Meet the Organizers of UZIMA! Drum and Dance’s Boundless Performance

Meet the creative minds behind Boundless, an exhilarating performance by UZIMA! Drum and Dance. This event invites you to take the journey from bound to Boundless, commemorating Juneteenth with an evening of rhythm, resilience, and reverence for our shared journey toward freedom. 

In this exclusive “Meet the Artist” feature, we delve into the inspirations, aspirations, and hard work of the organizers who will bring this vibrant performance to life. Learn more about Artistic Director Kelly Burgét, Company Director Pierre Cooks, and Director of Communications Michelle Jewell.

How does Boundless reflect the spirit of Juneteenth, and what do you hope audiences will take away from this performance?

We approached the creative process for this concert as we do for each concert ahead of us. First, we take time to pray and listen to the voice of the Creator for direction and guidance. This is the most important process to us because we recognize the limits of our human understanding and even creativity. We also don’t want to rely solely on the limits that can occur when we only see with the eyes of our own viewpoint and understanding. We always hope to expand our vision and our capacity to articulate that onstage and seeking the One who Created all things helps us view it from places we would never have imagined on our own. 

This process felt even more crucial as we approached this concert, given the challenge of encompassing and articulating the significance of Juneteenth in a 90-minute performance. A unique approach we took for this concert was what we call “the journey to Juneteenth.” This journey allowed us to express and discuss our feelings, such as anger, rejection, injustice, and the fear that things might never change for us openly and honestly. It was a healing and empowering journey that opened our eyes to the beauty of Juneteenth and prepared our hearts to embrace this unique opportunity to celebrate with our community for the first time.

—Kelly Burgét

In what ways does the performance of Boundless pay homage to African heritage and its influences on contemporary artistic expressions?

Within Boundless, UZIMA! has integrated a number of the influences of African heritage on contemporary artistic expressions. Most notably, we will be performing two new pieces that we are dubbing our “Rites of Passage” dances: Moribayassa and Abondan. Each dance begins with representation by the older generation who pay homage to the joys and struggles they have lived in their lives as well as the lessons they have learned. These lessons are then passed down to the middle generation who celebrate and honor their own life experience while taking wisdom and reverace from the elders. They, in turn, welcome the youngest generation to the stage and impart what they have learned from their lives and that which has been offered to them by the elders. African heritage and culture is very community focused and the older members of the community are not considered to be burdens or irrelevant – rather they are championed and celebrated for what they can share with those who are younger. These dances demonstrate the power and the importance of all generations learning from one another and living together with one common goal of creating the best life possible.

We are very honored and excited that a number of prominent “elders” of Michiana community have agreed to join UZIMA!’s dancers to perform these “Rites of Passage” dances. You’ll recognize Gladys Muhammad, Karen White, Ida Watson, Brother Sage, Dr. Marvin Curtis, Dé Bryant and many others. We are also welcoming children from throughout the community as members of our youngest generation. Another example of how UZIMA! is striving to live out the tenets of African culture by opening our circle to those outside of our company and bringing multiple generations and walks of life together in the spirit of unity.

—Michelle Jewell

Could you describe the creative process involved in choreographing and selecting the music for the Boundless performance? How did you ensure it resonated with the theme of liberation and freedom?

We think the music for this concert is absolutely phenomenal and will take everyone on a journey through the past toward the future.

We have songs that reflect not only the African-American struggle in America, but also speaks of the oppression of an apartheid in South Africa. We also know that bells rang out in a jubilant cry as the word of the Emancipation Proclamation resounded across our nation. We honor that legacy with a  contemporary version of a song based on old negro spiritual  “Rockin; Jerusalem” This piece has become such a significant piece for us because we have three local dance companies in our community joining us—Southold Dance Theater, New Industry, and Michiana Dance Ensemble. This is symbolic of the need for diverse people to come together in solidarity to declare the necessity of freedom and liberation and the importance of working together to ensure this is a truth for all.  

The choreography and music for this concert is definitely rooted in traditional African dance and movement, but it’s also reflective of Black and brown peoples’ experience in the diaspora. When we approached the choreography from this viewpoint, it really opened up our vision and has caused us to grow even as a dance company as we ventured into the contributions of African-American dance and movement in the diaspora. You’ll see elements of jazz, modern, ballet, and hip-hop.

