AMIRAH SACKETT (USA - الولايات الأمريكية المتحدة)
PERFORMANCE
Amirah Sackett (dancer/ choreographer/ teacher) has performed and had her choreography featured locally, nationally, and internationally. Amirah was honored as one of the first female hip-hop artists to receive the Jerome Travel/Study grant in 2008. She curated the international festival for women in Hip-Hop, B-Girl Be in 2009-2010 at Intermedia Arts. In 2011 she curated her own show called “The JOINT Project” in an effort to push hip-hop artists to create work outside of their comfort zone. She created the group “We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic” with dancers Iman and Khadijah, to promote understanding and respect of the female Muslim style of dress called hijab, to non-Muslim audiences. Since then they have been featured in rapper, Brother Ali’s, music video “Mourning in America” as well as performing all over the country. Amirah was honored to receive the prestigious Sage Cowles Award “Best Ensemble Performance” for the performance of her choreography “Mourning in America” in 2013. In 2014, Amirah traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh as part of "Next Level", a hip-hop cultural exchange program by the U.S. State Department and University of North Carolina. In April 2016, Amirah was honored to be part of "Caravanserai- American Voices", a Midwest tour of American Muslim hip-hop artists, including The Reminders, Dj Man-O- Wax and fellow dancer Mary Mar a.k.a B-Girl Mama. They spent one week in each of the three cities they visited, teaching workshops, performing, and meeting the local communities. Amirah believes hip- hop culture, as a whole, gives voice to those often unheard and is a way to uplift, inspire, and bring change to those communities that need it the most.
Love Embraces All
Photo by Luca Rossini
Photo by Luca Rossini
“Love Embraces All” was inspired by the poem “The Alchemy of Love” by Rumi. Through the poetry of the 13th-century Sufi mystic Rumi, interpreted by Aja Black (The Reminders) and with original sound design by Chicago DJ Nevin Hersch, Amirah’s solo work explores the barriers we create within ourselves and the walls that others build around us.
Qadar
Photo by Luca Rossini | Light installation “Constantly traveling toward the sun” by Massimiliano Moro
Qadar (Arabic: قدر, transliterated qadar, meaning “fate”)
Amirah's QADAR performance is the concept of divine destiny in Islam. This concept applies to many situations in life including that of romantic love. Often we stay at a closed door knocking, when another one is open for us. This solo uses the vocals of Denver artist, Aja Black (The Reminders), and her cover of Bob Marley’s “Waiting in Vain”, poetry of 13th century Islamic scholar and poet, Rumi, and the sound design abilities of Chicago DJ and musician, Nevin Hersch. Amirah continues to explore mixing Islamic culture with hip-hop and relevant themes in today’s world.
