Ledoux Ipanga

Visual Artist — Kayla Myers (BCA Studio Resident)

Graphic Designer — Britney Perry, Studio 128

Thank you to our sponsors

We are very grateful for the support shown for this year’s #HellaBlack by The Eastern Bank Foundation.

Also thank you to the Boston Beer Company, Lord Hobo, and Aeronaut Brewery for providing cases of beer for our reception.

And we thank MIDA for providing the food for our artists.

We’d also like to thank the Record Company for providing additional equipment.

And lastly, we’d like to thank Maria Melone and  John Ravenal for their support of Zumix students  and other industry collaborators to attend tonight.