It has definitely been a lot of work to stretch ourselves in this manner, but it has been such a worthwhile journey of growth and expansion and we’re excited to share that with our community.

—Kelly Burgét

How do you feel this UZIMA! performance fits into DPAC’s broader mission of supporting equitable artistic development?

Well, to start, it’s not only the first Juneteenth concert held at DPAC (and, hopefully, not the last!), but also one of the first to be held in our community. That, I think, is huge. The suggestion is also in the name. Boundless, is something that can be the hope for what is to come from DPAC in its pursuit of equity in artistic development. With this concert, we’re bringing in guest artists from the community to create with us. To make something that helps them feel confident and strong and celebrated for what they add to us and we add to them. Emphasis on the word ”add”. This is what community looks like—no fear of what might be lost. Just collective work toward a common goal. This is a legacy that I think DPAC has begun in these past few years, and it’s one they continue to cultivate.

—Pierre Cooks

What historical or contemporary figures inspired the narratives or themes explored in the Boundless performance?

The historic struggle of freedom has been championed and given voice by so many important people of African heritage it would be shortsighted to single out only a few names as inspiration. Boundless takes the audience on the journey from native villages’ celebration of generational wisdom and collective living to the small solace offered to the enslaved by the songs in what have become known as Negro spirituals (“Go Down Moses”), to the whispers of “wading in the water” between enslaved Africans as many plotted their escape toward freedom. Visionaries such as Harriett Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass can certainly be listed among those who have inspired UZIMA!’s artistic selections for this concert, but so, too, are the abolitionists who helped shepherd escaping Africans to freedom and all of the nameless, faceless individuals who gave their lives in the fight for justice and freedom. We also celebrate the slow progress toward reconciliation, redemption and unity through selections such as “Redemption Song”, “Nina Cried Power” and “Brand New Day” which we hope will inspire the audience to not just dream of a day when we are all truly equal but to actively work toward that goal through their own lives on a daily basis. To that end, we celebrate not just civil rights icons such as Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, but also activist-artists such as Nina Simone, Bob Marley, and Hozier. The design of this concert is one of enlightenment, hope and collective celebration for the length of the road we have traveled toward freedom as a nation and the recognition that we will only reach our final destination when we truly begin traveling together toward that common goal.

—Michelle Jewell

What have been some of the challenges in bringing a show like “Boundless” to life, and how have you addressed them?

Boundless is such a unique experience. Particularly for this area. I’m often reminded of a question posed by a friend of mine. He said, “How can you give something that you lack?” He goes on to suggest that there comes a time during the process where you must become something before you can give something. I would say that one of the most challenging parts of the process of presenting Boundless, is being boundless. It’s making a conscious effort at every part of the process to take the limits off. To push past our own limitations and not just create, but more importantly live something new. It’s not lost to anyone the many racial divides that exist in our nation. Especially surrounding this particular holiday. What we, as UZIMA!, are choosing to do is press toward a legacy that rejects the division that’s so often forced on us as a society, and do so without forgetting what got us here in the first place. All while celebrating the liberation of the African diaspora in this country. 

What that looks like to us is acknowledging that Juneteenth is meant to be freedom for Black Americans and all Americans as a whole. This is an occasion that should be a shared and honored celebration for everyone. We choose to show this by doing something that hasn’t been done in this area before. And that is to produce a concert in partnership with various members and organizations within our community. Including, but not limited to, community leaders like Brother Sage, De Bryant, and various dance companies, such as New Industry and Michiana Dance Ensemble. This creates so much space for the creative process to be well-rounded, and this is something I think will bring a breath of hope to our community.

—Pierre Cooks

What unique elements can audiences expect during the performance that differentiate it from other UZIMA! Events?

UZIMA! constantly strives to offer something new and unique with each of our performances. And, while we were blessed to have the participation from so many different members of our community and outside performers during our January 2024 performance of ASHE: A Celebration of Voices, we have never had the opportunity to welcome members of our community and dancers from other companies into our own performance pieces. This we are excited to do with Boundless! As mentioned before, there will be a number of people, young and older, from the community joining UZIMA! company dancers for our “Rites of Passage” dances. Additionally, we are thrilled to have dancers from Southold Dance Theater, Michiana Dance Ensemble, and New Industry Dance join us for two of our pieces—Ringin’ Them Bells and Brand New Day. Each of these dance companies focuses on a very different dance style than UZIMA! and it has been a delight and a revelation to work with them to showcase not only their own unique style within the pieces but to come together to dance the same choreography for parts of each piece. 

