IYEOKA MUSIC * POETRY * WORKSHOPS MUSIC Iyeoka Ivie
Okoawo is a Poet and Recording Artist, a 2010 TED Global Fellow, the 2nd place
2009 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion, and a spokesperson for the Amenawon
Foundation. Daughter of Nigerian-born parents who both hold Doctorate degrees
from Boston University, Iyeoka was a practicing pharmacist before launching her
career as a poet, singer, activist and educator. In her native Esan language,
Iyeoka means “I want to be respected.” By channeling her culture and ancestral
influences, she delivers an authentic and inspiring message of healing through
accessing the power of the moment. Iyeoka
began her musical career by founding the group The Rock by Funk Tribe, a
collective of musicians that enabled her to interweave her poetry with jazz,
blues, funk, and gospel. She released her first solo full length album of
poem-songs called “Black and Blues” in 2004 through Phanai Records and then
began to tour and make numerous appearances on other artist’s albums, including
The Press Project’s “Get Right” album and “Memoirs of the Tempo” by Tempo
Valley. In 2007,
Iyeoka released her second album of poetry and music fusion “Hum The Bass Line”
again on Phanai Records. In 2008, she recorded a live album in Hawaii called
Live @ KTUH – Honolulu. That same year, Iyeoka lent her vocal talent to a cover
of U2′s hit song “Desire” for a compilation of U2 covers called “In The Name Of
Love: Africa Celebrates U2.” The album featured Grammy Award-winning/nominated
African artists including Angelique Kidjo, Les Nubians, Sierra Leone’s Refugee
All Stars, Vieux Farka Toure, Vusi Mahlasela and the Soweto Gospel Choir with
proceeds benefiting the Global Fund. In 2009,
Iyeoka decided to transform her sound and songwriting approach and began
working with producer David Franz (in collaboration with her original producer,
Francis Phan) to create more traditional song forms. Iyeoka released two EPs
that year called “This Time Around” and “Run Into the Rain.” The new music
infused more pop, R&B, dance, and hip hop into the mix, creating an
“electronic soul” sound. In November
of 2010, Iyeoka released her new album, SAY YES, containing nine songs and two
poems, through the Underground Sun artist development company. It is the first
“Evolving Album(tm)” where purchasers will receive added content for free as
the album evolves. Even before the album’s release, the first song “The Yellow
Brick Road Song” was featured in an episode of the new hit HBO series “How To
Make It In America” and is now the official theme song of the USA Network’s
show “Fairly Legal.” Iyeoka is
currently touring in support of the new album and her poetry. In the past,
Iyeoka has toured in support of artists such as Femi Kuti, Zap Mama and
Soulive, as well as played musical festivals like Bonnaroo. The buzz surrounding
her poetry has also garnered her national attention through performances at the
TBS Trumpet Awards, the Sullivan Honors Awards at the Kennedy Center and
Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam on HBO. Iyeoka is a
powerful songstress whose lyrical prowess and vocal talents invoke the spirit
of soul-shakers Nina Simone, Sade, Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse. A story
teller to the core, Iyeoka’s hope-filled words pour out from within and build
momentum based on truth. As the words transform into songs, they reemerge as
unique, emotionally complex gifts to her audience, touching on a wide range of
issues–love, women, culture, struggle, and relationships, among many others. POETRY “My goal is
simple…I just want to move the world one poem at a time.” Iyeoka Ivie
Okoawo is a Poet/Recording Artist, the 2nd place 2009 Individual World Poetry
Slam Champion and a 2010 TED Global Fellow. A first-generation
Nigerian-American, Iyeoka was a practicing pharmacist before launching her
career as a poet, presenter, activist and educator. Among Iyeoka’s individual
lists of credits is performing at the Kennedy Center for an award event
honoring activist and actress Mia Farrow, being commissioned by Discovery
Channel for their 2008 brand campaign, being commissioned by a top-twenty ad
agency to write a piece for a diversity training tool, receiving a 2011
Independent Music Award nomination for her R&B song “This Time Around”, a
Massachusetts Industry Committee Hip-Hop Award for Spoken Word Artist of the
year, and a New England Urban Music Award for the Best Female Spoken Word Poet.
She holds the distinction of being the only member of the nationally competing
Boston Lizard Lounge Slam team to have earned her position nine years in a row.
Iyeoka is currently partnering with selective arts organizations to present her
WORD SPEAKING TRIBE’S Professional Development Workshops on a 2010 nationwide
tour. A
storyteller to the core, Iyeoka’s hope-filled poems come from within and build
momentum with truth transformed into songs that reemerge as unique, emotionally
complex gifts to her audience, touching on a wide range of issues-love, women,
culture, struggle, relationships, among many others. The buzz surrounding her
poem and songs has garnered her national attention through performances at the
TBS Trumpet Awards, the CBS hip hop show The Source All Access and Russell
Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam airing on HBO. Iyeoka also has opened for the Tony
Award winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway tour at the Colonial Theater in
Boston. Sharing the stage with recording artists Chuck D of Public Enemy, Musiq
Soul Child and Vivian Greene to poets Gil Scot Heron, Sonia Sanchez, and Amiri
Baraka—Iyeoka has held true to her core. Across the
nation, at venues ranging from universities, large concert halls, and neo-soul
clubs to venerable spoken word haunts like the Nuyorican Poets Café; Iyeoka’s
warm spirit, stirring lyrics and passionate performances leave audiences not
only entertained but visibly overcome with emotion. Widely considered one of
the top performance poets in the country, Iyeoka has earned her reputation by
performing on the National Poetry Slam circuit for well over a decade, with the
Jeff Robinson Trio and as a member of the acclaimed Bull Horn Collective and
Blackout Arts Collective. A gifted
performer, Iyeoka’s acting prowess has been featured as the title character in
a PBS documentary on Harriet Tubman, as well as an off-Broadway play produced
by Thema Bryant Davis. Her poem on Rwanda is also featured in a documentary
film “Rwanda Rising” that is Executive Produced by Andrew Young the former
ambassador to the United Nations.
