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When The Moment Comes – June 19th, 20th, 21st

When the Moment Comes is a powerful play about resilience, faith, and justice.

Touring from Anchorage, AK, DramaforaChange presents this moving production at the Rainier Arts Center, June 19-21, 2025.

Directed by Tamara Rothman the play tells the true story of Ruhi Jahanpour, an Iranian Bahá’í woman imprisoned for her beliefs after the 1979 revolution. Her journey, alongside ten cellmates executed in 1983, highlights the intersection of gender equality, religious freedom, and human rights.

Part of the global #OurStoryIsOne campaign, it honors those fighting for justice worldwide. Don’t miss this poignant reflection on courage in the face of adversity.

Join us for an informal pre-show reception, one hour before each performance, to view a display outlining the personal history of each of the imprisoned martyrs and connect with community members. Each performance will be followed by a Q&A led by Ruhi Jahanpour.

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MWEUSI MPAKA MIZIZI – June 1st, 3pm

Join us on June 1st (Madaraka Day)* for MWEUSI MPAKA MIZIZI – a Swahili/Sheng adaptation of the award-winning play Black To My Roots: African American Tales from the Head and the Heart, originally written by Kathya Alexander and Reneschia Brown.

Translated by Nairobi-born playwright and producer Muso Simekha, MWEUSI MPAKA MIZIZI draws striking parallels between Black hair stories in the United States and in Kenya. These connections across the diaspora hold special significance for Muso, who uses Sheng—a dynamic blend of Swahili, English, and other Kenyan languages—to reflect the cultural and linguistic resonance of the African American Vernacular English (AAVE) used in the original script.

Both Sheng and AAVE are vibrant vernacular languages born from marginalized communities, and in this production, they become vehicles for preserving culture, healing colonial trauma, and celebrating the reinvention of identity. Through this lens, the adaptation not only amplifies the lived experiences of Black women, but also fosters a deeper understanding of the connection between African-American and African hair stories.

Tickets are donation-based (pay what you can), a model designed to ensure the event is as accessible to the community as possible, thanks to the generous support of Inspiration Lab.

https://MweusiMpakaMizizi.eventbrite.com

*Madaraka Day commemorates the moment Kenya attained internal self-rule, marking a critical step toward full independence from British colonial rule. This adds layers of meaning to the staged reading, as it speaks directly to resistance and reclamation at the heart of the play.

Doors Open at 2 pm, Show Starts at 3pm. See you there!

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The BTMR Project; Hair’s Breath, April 27th, 5pm

Performance alert! 🌟 HAIR’S BREATH: Music Inspired by Black Women and Their Hair 🌟

🗓️ Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025

⏰ Time: 5:00 PM (Doors Open at 4:00 PM)

📍 Venue: The Rabbit Box, 94 Pike St, Seattle, WA (Pike Place Market)

HAIR’S BREATH is coming to Seattle, and you won’t want to miss it! 🎤🎶

Join us for a special preview of this incredible performance by two of Seattle’s most exciting artists, Adra Boo and Blake Madden. This powerful evening of music, storytelling, and live performance explores the cultural significance of Black women’s hair—an emblem of beauty, identity, and pride. 💇🏽‍♀️✨

The event will offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative process of this work-in-progress, delving into the social, personal, and political layers of Black women’s hair. This is more than just a performance; it’s a celebration of culture, identity, and art. 🎨🌍

What to expect:

Live performances by Adra Boo (soul singer & community leader) and Blake Madden (multi-instrumentalist & composer)

A chance to be part of the creative journey as this project evolves ahead of its debut at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe 🌟

Intimate, electrifying experience at one of Seattle’s hidden gems, The Rabbit Box

🎟️ Get your tickets now! Link in bio!

$20 Advance | $25 At The Door

All Ages Welcome (Under 21 welcome until 10:00 PM)

👉 Tickets available at: www.therabbitboxseattle.com

#HairIsBreath#AdraBoo#BlakeMadden#MusicPerformance#BlackWomenAndTheirHair#SoulMusic#Culture#Art#SeattleEvents#PikePlaceMarket#HairAndIdentity#EdinburghFringe#TheRabbitBox#BlackArtMatters#Community#IdentityAndCultur

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Sunday – March 2nd – Auntmama’s Stage3 – Staged Reading of Black To My Roots: African American Tales from the Head and the Heart

Looking forward spending an afternoon at Auntmama’s Stage3 in Kingston, WA this weekend – Sunday, March 2nd!