We will also have a string quartet comprised of African American musicians playing a selections from the Soweto String Quartet written by Black composers Sandile Khemese and Grahame Beggs and Thami Khemese and Makhosini Mnguni as well as a local bell choir joining us for Ringin’ Them Bells.

Thank you to Southold, Michiana Dance Ensemble, New Industry, and all the other members of Michiana for joining us on this journey!

—Michelle Jewell

How do you envision the role of performances like Boundless shaping the future cultural landscape of the South Bend community?

Our hope for what people take away from this concert is the hope that we have for every concert, and that is, we hope everyone will feel inspired to take the message in every song and dance and take some time for inspection and reflection.

The hope is that this doesn’t just occur that evening, but that it’s an ongoing process of inner growth that will continue to flourish and blossom in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. That we can dare to ask ourselves: How can we become the best versions of who we were all created to be? How can we be the best versions of South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen, and Michigan—the very best version of Michiana that can truly be a beacon in the times to come? As it relates to this concert in particular, how can we explore what areas we may be bound in our lives? Are we bound by a lack of compassion, love, and empathy? Are we living in a place of Boundless capacity to sow into the lives of others and the lives of those in our community that we might all bear the positive fruit that we collectively planted because we did the work to individually plant in our own hearts and minds?

In particular, we also hope that this concert will shed some light on a holiday that is so often misunderstood. There are so many questions surrounding this holiday, such as, “Is it just a Black holiday?” and “If I’m not a person of color, can I celebrate Juneteenth?” and “What is the importance of this holiday?”

Through this concert of celebration, we hope that people will gain a greater understanding that Juneteenth is truly an American holiday. It is part of the American story, and it’s the first time we were truly all free in this nation. I believe it is imperative for us to celebrate this holiday together with as much reverence, honor, joy, and jubilation as July 4, Independence Day, and that we all embrace the spirit of liberation and freedom and work to make that a truth for all.

—Kelly Burgét

Can you speak to the personal significance that Juneteenth holds for each of you and how this influences your involvement with this performance? 

Like many Black students, I didn’t learn about Juneteenth in school. Most children of color learned about it from their family because until recently, this important moment in America’s history has not been part of the national conversation. To this day, its significance is greatly minimized and frequently misunderstood. So, for me, Juneteenth itself is a bit of a revelation. Having the opportunity to really think about the import of this day and to be part of organizing and performing the first concert celebrating the Juneteenth holiday in our community is profoundly special to me. The name of this concert is Boundless, and that certainly speaks to the lifting of the African-American spirit and the overwhelming resilience of those who were enslaved decades ago and their descendants who continue the fight for true freedom and equality. But, beyond that, being “bound” manifests in many different ways that we sometimes overlook and afflicts many people. Not only are we, as a performing arts organization, celebrating the release of the bonds that held so many of our nation’s people in slavery, we are also recognizing and celebrating the hidden bonds that trap us in situations and circumstances that do not serve us as people. Hatred, ignorance, bigotry, abuse, pain, poverty, racism, misogyny, addiction…so many chains hold us back from being the people and the nation that we were meant to be. It is my hope that this concert helps us all realize that we deserve to be Boundless and to accept nothing less.

—Michelle Jewell

As the artistic director of Uzima Drum & Dance, presenting this concert to our community has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for me. Until recently, I didn’t fully grasp the importance of celebrating Juneteenth in full recognition of what transpired hundreds of years ago. But as I grew and gained a greater understanding of why we need to celebrate this holiday in its fullness, I felt compelled, and we, UZIMA! Drum and Dance, felt compelled to champion the first Juneteenth concert in our community. We began to dream about what it could possibly look like before we even knew if it would become a reality. When we presented the idea to Sean and Sarah at the Debartolo Performing Arts Center at Notre Dame, we didn’t know what the response would be. Suffice it to say that we left that meeting filled with joy and a bit of trepidation, as we were given the opportunity to curate a historic concert for our community. 🙂

