Grandmama Speak
Shayna Jones
Project Description
Grandmama Speak is a kaleidoscope of Afro-centric folklore and fact, old wives tales and history. With song, rhythm and fine movement infused throughout the telling, Shayna mesmerizes her listeners with tale upon interlocking tale pieced together from the diverse traditions of the African Diaspora. Love and loss, pride and pain, hambones and redfish take center stage in a show packed with bold vocal and physical dynamism. Listeners will be left laughing, sighing, and lingering over the age-old wisdom of Grandmama Speak. Ages 13 +
**This tour is a part of a body of work that the Artist has created and presented centered on the exploration, embodiment and reclamation of her African cultural and ancestral Heritage. Shayna has written a one woman play entitled Black Skin Deep that brings to light her tenuous relationship to her Skin and her Origins. It’s world premiere is set for Spring 2020. She has also crafted numerous performances based on African and Afro Diasporic folklore to bring herself and her audiences closer to the wisdom of African Traditional Culture. As a resident artist of The Civic Theatre in Nelson BC, Shayna has embarked on a 12 month artistic and folkloristic exploration into the lives of Black Canadians who live in rural settings, like herself, to gather their experiences of Place, Belonging, and Home. Her intention is to weave these stories into a tapestry of African and Afro-Diasporic folklore, rhythm and movement and to perform this show on stages across the country and beyond.
Artist Profile
Shayna Jones is an award winning professional performance artist specializing in the Traditional Oral Storytelling of African and African Diasporic folklore. As a trained actor, singer, and dancer, Shayna brings to life each tale with full embodiment, filling an entire stage with vocal and physical lyricism. Inspired by traditional West African oral culture and dance, alongside Contemporary and Modern dance styles, Shayna Jones is a force on stage. Learn more about her work and passion for embodied folklore at her website: www.wearestoryfolk.com
Choreographer and Key Collaborators
Performer: Shayna Jones;
Cultural Advisor: Jacky Yenga;
Mentors and Outside Eyes:
Jacky Yenga, Angela Konrad, Slava Doval
Community Engagement
Find your Way Home: An embodiment approach to connecting to your ancestral roots| This workshop stems from the Artist’s own journey of connection to African Roots she longed to know but was denied. The workshop is an invitation to all participants to explore through somatic and artistic observation and inquiry where their physical, spiritual and/or energetic ancestral roots lie. Community focus: Adult (16+) Women and those who Identify as women BIPOC (but does not need to be exclusively so) and/or…general adult participants Scheduling Formats: 2 hours (plus 15 minute break) Morning or evening Fees: Sliding scale for participants where feasible for the Host $500 – 750 for Artist per session Additional Collaborators may be brought in as needed to support the facilitator in executing the workshop smoothly.
Fee Range: Less than $2500 The Fee range may be affected by the number of workshops requested, set/up prep time in venue/workshop space, additional requests for followup community conversation etc.
Outreach Activities
My work as a performer is steeped in an artistic and spiritual journey of discovery to reconnect with and embody my African roots. There are many ways that One can go about seeking out their heritage. My means has been through artistic creation, following the thread of orators/storytellers/preachers/speakers that run through my family line to understand my place in the African Diaspora, and in “Mama Africa” herself. This undertaking has led me to seek wisdom through traditional African means of discovery – rhythm healing, village dance, and oral story culture. I endeavor to combine this artistic and spiritual exploration with the academic study of African and African Diasporic folklore, and have gained many threads of wisdom along the way. It would be my delight to share the journey that underscores my performance as a Public conversation, or as a “Lecture” for general audiences. Particular audiences that may enjoy my work: BIPOC Community Women Empowerment/Support Organizations Embodiment Practitioners Museum/Historical Societies Performing Arts/Theatre Societies.
Past and Upcoming performances
Feature Storyteller for Toronto Storytelling Festival – Spring 2022 (Exact date to be confirmed; Typically takes place in March for 10 days.
View CV for Full List.
Highlights include: In the Beginning, Toronto Storytelling Festival, Toronto, ON, 2021; Black Skin Deep, Pacific Theatre & Dark Glass Theatre, Vancouver BC, 2021; FolkWise Storytelling Tour, 65 venues throughout BC, 2020; FolkWise Story Show, St. John’s Storytelling Festival, Feature performer, St. John’s NL, 2019; Kootenay Hygge Winter’s Night, Feature Performer, The Sentinel, Kaslo BC, 2017 & 2019
FULL LENGTH
photos: Moving Storyteller Shayna Jones; credit Louis Bockner
Project Details
Type of work
Dance/Theatre ; Black/African Diasporic Culturally Specific; Oral Storytelling
Performance Type
This work is built for Theatre but adaptable to theatre or outdoors, or alternate venues. This is a full length work.
Audience Type
General Audience, 13+, BIPOC community
Length in minutes:
50 – 60 minutes
# of Performers
1
# of Support Staff
0
Fee range:
Less than $2500
Available to tour:
Available for Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, and Summer 2023
Other performance information:
Click here for Critical Reviews.
Click here for Additional Credits.
Technical Requirements
A Professional Grade PA system with audio input and wireless reception capabilities, to be provided by the Host Venue, is a must. The Artist will provide a professional quality wireless headset to be connected to the Host Venue PA system. It is strongly recommended that the Host Venue have a reliable, back up wireless mic in the event of extraordinary system incompatibility between the artists mic and the venue PA.
Technical Residency
No
Artist Name
Shayna Jones
Location
The Traditional Territories of the Sinixt, Syilx and Ktunaxa Peoples, also called Kaslo, BC.
Contact Person
Shayna Jones
Email
info@wearestoryfolk.com
Website