Wrinkle Creative | By Samara Woolfolk


What is LEFF?

It is a showcase of different West Michigan theatre companies and talent. A lot like a film festival - but instead of films it’s live performance!


LEFF’s Purpose is to highlight Local West Michigan Talent:

• Directors
  
  
• Set Designers
  
  
• Performers
  
  
• Playwrights
  
  

It is also meant to encourage relationships between theatre companies of West Michigan by bringing them all to one space.


This is the Third Year LEFF has been hosted by DogStory Theatre which is an affordable non-profit, all volunteer based venue space who has had a wide range of tenants like belly dancing classes, to Shakespeare, to improv comedy.


February is almost over which means LEFF is almost over, but don’t worry! you still have time to check out  these shows:


The Leo Play written by Chris VanDer Ark which is one piece in a set of 12 of Zodiac plays.  (I saw the Aries play and it was really great!).


The 10 Minute Play Competitions presented by Stark Turn Players.



CLICK HERE for further information on the shows, LEFF in general or to reserve your tickets before they run out!

Hope to see you there!


Samara the Samari

Wrinkle Creative | By Samara Woolfolk

Riddle me this...

At first I thought, "So let me get this straight. The option was either donate to the cause for ALS awareness with cash or... take a bucket of ice cold water… and most people are choosing the water? Or is the water just a statement and these well off people like Bill Gates and Kerry Washington are just being over-achievers and doing both? I’m confused - Bill Gates wouldn't opt out of donating to a cause and rather choose the bucket of water would he? - Not when I’m sure he could very well fill an infinity pool with money and get his “Scrooge McDuck” on. 

In fact, no he would not opt out of donating! 

All of this confusion, for myself, was sparked by the ALS Association about two weeks ago when someone proposed a bucket challenge. In the name of finding a cure for ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, participators are to donate $100 to the ALS Association and then signify their participation by dousing themselves with a bucket of ICE COLD WATER. Then, to pay it forward, they must challenge three  other participators to do the same! Oh - did I mention you have to record it and upload it to social media?! 

It’s actually a genius idea if you ask me.

The charity has already gained so much attention and support from people we all recognize like Jimmy Kimmel, (the whole set crew as well), Conan O’Brien, Bill Gates, LeBron James, Kerry Washington, and the list goes on and on! The only reason why I choose to post this brief blog is to clear the air of all of the questions people might have about it like:

If people are just doing the ice bucket challenge without donating, are they doing it wrong? YES. Or, does the charity pay the person who gets the bucket of ice 100 dollars? Conan O’Brien had that particular question. 

I’ll let you see the answer to that yourself.

At the end of the day, you should visit their site and educate yourselves about Lou Gehrig’s disease and how you can get involved.

Now that it is all cleared up, I am back to my Samurai internet surfing! 

My best, 
The Samarai!

Wrinkle Creative | by Samara

After humoring my interest in all of the handmade jewelry, dresses, and artwork, my heart was too tickled by the youth dancers from Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative that took the stage in Bronson Park. They had a younger and older group with separate routines that were thoughtfully put together. 

This year’s Black Arts Festival (BAF) was full of excitement. The event started with a casual welcome of people perusing the vendors and their merchandise. There were some pretty good R&B selections playing that got us in the mood for the start of entertainment. It honestly was just a chill, semi-sunny day in Kalamazoo that was made even brighter by the FLASH MOB STEP TEAM from the Douglas Center in Kalamazoo. Shortly after an exciting African stilt dance, we witnessed an African fashion show. Models from countries like Tanzania and Nigeria showed off their casual and impressive outfits that gave us a glimpse of different fashions in African countries.

Several times, the audience even got a workout from “Networking Out Kalamazoo,” who helped everyone attempt to work off those delicious elephant ears, chicken wings, and kettle corn. YUMM.

As the day passed, Wrinkle was able to get some awesome photos of the beautiful people that came out for the event and shook a tail feather to the wobble a couple of times. 

Personally, I was excited to see a community festival flourish like this. Jamaican music and local TALENTED R&B artists were so refreshing to see on stage representing themselves! Looking back, I can hear the happy laughter and cheers from the kids playing in the fountain area, smell the sweet almond of the shea butter and the soft breeze keeping the temperature just right, while the relaxing rendition of “If Love is So Nice” by Junior Kelly plays in the background. 

