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(EMAILWIRE.COM, January 29, 2008 ) New York NY – In honor of Black History Month, the Apollo Family is proud to premiere REPRESENT! a Celebration of Young Talent at the Apollo, a brand new showcase series celebrating young and up-and-coming artists of varying disciplines from throughout the New York City area . The event will spotlight a select group of promising young talent including 2008 Oscar(Best Song) nominees Impact Repertory Theatre; the children’s African dance troupe, Batoto Yetu; all brass gospel ensemble, Harlem Heavenly Notes; classical music trio and siblings JoSunJari and Harbor Latin Youth Ensemble, a salsa band from the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts. Hosted by spoken word artists, The Mayhem Poets, the program will also feature a special performance from Atlantic Recording artist and Akeelah & the Bee star KeKe Palmer, who will perform selections from her debut album “So Uncool.”. Sunday, February 17th at 5pm. Tickets are just $12, $10 for groups of 5 or more, and are available through the Apollo Theater Box Office, 125th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, (212) 531-5305 and Ticketmaster, (212) 307-7171 or www.ticketmaster.com/venue/6.
REPRESENT!, part of the Apollo’s new Family Series, honors the arts and the power of creative self-expression and features talented youth from New York City-based arts ensembles performing African dance, inspirational music, hip hop repertory theater, classical strings and Afro-Caribbean Latin music. These talented pre-professionals use music, dance, theater and poetry to entertain and enlighten — delivering vibrant performances that illustrate an independence of body and spirit. Harkening back to the variety show format, the premise of REPRESENT! was derived from the Apollo’s rich tradition of showcasing emerging acts on its famous stage and launching the careers of many young artists who went on to become music icons including Stevie Wonder, Stephanie Mills and Lauryn Hill. With REPRESENT! family audiences will experience the budding artistry of five very different groups performing on the stage of one of the world’s most revered theaters.
“I am fired up about REPRESENT!” says the show’s producer, Monique Martin. “In one word it says so much about who these young people are. They signify, embody, and exemplify the potential of youth and the transformative power of the arts. Mass media does not dictate popular culture for them -- through the arts, they define it for themselves.”
About Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer was born Lauren Keyana Palmer in Robbins, IL, a small town just outside Chicago. Although the talented singer/actress’ first love is music, the multi talented teen is best known for her performance as the lead character in the acclaimed film Akeelah and the Bee, and her role shortly after in Tyler Perry’s film a # 1 box office hit, Medea’s Family Reunion. Her film and television credits also include the critically acclaimed CBS series Cold Case, Barbershop 2: Back in Business and a number of nationally televised commercials, just to name a few. To date, KeKe is the youngest actress to ever receive a nomination in a lead Actress category from the Screen Actors Guild. The rising star’s debut album “So Uncool” is comprised of youthful and fun material, ranging from up-tempo R&B to inspirational songs.
About IMPACT Repertory Theatre
IMPACT Repertory Theatre (IMPACT) is a free program that offers performing arts and leadership training to develop and empower young people ages 12 to 18. Based in Harlem, New York City, IMPACT was founded in 1997 and operates as a major branch of New Heritage Theatre Group (NHTG), which was established in 1964 and is one of the oldest Black non-profit theatre companies in New York City. Most recently, IMPACT was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song with their song Raise It Up for the motion picture AUGUST RUSH.
Since its inception, IMPACT has staged more than 350 performances to live audiences totaling well over 150,000. Highlights include shows at the United Nations, Lincoln Center, the US Open, the Apollo Theater, Million Family March, Columbia University, the New York City Marathon, the Tribeca Performing Arts Center and National Black Theater. IMPACT has also shared the same stage with Kanye West, LL Cool J, Nona Hendryx, Musiq Soulchild, Floetry, Foxy Brown, Bun B, Remy Ma, and Reverend Run..
About Batoto Yetu
Batoto Yetu is a Manhattan-based community arts organization founded in 1990 by Júlio T. Leitão with the goal of preserving the culture of Angola and Central and Southwest Africa. Committed to fostering the healthy creative and social development of children through the expressive medium of dance, Batoto Yetu has worked diligently to bring traditional African dance and culture to children of African descent, cultivating self-awareness and esteem through the performing arts.
