IYAguration
IYAguration is a dance film celebrating the history, resilience, joy, and sisterhood among Black women throughout the diaspora. Utilizing storytelling, song, rhythms, and movement, this piece encompasses traditional elements connecting black women across nations and generations. Honoring the Yoruba language, I acknowledge IYA as "great mother" and the linguistic reference of inauguration as women of color continue to be uplifted into positions of power. I birthed this work within this era of historical firsts, social justice movements and a call for dismantling oppressive systems within a multiplicity of pandemics.
This short film will take you on a journey through my culture, sharing the percussive sounds of djembe rhythms, the coily kinks of natural hair, the hymns of modern spirituals and the choreographies from Guinea to Brazil. Scenes of our beautiful traditions are paired with the brunt of our backstories, the microaggressions we face daily, and the fight we take on physically and spiritually to stand for our communities. Even amongst our daily struggles, we find balance between the calamity and the calm, and there is a bond which must be celebrated; this union is called sisterhood. I lean on the collective of women surrounding me, from my production team to my cast, to help me persevere at this time; and I stand proudly on the shoulders of my ancestors who have created a path before me. Honoring the great mothers of this world and the commencement of this work, I introduce to you... IYAguration.
This event is presented by the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance.
Event Date: Friday, Apr, 23, 6:30 p.m.
Platform: Online Program
Price: Free
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