Djaspora Productions

10/08/2021

"Notes on Survival" - One Night Only at Oklahoma Contemporary. Get your tickets https://oklahomacontemporary.org/performance/upcoming-performances

Notes on Survival | Oct. 14, 2021 | Oklahoma ContemporaryPresented by Djaspora Productions | Directed by Marie CasimirFeaturing Marie Casimir, Ahkamye Perry ...

06/30/2021

I Dream of Greenwood 2021

Marie Casimir
J'aime Griffith

Video stills courtesy of Scissortail Media

06/30/2021

(The video shared here is an excerpt from our longer film "I Dream of Greenwood" screened at University of Oklahoma, The Depot and Living Arts Tulsa this past spring ).

Message from Marie Casimir - Director of Djaspora Productions

I've been thinking a lot about what this centennial means for Tulsa, for Oklahoma and the rest of the world that is now paying attention. Greenwood has received national attention because of this significant anniversary. Many artists both locally and nationally have taken the opportunity to create work in response to the past and our present. Many of us have been asked to respond. It's a moment of individual and collective reflection.
I'll admit I have struggled in celebrating all of our efforts to be seen, to make sure that the people and the legacy of Black Wall Street is not forgotten. I worry that it is a "moment" and that everyone, myself included will move onto the next thing while Black Tulsans continue to fight for what is owed to them.

I worry about being an outsider and responding to something that is deeply personal for so many people. As artists we engage in work that can be both self-centered because it comes from within, but also speaks to other peoples experiences because the specific is also universal.

I worry about how I treat the traumatic experiences of Black people in my work knowing we are more than our trauma.
It's not a place I like to stay, but lately I have been exploring how this can live entangled with moments of day-to-day joy and ease.

I am learning that we contribute our piece of the puzzle and stay vigilant about the rest.

"The whole world is watching" was a phrase chanted by anti-Vietnam War demonstrators as they were beaten and arrested by police in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

This feels relevant now.

J'aime Griffith my co-choreographer and awesome collaborator and I reflected on our process while creating "I Dream of Greenwood," and our personal inspirations are included in two separate essays for World Literature Today. Thanks to Daniel Simon for inviting us to share our work.

https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2021/spring/i-dream-greenwood-nightmare-and-dream-marie-casimir

https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/blog/culture/children-greenwood-jaime-griffith
____________

I have deep gratitude for all of those who were part of the process and contributed:

I finally have time and space to share our complete creative credits.

This piece was originally commissioned by World Literature Today at the University of Oklahoma with support from The OU School of Dance

Creative Director/Choreographer:
Marie Casimir
Choreographer / Costume
J'aime Griffith

Dramaturgy
Leslie Kraus

Scissortail Media Team:
Director
Kollin Williford

Senior Producer
Victoria Fouke

Producer
Michelle McChristian

Director of Photography
Colten Sikes

Music Composition/Audio Production
Ioannis Andriotis

Editor:
Kollin Williford

Violin/Viola
Marat Gabdullin

Saxophones
Jacob Nance

Drums/ Percussion
Josh Stenis

Vocals:
Marie Casimir & J'aime Griffith

Narration
Cheryl Pennington
Links below:

05/19/2021

We Remember, We Restore has been selected for 4 film festivals ! &filmfest
We are so grateful for the opportunity to share our dance film through these 4 platforms.
Check out some behind the scene footage!

Photo cred: Ebony Iman Dallas

05/14/2021

05/13/2021

Hi Friends! I am so excited to share with you that "We Remember, We Restore" will be featured in the Film Festival! Register to attend and vote for your favorite film! MAY 1ST - MAY 31ST
www.DOSABAMA.com..
Check out "We Remember, We Restore " by in Film Festival! RSVP and vote for your favorite film!

05/13/2021

"We Remember, We Restore" by and has been selected for the 2021 Killeen Black Art & Film Festival (KBAFF) . The event will be held virtually and in person on May 22nd 10:30 am - 7:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased at https://filmfreeway.com/KilleenBlackArtandFilmFest/tickets.
We look forward to sharing our film with you!

02/20/2021

Registration for the in-person "Storytelling in the Gardens" has closed. You can join us by watching our Livestream on https://www.facebook.com/djasporaproductions and on Instagram ! See you soon.

Afrikanation USA

NEW DATE: Due to an upcoming cold snap, we have postponed "Storytelling in the Gardens" to February 20th. Join us!

Telling our own stories in communal space is deeply ingrained in who we are as Black people. The narratives we tell about ourselves both factual and imagined shape our identities and help us to make sense of our place on earth and in the cosmos.
We invite you to join us as we practice the tradition of African & African Diasporic storytelling and poetry.
African cosmology helps one to understand the present situation by revisiting the past. In doing so, one can understand the past, present and predict the future.

- Matthew Muriuki Karangi

*Located on the Water Stage at Myriad Botanical Gardens*

Featuring Storytellers & Poets Tony B & Grace Franklin

Readings by:

Marie Casimir

Ebony Iman Dallas

Catherine John

Gay Pasley

Note from the curators:

We come together as Black artists to acknowledge our place in the African continuum as flesh, blood, and spirit. Looking at the past, present, and future, our work asks the maker and the viewer, “What does it mean to be Black and resilient?" We improvise to survive. We improvise to thrive. This is how we understand our place in the cosmos.

-Marie Casimir, Djaspora Productions

-Ebony Iman Dallas, Afrikanation Artists Organization

02/20/2021

I am grateful to all of you who joined us for the Livestream tonight for the premiere of We Remember, We Restore. Thanks to Kantara Souffrant, PhD for moderating our conversation.
Thanks to all who made this new adventure possible, especially my partner in dance and creation J'aime Griffth, partner in producing and curation Ebony Iman Dallas, Mat Miller for your artistry and willingness to collaborate generously with a novice Director (moi), Myriad Botanical Gardens for giving us the space to be free and create at our own pace and of course to Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts and Public Strategies, Afrikanation USA and Djaspora Productions for funding the project.

Virtual Screening of “We Remember, We Restore,” a dance film • Choreographed and envisioned by Marie Casimir & J'aime Griffith• Directed by Marie Casimir & M...

02/05/2021

NEW DATE: Due to an upcoming cold snap, we have postponed "Storytelling in the Gardens" to February 20th. Join us!

Telling our own stories in communal space is deeply ingrained in who we are as Black people. The narratives we tell about ourselves both factual and imagined shape our identities and help us to make sense of our place on earth and in the cosmos.
We invite you to join us as we practice the tradition of African & African Diasporic storytelling and poetry.
African cosmology helps one to understand the present situation by revisiting the past. In doing so, one can understand the past, present and predict the future.

- Matthew Muriuki Karangi

*Located on the Water Stage at Myriad Botanical Gardens*

Featuring Storytellers & Poets Tony B & Grace Franklin

Readings by:

Marie Casimir

Ebony Iman Dallas

Catherine John

Gay Pasley

Note from the curators:

We come together as Black artists to acknowledge our place in the African continuum as flesh, blood, and spirit. Looking at the past, present, and future, our work asks the maker and the viewer, “What does it mean to be Black and resilient?" We improvise to survive. We improvise to thrive. This is how we understand our place in the cosmos.

-Marie Casimir, Djaspora Productions

-Ebony Iman Dallas, Afrikanation Artists Organization