Ladies of Hip-Hop Presents: SpeakMyMind

Raw, bold, and unapologetically alive, SpeakMyMind bursts onto the stage with the rhythm and resilience of Black womanhood.  Evolving from the acclaimed ‘Black Dancing Bodies Project’ this powerful work is rooted in street and club dance forms, along with spoken word and the art of freestyle.

SpeakMyMind is a series of choreopoems - a form created by author and activist Ntozake Shange - that transforms movement into memory, language into rhythms, and expression into liberation. SpeakMyMind is a declaration of ownership of all that is Black girl.

Under the direction of Michele Byrd-McPhee, SpeakMyMind gathers women across generations and geographies to honor the roots of Hip-Hop culture and the communities that birthed it. Both a performance and a declaration, SpeakMyMind invites audiences to an evening of culture. 

Commissioned by Works & Process and developed through LaunchPAD residencies at Bethany Arts Community, Catskill Mountain Foundation, and The Kennedy Center. Performances have been presented at the Guggenheim, Jacob’s Pillow, Lincoln Center, and other leading venues. Supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and Mid Atlantic Arts.