I can honestly say that, initially, I was completely intimidated by what felt like such a daunting task. I felt that way because Juneteenth encompasses so many mixed feelings and emotions for many people. I also wanted to be sure to honor the historical legacy through song, dance, drums, and movement while also creating a welcoming space for us to explore freedom and liberation in the past, present, and future together. I have to say that we took a big leap of faith with this concert, but I’m loving where we landed. I am humbled by the wonderfully talented dancers, musicians, and singers of UZIMA! and their commitment not just to a concert but to the ethos of who we feel called to be in this community, a dance company where wholeness, health, and life are the “why” for all that we do. I could never thank them enough for the hearts of excellence they have not only for the arts but, more importantly, for the journey of desiring to be a light in all facets of life. This concert includes many new elements that our company has never attempted before. The vision has truly pushed us to go beyond our normal territory and has challenged us in many ways. And, while that has been a painful process at times, it is also completely appropriate and necessary in order to bring the spirit of Juneteenth to the stage. Juneteenth is a momentous holiday that is finally getting its due recognition. It is an honor for us to embody its spirit in the best way possible and to be part of making history in our community.

—Kelly Burgét

Juneteenth is a holiday that was so lost to American citizens for so long. So much so that I can’t say that it held significance in my heart until I became an adult. That’s all too familiar of a tale. I came to know it as a holiday to be celebrated in its unapologetic fullness, and I began the journey to understand and live in my true identity as a Black person. It was a catalytic moment in my life, and I’m learning more every day about what Juneteenth looks like to me.

I believe it’s meant to be a moment that would not just allow us all who live in this country to take up space in the same ways on paper, but also to be celebrated by all in the myriad ways that we take up space as people. This concert is an eclectic performance that has a way of ringing the bells of celebration and freedom. I believe it serves as a wake-up call. I’m honored and excited to share this experience with our community. Ase!

—Pierre Cooks

Can you tell us more about the after-party? What atmosphere are you aiming to create with the steel drum band, and how does it complement the evening’s performance?

My parents immigrated from Suriname to America during the 1960s, at the height of the civil rights movement, and though we lived in America, specifically in Brooklyn, New York, my parents definitely raised us within the culture of our Surinamese heritage. For those who may not know much about Suriname, it’s one of the most diverse countries in the world. As a matter of fact, when I recently did my DNA, I had 26 countries represented in my bloodline. And that diversity is definitely reflected in the music, dance, and even food of the country. The drums and dance of Suriname are connected to the culture of Africa, where drums and dance are essential to life. It is where celebrations happen, where mourning takes place, and where the entirety of life happens. My favorite memories that remain with me today are the moments where we would get together for whatever occasion and dance to the Calypso sounds of The Mighty Sparrow, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Calypso, Rose and Harry Belafonte. I remember how it always filled me with joy and gave me such a sense of freedom. I also remember how it filled me with such pride in my heritage and, most importantly, how it helped me when I found it difficult to understand what it meant to be a young brown girl in America; how it helped me when life seemed too difficult. Truly, the cares of life seemed to melt away as my body moved, and I found solace in its sounds and rhythms. As I grew older, I realized that music remained with me and in me because those who were dispersed throughout the diaspora through the slave trade refused to forget the very essence and center of life in Africa. They refused to forget that the drum is the heartbeat of the village. Without it, the village dies. It is a sacred way of communicating, self-expression, and living. 

It is also just fun and fills one with joy! That’s why we’re bringing in the Island Guys, a steel drum band from Detroit, Michigan. I believe it’s a way to connect in a joyful way after the 90 minutes we just journeyed together in the Leighton Concert Hall. We also wanted to create a moment where we could use the power of music and dance to build a bridge between Juneteenth and Independence Day. To leave behind political ideologies and persuasions, to let go of those things that keep us separated and isolated, and to dance together and celebrate together as Americans. We don’t do that enough as a community. And though this will be the first, we hope it won’t be the last.

—Kelly Burgét

Through the power of music and movement, UZIMA! Drum and Dance invites you to honor the past, embrace the present, and envision a future where freedom is truly Boundless. Join us on June 22 as we explore the rich tapestry of African heritage and celebrate unity with a special after-party featuring light refreshments and a live steel drum band!