Niblack Lecture Series: A Moving Experience
African Underground visitors share social awareness, hands-on activities and a hip-hopping evening of fun
Foxcroft was rocking Saturday night (Sept. 6) at the hip-hop-plus performance that culminated a fantastic Helen Cudahy Niblack '42 Lecture Series event. FoxHound Auditorium was packed and a fresh, wholesome hip-hop scene was in its glory with plenty of "freestylin'," "MCing," and "DJing," as well as some poetry, prose, drumming and dance.
The "African Underground Showcase" included two Senegalese hip-hop artists, a DJ and two rappers from New York, a "spoken word" performer who spent a year performing and researching her art around the world and event organizer and filmmaker Magee McIlvaine, who lives in Washington, D.C. Scores of students took the stage as well, either performing pieces they had created in workshops earlier in the day, or simply joining the hip-hop jam at night's end. Hate to use a cliche but, truly, a good time was had by all.
The visit started on a more somber note that afternoon when McIlvaine screened his film African Underground: Democracy in Dakar, which tells the story of Senegal's fight for a free and fair democracy as recounted by the country's young hip-hop artists.
Foxcroft was rocking Saturday night (Sept. 6) at the hip-hop-plus performance that culminated a fantastic Helen Cudahy Niblack '42 Lecture Series event. FoxHound Auditorium was packed and a fresh, wholesome hip-hop scene was in its glory with plenty of "freestylin'," "MCing," and "DJing," as well as some poetry, prose, drumming and dance.
The "African Underground Showcase" included two Senegalese hip-hop artists, a DJ and two rappers from New York, a "spoken word" performer who spent a year performing and researching her art around the world and event organizer and filmmaker Magee McIlvaine, who lives in Washington, D.C. Scores of students took the stage as well, either performing pieces they had created in workshops earlier in the day, or simply joining the hip-hop jam at night's end. Hate to use a cliche but, truly, a good time was had by all.
The visit started on a more somber note that afternoon when McIlvaine screened his film African Underground: Democracy in Dakar, which tells the story of Senegal's fight for a free and fair democracy as recounted by the country's young hip-hop artists.
A panel discussion featuring Senegalese musicians Baye Musa and Waterflow, McIlvaine and New York teacher and rapper Mikal Lee followed. Topics engaged by students and visitors during the session included more details of the political situation in Senegal and the role of hip-hop in politics and social change, both in Africa and the U.S. "Hip-hop is the voice of the voiceless," said Musa. "With it, the youth can tell their stories and change their situation."
Following the panel, participants broke into four workshops: Writing Lyrics in French and English, The Spoken Word and HipHop, DJing and the Art of Rhyme. Virtually every girl got a little hands-on experience at writing, creating and/or performing in these fun sessions.
And that is exactly what the Niblack Series is about: Established by Austi Brown ’73 in honor of her mother, the Series seeks to "bring a variety of literary, performing and fine artists, artisans and designers to Foxcroft to share their work and experience while engaging the School in the creative process."
You can't get much more engaged or creative than the community was on Saturday evening! To view a couple of videos from the performance, click here, sign in and click "Media Gallery" on the left hand side. Click here for more information about the African Underground: Democracy in Dakar.
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.