Reflecting on the Past

Boy will I tell you!  I have seen a few Black Arts Festivals in my day. Every year it is different and has a different vibe. One of the best aspects of the Black Arts Festival is MUSIC - this year in particular, every single performance was on point and very impressive; a diverse spectrum of talent from whimsical indie pop r&b to the true essence of philosophical hip hop was obviously thoughtfully selected.  The music gives both younger and older generations a chance to represent themselves. The BAF every year has always been phenomenal at blending the generational interests in both music and events. This is particularly important to me because the merging of generations is a vital part of preserving the respect for our elders and their wisdom while also encouraging and guiding the energy of our youth so that they can live great lives! 

The best part of these festivals in particular, other than the music, are the vendors because usually they are locally owned businesses that are run by people I know, and I love buying things, especially from people/businesses I know!  In the past, I have experienced the minor letdown of several “nomadic” vendors who sold shea butter or those sunglasses that are two-for-ten if you ask nicely, who just did not have time to come out for the festival the following year. 

And I know what you are thinking: Why don’t I just go to the store and get the things I am looking for at the festival?

Well, my answer to you is this: 

Finding a treasure

Is to look in a rare place

Sometimes that is time

Luckily, it was the community of Kalamazoo that actually caught me on the rebound when things like that happened.  This year was particularly special in my eyes because friends and family I grew up knowing had a Jamaican band perform (and I have only seen them perform at the Island fest). I also felt that the emphasis on poetry as an introduction the the BLACK ARTS festival was very metaphorical and deeply impacted the audience. 

You all know how The Samarai gets when she goes to her home town: nothing but love and excitement! 

Greetings! I am Samara - The Samarai! My first Wrinkle assignment happened to be in my awesome hometown, Kalamazoo, Michigan. This city, like a dojo, has taught me what any innovative, descriptively nimble, and passionate samurai bloggist would need to know about being innovative, descriptively nimble, and passionate.

Warning! There are heavy traces of city pride, excitement and appreciation in this piece. In fact, one may be compelled to get up and research these topics on their own and/or possibly be motivated to get up, move, and get involved in their own communities. If you are a doubter or non-believer, read every one of my blogs because inspiration here happens The Samarai Way… one blog at a time. You have been warned! Dramatic puff of smoke. 

The Natural Hair Movement teaches its participants much about individuality, pride and appreciation on a personal and even cultural level. One of the most interesting facts about the Natural Hair Movement is that the discovery of one's hair for most naturals does not happen in a hair school. For many who are natural, YouTube and things such as “natural hair parties” have been primary resources for assistance, solutions, and support. If it were not for this sense of community, most people on their natural journey would be stuck - not able to turn the page without the support and wisdom of potential peers. As a “naturalista” myself, I quickly realized the benefits of getting together and talking about our hair. In grouped settings, people can talk about similarities and differences and their own personal remedies that I would try on my own time. Later I would look forward to seeing that person again so I could say “Hey thanks, that worked,” or “Hey, that didn’t work - but let me tell you what did.”

Just like any movement, trend, or fad there are controversial areas that make the movement seem more like it's boxing people in rather than freeing them. For example, the question of whether the movement should be practiced as cultural enlightenment or simply as a personal choice is not so much a heated question but a confusing one for many naturals.

Even so, the things one must know about this interesting trend is that healthy, natural African American hair aside from some t.l.c. and awesome hair products really depends on community. Without people sharing their pains and triumphs and swapping wisdom and laughter with each other, I would argue that the movement would be non-existent. 

On May 17th, 2014 (International Natural Hair Meetup Day) I had the pleasure of attending the Naturals Networking Mixer: Kinks, Curls and Conversations hosted at The Mix in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I just so happened to be sitting with a local poet and friend in Kalamazoo that was going to perform at the event a week earlier and was encouraged to check it out!

Check I did, and Glad I was! (Yoda voice)

When walking in, we were immediately greeted with soulful, up-beat jazz music. Around the room there were live artists setting up their areas and vendors doing the same. I had the pleasure of first running into a kind and thoughtful young sociologist/artist, Calvin Green, who was gracious enough to describe a couple of his pieces. “My art’s value is the same as if it was on a canvas, just because it is on a piece of card board… it’s still cool.” When asked about his relationship with natural hair, Green commented, “Your hair is a balance of who you are within the social status.” The interesting thing was that Calvin Green was not the only artist in the room, the whole room was actually teeming with local artists of all spectrums.

