Black Arts Movement: BAM! The sound of creativity

BAM! It's a sound that gets your attention, that makes you snap to and turn your head to see what's up. In this case, what's up is the second installment of Black Arts Movement, the performing-arts festival from ProArts Collective that showcases the current surge of creativity among the nation's African-American artists. Dance, theatre, hip-hop, spoken word, and a range of music from jazz to soul are all represented in the two-week celebration, which brings in artists from across the country to perform alongside outstanding Austin talent. This year, that includes dynamic spoken-word ensemble the Universes and Urban Ballet Theater from New York, Phoenix-based jazz saxophonist Marion Meadows and Detroit jazz flautist Althea Rene, playwright/performer Michael Fosberg from Chicago, and dancers from Spelman College in Atlanta, with local lights such as Zell Miller III, Chandra Washington, and the performers of UpRise! Productions. To the right is a snapshot of the schedule. For more information, visit www.proartsaustin.org. Unless otherwise noted, festival events take place at Boyd Vance Theatre in the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina.

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Black & Latino Playwright Conference

Readings of new plays by African-American and Latino playwrights from Texas State University.

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 7pm,Boyd Vance Theatre

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An Evening of New Dance

Performances from Urban Ballet Theater (New York), Spelman College (Atlanta), and UpRise! Productions (Austin).

Thursday, Sept. 27, 8pm, Boyd Vance Theatre

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The Universes

The multidisciplinary ensemble that fuses poetry, theatre, jazz, and hip-hop into a singular style of performance returns to Austin with a "best of" show that tracks the evolution of the group's poetic language from childhood rhymes and community rituals to poetry and theatre, hip-hop and gospel.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 7pm, and Monday, Oct. 1, 8pm, the Off Center, 2211-A Hidalgo

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Incognito

Chicago-based writer/actor/director Michael Fosberg presents his very personal and widely acclaimed solo show about discovering, after 32 years of believing he was white, that his biological father is African-American. Does this new discovery change his racial makeup and in what way?

Thursday, Oct. 4, 8pm, Boyd Vance Theatre

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Spoken Word Caravan

Spoken word, slam poetry, and music from Austin performers Chandra Washington (word/jazz, First Night Austin) and Zell Miller III (The Evidence of Silence Broken).

Friday, Oct. 5, 8pm, the Off Center, 2211-A Hidalgo

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SoulFest

Music festival featuring jazz saxophonist Marion Meadows, saxophonist Kyle Turner, guitarist Michael Ward, flautist Althea Rene, vocalist Werner Richmond, and local R&B/soul band Urban Soul.

Saturday, Oct. 6, 6pm, at Kenny Dorham's Backyard, 1106 E. 11th