ABOUT THIS SHOW
An evening of multimedia performances hosted by spoken-word artist Kao Ra Zen that take you on a journey through worlds and words, dimensions and dances, multiverses and music.
Featuring performances by:
Spoken word poet, rapper, performance artist and director, Kao Ra Zen
Belly dance/"raqs sharqi" troupe, Il Worood Il Beledi with choreography by Phaedra Darwish
Chicago Mask Ensemble led by Marianna Buchwald
Dancer Allen Turner
Dancer and performance artist Shalaka Kulkarni
Burlesque dancer Vivian Meretrix with percussionist Jason Winslade
Experimental composer Christophe Preissing with video artist Kyle Gregory Price
Poet Alanis Zoe Castillo Caref
Dacer Marisela Tapia
About Kenya Fulton
Kenya "Kao Ra Zen" Fulton is a spoken-word poet, rapper, multimedia performance artist, painter, director, and curator born and raised in Chicago, IL. For several years, he has been performing and organizing concerts, parties, film screenings and art happenings throughout Chicago, notably his annual HIPPY HOLY DAZE art and music holiday celebrations; KULTURE KLASH art film/video showcases; and the A PERFORMANCE HAPPENING series. Kao has performed and exhibited in Germany, rocked open MICs in Guatemala, was a feature performer during events such as the first annual Afro Utah Festival in 2021; the Chicago Hip-Hop Theater Fest and TEDx Showtime ChiTime events in 2022; and the New Performance Turku Biennale in Finland in 2023. Kao‘s creative writing has been published in numerous poetry collections, magazines and websites. He has performed at notable venues in Chicago such as Symphony Center, Harris Theater, Links Hall, Elastic Arts, Alhambra Palace and the DANK Haus. Kao is a member of International Art Group artist collective; the legendary Nacrobats Hip-Hop crew; and was a member of the Firqit Surayah dance troupe. He has worked on multiple projects with organizations such as Every house has a door, NON:op Open Opera Works, and will soon be helping to present programming with the Guild Literary Complex. Kao has an Associate of Fine Arts degree from Harold Washington College, a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is now in the MFA Creative Writing program at Chicago State University. He has released several music videos and is currently working on multiple music-related projects.
Artist Links: @kaorazen, www.kaorazen.com, Facebook
Running Time
Due to the high volume and wide breadth of work we present, we are often not able to proactively offer content advisories for individual performances. However, if you have specific concerns about stage effects (such as strobe lights or fog/haze) that might have a bearing on comfort or well-being, or if you would like to know more about the age appropriateness of the performance, please contact the box office at 312-335-1650.
SPONSORS
Running Time
Content Advisory
Due to the high volume and wide breadth of work we present, we are often not able to proactively offer content advisories for individual performances. However, if you have specific concerns about stage effects (such as strobe lights or fog/haze) that might have a bearing on comfort or well-being, or if you would like to know more about the age appropriateness of the performance, please contact the box office at 312-335-1650.