where i'm from original poetry & performance by Samantha Casseus, Kenneth Cruz, Sandy Germain, Demakis Miller-Jones, Jaelyn Montes, Regine Nicholas, Alexandra Ortega, and Dacia White direction by DeAnna Pellecchia & Ayano Onay Strickland choreography and staging by DeAnna Pellecchia
WHERE I’M FROM was created in response to violence in communities, families, and the media. URBANO teenagers collaboratively created language and poetry through group discussions about their neighborhoods, and the effects of growing up in an urban environment. They worked with dancer/choreographer DeAnna Pellecchia and writer/poet Ayano Onay Strickland to transform this language into a live spoken word performance piece that premiered at the Massachusetts State House in 2011.
Urbano’s Spoken Word Teen Curatorial Program creates opportunity for youth to research, explore and express an authentic teen perspective through the creation of live, spoken word performance pieces. Teens also produce and host a series of public open MIC nights at Urbano and perform annually at the Massachusetts State House in conjunction with "Violence Transformed", as well as other community-produced events.