WORKSHOPS Creating
Your Current Anthem The process
of creating your current anthem is a profound practice that helps to uplift the
spirit and reintegrate the subconscious with the paths in life that we hope to
deliberately choose for ourselves. Working with simple moments that trigger
empowerment—breathing, listening, movement, singing anything, speaking in your
words is a cleansing process that reconnects you with your ability to summon
balance and healing. The focus
of this workshop is to introduce participants to a process of exercising the
habitual patterns that feed the creative experience enabling you to create a
composition of celebration and recognition that in every moment we can be truly
present for the motion in our journeys that launches new paths to renewal. Through a
combination of breathing exercises, writing prompts, improvisation, artistic
demonstrations from the facilitators and a supportive environment to explore
the gathering of inspiration, you will have the opportunity to transform your
authentic voice. In addition
to creating your own anthem, you will learn the tools that propel words to
shift from the page to the stage. This workshop is for both the beginner and
experienced writer, the slam poet, actors and even non-writers who seek to
discover the empowering medium of transforming your life with poetry and the
organic ways to express it. The
Testifying Goddess Here we
celebrate our true Goddess nature and learn how to amalgamate her into every
aspect of our creative lives. Here we experience deliberate spiritual
nourishment and attention to recharge our spirits, bodies and our hearts. We
envision the path of strengthening our self-image by cultivating love for our
body, the temple of our spirit. This process shifts participants into
celebrating our enlightened energy at every stage of our journey in life.
Through creative writing exercises and personal testimonies we share about
love, pain, changes, the art of sharing your Testimony, and poetic exploration
within our sacred circle creating a magical blend of unity, the impact of
ritual, laughing, singing, healing, meditating, honoring, opening and
connecting. New friendships in this environment go deep fast, and we create a
community of Testifying Goddesses that can catapult personal connections with
the potential for resonance long after the experience is over. Iyeoka Okoawo is
a Poet and Vocalist and a workshop facilitator for both the youth and adults.
She inspires women to embrace their creative expression and goddess nature, and
enables them to step into their power, opening to the joy of a spiritual and
creative life connection. Iyeoka is a nationally award winning poet and a guest
Visiting Teacher at the Esalen Institute. Iyeoka has hosted “The Testifying
Goddess Weekend” several times with women empowerment retreats and leadership
conferences. What do you
get when you combine Poetry with Storytelling, Comedy, Dramatic Monologue,
Battle Rap, Song, and Dance? You have an art form called Performance Poetry!
What happens when these new performers compete, judged by members of the
audience? You get a Poetry Slam. And what elite final event remains after
thousands of poets from across the globe compete for a year? You get the
Individual World Poetry Slam (iWPS).
Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo is a 10 year slam veteran of this art form, the 2nd
place champion of the 2009 IWPS competition and frequent presenter at the
Esalen Institue, founded in 1962 as an alternative educational center devoted
to the exploration of the human potential. Iyeoka Ivie
Okoawo hosts a Poetry Slam All-Star showcase that includes an option to
participate in a Master Workshop that guides participants in creating their own
current anthem. Workshop
For the Brave New Voice Living as a
professional artist takes initiative and perseverance. If we are to survive doing what we love we
must first find the avenues and pathways to succeed within it. ART AS LIFE
is a new PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM that introduces youth poets to the
ins and outs of creating a viable foundation into navigating potential future
income streams and career opportunities in spoken word. This workshop will give
access to resources for individual art funding, a comprehensive “cheat-sheet”
for establishing a strategic professional resume, and information on expanding
your artistic profile and repertoire beyond the “slam”. Drawing from roundtable discussions,
research on best practices in the spoken-word field, and artists’ on-the-ground
experience, this workshop incorporates a step-by-step overview of the topic,
partner exercises and case studies. We
will present “the process of becoming”, putting your art into action (ie:
teaching, mentoring, project development etc), and working through the
social/familial/political challenges of a career as an artist. Handouts will
include University slam resources, a Find Your Approach list to begin framing
your career strategy, and quick tips for building your support group. Wordshop
Lecture: “Reveal
your anthem, Unveil yourself” Iyeoka is a
poet, recording artist, a 10 year veteran of “slam poetry”, and a 5x finalist
at the National Poetry Slam. Iyeoka is currently the 2nd place 2009 Individual
World Poetry Slam Champion and a recipient of the 2008 National Performance
Network/NCCC Artist of Color Residency Award. Iyeoka Ivie
Okoawo lectures on the impact of poetry on the creation and inspiration of
songwriting and music. The presentation includes an analysis of the direction
and potential of the poetry and music genre to expand into the mainstream. The
goals of the lecture are to inspire poets to explore the options of interacting
and collaborating with musicians from rehearsing to improvisational techniques.
Iyeoka provides exercises that highlight the process of cementing your personal foundation, encouraging artists to
“reveal your anthem, unveil yourself”.
She dialogues with young and seasoned poets alike on techniques of
strengthening your brand to the development and expansion of your current
catalogue of work to categorize your poetry. She speaks of the importance of
identifying your uniqueness and capitalizing on the crafted integration of your
multiple artistic talents. |
copyright: GRIOT GmbH , source: official website Iyeoka |