PLACE:

New Orleans, LA

BIO:

Jarrell Hamilton is a mother, artistic director (De La SoL Performance Co.), Choreographer, Author, Creative altruist, Educator, and Founder of TBean Productions. Hamilton holds a Master’s in Fine Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Choreography and African American Studies from Tulane University with a specific focus in Afro-diasporic spiritual traditions) and a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University/ Meadows School of the Arts. Hamilton continued her performance and choreographic research at the American Dance Festival, Asé Cultural Arts Center: Institute for Cultural Education, Evolve Diaspora (Cuba), Jacob’s Pillow Improv and Jazz traditions, Links Hall Residency (Chicago,IL), Movement of the People (NYC), and Urban Bush Women’s Choreographic Institute (Pilot) and Summer Leadership Institute for Undoing Racism. Hamilton’s life work is to support creatives, women, mothers and the youth to create abundance, creativity, and an elevated sense of self, cultivated from within.

PROJECT:

B.R. (Brer’ Rabbit) is an original, multi-disciplinary performance about Uncle Remus’ Southern tales Brer’ Rabbit in collaboration with our mental-wellness initiative. The Interdisciplinary programming is designed to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental-wellness in the black community and provide youth access to this reimagined concept of conscious healing and elevation. Through our team of professional BIPOC artists in the South which includes- dancers, thespians, a composer, writer, filmmaker, culture bearers, and health professionals – clinical social worker, holistic practitioner, and psychologist(s) we will create a 30-45 minute performance that explores the intersection of W.E. DuBois “double-consciousness” theory and the physical effects of mental illness. Utilizing a series of recorded interviews in the black community, in conjunction with the tales of Brer’ Rabbit, De LA SouL performance Company’s intent is to unpack the truths and dismantle the taboo of mental climate of our people. The performance accompanies our progressive arts-based mental-wellness program (TBean Youth) model to implement in-schools and as a regular Saturday program to actively advance our community’s healing and behavioral wellness.