Local actress and playwright, Janai, graced the microphone for a simple, interactive reading of the book I Love My Hair written by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley that I found to be entertaining. Shades So Sweet, a company that makes fabric dolls of all shades from beige to dark brown with cute curly yarn pigtails was there and so  was Tasleem Jamila el-Hakim, a poet from Chicago, who had published a book with over 100 poems, phew! The thing that connected all of these people was the love of natural hair and the art of growing and sustaining a healthy body, spirit and life. As you and I can hopefully see now, hair is just the tip of the iceberg! 

I was skilled enough in my blogjitsu moves to catch a quick interview with Yolonda “Yogi” Lavender, current Executive Director of the Black Arts and Cultural Center in Kalamazoo and was also the Coordinator of Naturals Network Mixer.

Here are a few snippets of what we talked about: 

What, specifically, is your goal to accomplish by the end of this event?

The entire goal is for folks with natural hair or are interested in natural hair to be able to come and meet each other in dialogue. It is a chance for us to use our expertise with one another rather than feeling like we need a licensed hair stylist, iron sharpening iron through our everyday experiences. 

Why did you choose The Mix for the venue?

The Mix is an awesome place, we’ve created a very dynamic independent/local artist movement through The Mix and in Kalamazoo and The Mix has been very supportive of myself and other local and aspiring artists, and they were open to having it here and I’m glad that we were able to do it in this space. 

How did you come to the conclusion of taking the initiative of making a natural hair event?

I’ve been natural for almost 10 years and my Aunt Paulette Hunter who owns a natural hair salon (House of Nefertiti – located in Kalamazoo) was a huge part of my wanting to transition back to my own natural hair. That initial support from her along with my own performances at lots of natural hair events (See the artists were everywhere!) From those experiences along with my own experiences with my hair I just wanted to share that with other people, and the main thing is for them to own it for themselves.

How do you feel about “being natural” as a cultural experience versus a trending one? Are you team cultural or team trend or team both?

You know that is a really good question that I hope we will be able to have some discussion about. We will be showing parts of a documentary that talks about experiences with your natural hair in corporate America and what happens when you’re with other women of color and the argument between if you can wear it straight one day in an afro the next day, questioning “what really is natural?” There’s so many different dynamics and I understand that it is becoming a fashion and a trend but for me it’s like a life style, I’m not with the whole trend thing. I really connect to [the cultural side] because my ancestors, this is what their hair was like and that’s my desire to be connected to that, to honor them that way and honor myself that way because that is my history. 

So what’s next on your agenda, are you planning on doing more of these?

Umm I’m not really sure what the next step is going to be. I recently just accepted the position of the Executive Director of the Black Arts and Cultural Center (wow). It fits perfectly with everything I represent, I’m looking at ways to bring in this kind of stuff I’ve already been doing with that new position. I can’t even imagine what is going to be next you know, the sky’s the limit. 

Here is the part where I get overly excited.

Ohhhh! So are we going to be seeing some Black theater plays up in here? Says your favorite journalist ninja/actress.

Yes and you and I will be connecting! Aww shucks!

All in all this event really connected me to some inspiring people. I never really found out what everyone had to say about “team culture versus team trending” in relevance to natural hair but local poet, Maliika’s poem directly confronted the more negative side of the natural hair with her poem called The Black Hand Side which challenged the notion that some naturalistas are more culturally competent than others because they are natural. 

Regardless, being in a city I love that highlighted doing and talking about things that compel and interest me was KICK BUTT. The fact that there are young artists who are holding on to who they are – including how they look – is an example of not marginalizing, but creating a new niche for an audience that really does exist; an audience that is real and beautiful with interesting, quirky, kinky and “coily” stories to tell. I was blessed to be surrounded by a room of entrepreneurs, actors, poets, singers, painters, doll makers, etc. Solely by looking at attendance and listening to honest opinions, these were people who believed that their community had it’s back - that there were people in its community that were working to cultivate a movement that no doubt can add a positive element not only to Black culture, but also American culture: communities built off of helping each other.

All in all, I’d say The Samarai had a quenching event experience and even though we do not know exactly when the next natural hair mixer will happen in Kalamazoo, best believe The Samarai will be keeping you posted. 

Also, to my fellow naturals: if you want more info, don’t fret and stay tuned. This will not be the last time you will see natural hair posts from me to you.

Alas there is much more seeking and discovering I must do!

Live well and find happiness where you are, until we meet again (probably next week at the same time) 

Hiyah!

Samara The Samarai

Comment with your own Natural Hair experiences - or any questions below!

Learn more about:
Natural Hair Movement Day

The artists quoted in the story

Yolonda “Yogi” Lavender