About JoSunJari
JoSunJari is a sibling trio of young classical string musicians. They have delighted audiences at various venues including, the Harvard Club of New York, the Jewish Community Center on Manhattan's upper west side, the St. Nick's Pub in Harlem, the Harlem Arts Alliance, and Calvary Baptist Church on the lower west side. JoSunJari has also delivered spontaneous concerts in Central Park, Soho, Lincoln Square, Washington Square Park and Brooklyn Heights. The trio are currently students at the Manhattan School of Music.
JoSunJari takes their name from each of the siblings who comprise this talented trio: Joelle, age 16; Sunnaj, age10 and 6 year old Sujari.
About Harlem Heavenly Notes
Harlem Heavenly Notes, nicknamed "The Holy Ghost Band" by a Pastor from their church, the House of Prayer, exude spirituality through the sounds of their horns. A gospel brass band that consists of 17 young men, the group started in 1996 and members Anthony Threatt, Warnell Sheppard, Selwyn Deshazo, Dannon Woodard, Rasheen Gamble, Dareen Smothers and Jonathan Davis have been with the band since its inception. Playing in the church, in the streets of Manhattan and recently in Sweden to teach college students about their musical timing, they have made a commitment to increase the spirituality wherever they go.
The Harbor Latin Youth Ensemble
The Harbor Latin Youth Ensemble is comprised of the most advanced student ages 12–19 enrolled in the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Art’s Pre-Professional Latin Music Program, led by Conservatory Director Ramon Rodriguez. Since 1970, the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts, a division of Boys & Girls Harbor, has played an important role in preserving and perpetuating Afro-Caribbean Latin music. In 2006, the ensemble was the subject of the PBS documentary, “Mi Mambo”, which aired nationally during Hispanic Heritage month as part of Cantos Latinos programming. The ensemble was also featured in a special video on Latino arts and culture in New York filmed specifically for the 2006 Latin GRAMMYs.
The Harbor Latin Youth Ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall, Americas Society, Museum Mile Festival, El Museo del Barrio with Jimmy Bosch, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Celebrate Brooklyn, and with Eddie Palmieri and his Afro-Caribbean jazz Septet. The ensemble has been featured on Univision's Despierta America as well as in People Magazine. On February 16, 2007, the Harbor Latin Youth Ensemble appeared as special guests for the Columbia Harlem Jazz Project’s, “Here Comes the Latin Sun,” Eddie Palmieri and his Afro-Caribbean Jazz Septet featuring the great Eddie Palmieri and Brian Lynch.
About Mayhem Poets
Utilizing hip-hop rhythms and dynamic theatrical techniques, the Mayhem Poets - Kyle Sutton, Scott Tarazevits and Mason Granger - have developed powerful performances and workshops to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to craft and perform original poetry. The Mayhem Poets have brought their experience to such notable venues as the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, New Hampshire, The Kilkenny Arts Festival in Kilkenny, Ireland, The New Victory Theater in Times Square New York and the Calgary International Children's Festival, as well as countless school districts, universities, detention centers, hospitals, poetry-slams and open mics.
The Apollo Family Series
For many adults, particularly those who grew up in Harlem, The Apollo Theater was their first exposure to the performing arts and has long served as a source of first discovery of live music, dance and theater. The Apollo Family Series extends the ApolloÂ’s commitment to enhancing the life of the community through programs that engage parents, children and extended family members.
About The Apollo Theater
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul and hip-hop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, DÂ’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the ApolloÂ’s stage. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designation in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Apollo Theater Foundation was established as a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit corporation in 1991 and is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Apollo Theater. The historic venue hosts major concerts and special events and continues its tradition of discovering future stars with its weekly installment of Apollo Amateur Night every Wednesday night and with the syndicated television show, Showtime at the Apollo, which is taped at the theater and airs weekly in over 150 markets nationwide. Harlem is Manhattan's third most popular tourist destination and the Apollo remains Harlem's top attraction, drawing 1.3 million visitors annually.
The world famous Apollo Theater, “where stars are born and legends are made” ™ is located in the heart of Harlem at 253 West 125 Street, between Adam Clayton Powell Blvd (7th Ave.) and Frederick Douglass Blvd (8th Ave.). For further information about the Apollo Theater, visit the website at www.apollotheater.org
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Nina Flowers, PR Manager
January 23, 2008
Tel: 212/531-5334
nina.flowers@apollotheater.org
Apollo Theater
Nina Flowers,
212/531-5334
nina.flowers@apollotheater.org 
Source: EmailWire.com
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