Join the cast of Black To My Roots for a Staged Reading of the Award-Winning play as we gear up to take the production back to Scotland this summer for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! We’ll also be hearing a selection from MWEUSI MPAKA MIZIZI, the Swahili translation of the work, by Muso Simekha.

It’s a journey, a conversation, and a celebration all in one. “BLACK TO MY ROOTS: African American Tales from the Head and the Heart, co-written by Kathya Alexander and Reneschia Brown, tells the story of Black women’s hair and how it affects self-esteem, social interactions, and career status.

FREE, but please RSVP (location details via Eventbrite RSVP, link below)

2pm – Gathering with Potluck (if you like)

3pm – Show, followed by Q&A

https://BTMR.eventbrite.com

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New Videos Drop This Week!

Reclaiming Us – a four-part dance video series, in conjunction with International Women’s Month – is available for viewing on our Videos Page this week. Check out the trailer below and be sure to check back daily this week as we release the series!

“I don’t want to be included. Instead, I want to question who created the standard in the first place…I don’t wish to be assimilated into the status quo. I want to be liberated from all the negative assumptions that my characteristics bring. The same onus is not on me to change. Instead, it’s in the world around me.” – Reni Eddo-Lodge

Choreography: Ali Vice & Tori Campbell
Dancers: Justice Beitzel, Robin Campbell. Tori Campbell, Amanda Davis, Brittany Maples, Nasim Simmons Bahador, & Ali Vice
Special thank you to Jared Jones & Thomas Glass
Edited by Tori Campbell | Videography by Justice Beitzel
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National Water Dance – April 23, 2022 @ Greenlake, WA

Please join Splinter on APRIL 23rd for National Water Dance with Karin Stevens Dance at Green Lake to dance or walk (and hold a sign you make) to raise awareness for the removal of the the Snake River Dams, to stand with tribes, and save our salmon and orcas. We will meet before 1pm (12:30 for dancers) near the SW boat launch area, and commence to move around the Greenlake path at 1pm. 

Live Stream can be found HERE and will begin at 1pm.

Give Governor Inslee and Senator Murray a call or email. And join us on April 23rd to encourage others to do the same. Fliers with more information about how to get involved will be provided at the event! Visit “events” at KSD website to learn more and join us! https://www.karinstevensdance.com/…/dance-or-walk-to…

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pARTicipate in empowerment

ajusticenetwork is honored and excited to welcome R&B Singer/Songwriter Ayana to our network!  We are currently collaborating on a music video for Ayana’s single, Stand Up; a call to action, empowering women around the world.

ajusticenetwork will be filming with Ayana in Mexico next month, working with a fabulous production team: @bezaresproducciones, @alessandroanvar and Director Mario Oliver.  You can donate directly to the success of this collaboration by earmarking your donation to ajusticenetwork on GivingTuesday to STAND UP!

Be sure follow @ayana_butterfly to keep up with the incredible work she’s doing, and check out Ayana’s promo video to hear more about her inspiration!

#ajusticenetwork #splinterdancecompany #pARTicipate #givingtuesday #collaboration

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pARTicipate in change

Join us on 11/30! This year for GivingTuesday, all donors will have the opportunity to participate in the creation of an original dance piece that will raise the awareness of humanity’s inter-connectedness!It’s so easy to pARTicipate in this community collaboration – just donate any amount to ajusticenetwork on Giving Tuesday, and you’ll be prompted to select from a variety of dance moves and themes you’d like to see incorporated in our next concept video piece.  All contributors and donors have the opportunity to be recognized as co-creators in this work!

#GivingTuesday is all about creating change by participating in a global movement of generosity.

Splinter Dance and ajusticenetwork believe in the power of the performing arts to bring about personal awareness, healing and change, creating a ripple effect into our circles of influence.

#givingtuesday#splinterdancecompany#ajusticenetwork#generosity#pARTicipate