Tag Spoken word

Spoken Word Festival features HBO Def Poet Rafael Casal

March 24, 2011

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives' (OMAI) fifth annual Line Breaks Festival will be held Friday, April 8-Saturday, April 16, at the Rotunda Studio in the Overture Center for the Arts.

UW-Madison First Wave performers head to Broadway stage

February 18, 2011

Four standout student performers from the groundbreaking First Wave Spoken Word and Urban Arts Learning Community at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will perform on Thursday, Feb. 24, at the New Amsterdam Theatre on New York's Broadway as part of the New York Knicks Poetry Slam Finals.

UW-Madison Multicultural Student Coalition to host Collegiate Poetry Slam

October 27, 2010

The Multicultural Student Coalition at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will hold its fourth annual Collegiate Poetry Slam on Nov. 14 at the Wisconsin Union Theater.

Sixth annual ‘Passing the Mic’ spoken-word series to feature Latin flair

September 10, 2010

Latin rhythms will set a flavorful beat for the sixth annual Passing the Mic spoken-word series Thursday, Sept. 30-Saturday, Oct. 2, in the Wisconsin Historical Society auditorium, 816 State St.

Hip-hop festival features team behind ‘Passing Strange’

April 1, 2010

In a convergence of film, music and powerhouse performance arts, this year's fourth annual Line Breaks festival will offer the opportunity to view the film "Passing Strange" on Monday, April 12, then hear the inside story on the creative process behind the Broadway production in a special cast and creator panel on Tuesday, April 20.

UW-Madison’s First Wave wins international performance berth

February 25, 2010

The University of Wisconsin–Madison's First Wave hip hop theater ensemble has been selected to participate in Contacting the World 2010, an international theater project linking young people's theater groups from around the world in the spirit of creating theater across boundaries of geography and culture.

UW-Madison Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives to host Wisconsin Teen Slam

February 17, 2010

Twenty-one high school spoken-word artists from southern Wisconsin will participate in a finale competition at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Memorial Union Theater, 800 Langdon St.

Madison to host youth poetry slam semifinals and finals

January 29, 2010

Dozens of students from across the state are gearing up to compete for a berth on the Wisconsin State Youth Poetry Slam Team, which will represent the state at the national Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival this coming summer.

First Wave ensemble premieres ‘Boomboxed’

December 2, 2008

The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) will present the First Wave Hip Hop Theater Ensemble in another original work, "Boomboxed," Friday-Saturday, Dec. 12-13, at the Hemsley Theatre in Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave.

Spoken word’s best featured in ‘Passing the Mic’

October 8, 2008

The Passing the Mic Series has become a signature event of the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) and is an important component of the annual Wisconsin Book Festival. Now in its fourth year, the event showcases spoken-word poet-performers from UW–Madison, teams of teen poets from around the country, and nationally known leaders and hip-hop performers. Passing the Mic events are scheduled for Oct. 16–18 in venues on campus and in Madison.

Local students, staff compete in National Poetry Slam Festival

July 30, 2008

Hundreds of spoken-word performers will be in Madison Aug. 3-9 for National Poetry Slam 2008.

Spoken word, hip-hop events on tap for spring, summer

April 16, 2008

The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) has a robust and exciting lineup of spoken word and hip-hop events planned for the spring and summer.

Roundtable features spoken word

December 5, 2007

An end-of-semester tradition for many faculty and staff members is attending the December session of University Roundtable. Attendees join colleagues and friends for lunch, listening and learning throughout the year, but in December, the audience is treated to a performance by students, faculty or staff.

Spoken word scholars aim to transform campus

September 30, 2007

They express themselves and how they feel about the world around them through a powerful mechanism: words. And now the students who have embraced urban art, including “spoken word,” are coming together on campus, playing a leadership role in a national movement and sharing their craft with others.

Spoken word institute again offered to educators

June 4, 2007

This summer, Urban Word NYC and the Hip-Hop Association team with the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Office of Multicultural Initiatives (OMAI) to offer a weeklong program for teachers, educators, community leaders and education students to learn the best practices in hip-hop and spoken word pedagogy.

Bamuthi helps UW speak to the hip-hop generation

April 25, 2007

Marc Bamuthi Joseph will conclude his arts residency with a farewell performance at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 30, at Music Hall.

Jazz, spoken word shows coming to Music Hall

April 12, 2007

Jazz and spoken-word performances will heat up Music Hall on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus later this month.

‘Cultural activist’ brings spoken word to campus

March 14, 2007

Willie Ney is living proof of the benefits of a multicultural education — an education that includes African-American, African and Central-American sensibilities. Ney’s exposure to unfamiliar people, places, languages and customs ignited a passion for helping to tell the stories of those rarely listened to. As executive director of the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives, he insists, though, that he’s not an academic. “I’m a cultural activist. My job is to serve as a mediator between cultures, for those who are marginalized. I give them a platform to teach about their history and culture. I’m not an authority — I can’t speak about others’ cultures.”

Special ‘Dane Dances!’ to benefit student scholarships

February 15, 2007

Dane Dances!, the city's popular summer rooftop dance party, moves inside at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, for a special benefit event in Great Hall in the Memorial Union at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.