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BASS Festival Birmingham June 2010

For five years BASS Festival (British Arts and Street Sounds) has presented an inspired programme of events in Birmingham celebrating black music and art. This year the theme is DNA, exploring both personal identity and a wider sense of heritage through visual arts, theatre, music, dance and spoken word. As well as performances, exhibitions and club sessions there will be panel discussions, film screenings and more. Download the full programme here 

BASS Festival 2010 highlights:

Protest: Fight the Power: Twenty Years of the Political Poster

2 – 26 June Devonshire House, Custard Factory

Now in the UK for the first time Protest is a startling exhibition of shock and awe by graphic designers from around the world. Over two decades of street-fighting struggles created these propaganda and protest masterpieces which have toured Africa and Asia in a British Council sponsored show.

Desert Boy

10 – 11 June Birmingham REP

An a cappella musical with story-telling and song, woven seamlessly together into an epic musical drama. With singing from across the ages from Mali to hip hop, from slave songs to rap, Desert Boy is a funny, fantastic and provoking new musical tale.

Beyond the Ballroom feat. Snowboy

13 June mac

At its peak, Jazz Fusion involved thousands of utterly devoted young people, whose commitment and enthusiasm would have been the envy of the UK dance world, if only they knew about it. With Dick Jewell’s film The Jazz Room, book signing and a DJ set from Snowboy this night gets below the radar to find a remarkable part of our dance history.

Genesis 9:25 by Kokumo

19 June Birmingham REP

In a new piece commissioned by Punch, Birmingham based artist Kokumo combines music, dance, spoken word to explore themes emerging from a recent trip to Brazil; where ever you travel the struggle for black people and people of colour takes the same path.

Jah Shaka Sound System

25 June Rainbow Warehouse

For over 35 years Jah Shaka has been at the controls of the heaviest roots rock reggae sound system anywhere, legendary keeper of the flame of conscious roots music. This rare visit to Birmingham promises to be a massive session.

Rudi & Smash Bro’z

25 June mac

A double bill of work from US based artist and dancer Rudi and Birmingham based hip hop dance collective Smash Bro’z. Through reclaiming street culture for themselves, both artists will reconnect with their heritage that outside forces have tried to subvert from their DNA.

DNA of Hard Times

26 – 27 June The Drum

In a commission for Punch and The Drum, Martyn Glynn and a group of spoken word artists use the visual imagery of the DNA double-helix to represent both the spiral of economic recession and the ladder of artistic opportunity. This hard hitting theatre piece provides a vital comment on the economic recession and the Darwinian theme ‘survival of the fittest’.

www.punch-records.co.uk

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// ALSO

• World Festival of Black Arts and Cultures
• Colombianamente: 24-25 July
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• Black Umfolosi, Rainforest Festival 2007
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• Celebrating Sanctuary, Programme
• Tony Allen, Art’s Own Kind: Afrobeat & The Art Of Lemi Ghariokwu
• Darbar Festival, Darbar | Arts Culture Heritage – Book



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