RI Music & RI Hip Hop, PrYSM Style
Photos and article by Reza Corinne Clifton. Click here to see more photos.
Two members of the band Zawadi, Aamala Douangsavanh and Desiree Nash. Click here to see more photos from the night.
PROVIDENCE, RI - On Saturday, November 11 the organization, Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM), hosted a membership meeting and hip hop show at the Providence nightclub Platforms. PrYSM has been in existence for five years working to empower youth and highlight issues effecting RI’s Southeast Asian communities. It was a fact celebrated and reinforced at last Saturday’s event.
At the meeting, the organization shared early results from a survey they conducted to “understand the needs of Southeast Asian youth in Providence.” To better understand beliefs and practices concerning education, police-relations, drugs and alcohol, and gang involvement, PrYSM collected results from 365 Cambodian, Laotian, and Hmong Providence residents between the ages of 14 and 28. The results shared Saturday night—about HIV testing, school attendance, and opinions on community needs—represented only the beginning of the data they’ve compiled.
Organizers at PrYSM should be applauded for their success at exposing attendees to a variety of experiences and information. Besides survey results, PrYSM organizers also offered attendees a chance to participate in the elections process for their board of directors, a process which included holding a quasi-debate with all of the potential board members.
Members from the dance troupe, Off da Curb. Click here to see more photos from the night.
But the other type of experience offered to attendees was the entertainment. This included an improvised drag show put on by three voluntary male audience members, and it included several performances: Zawadi; Dysphunctional Family; a single member of the Denver, Colorado-based Flobots; Case Closed and Off da Curb. Case Closed and Off da Curb, two local dance troupes, stunned the crowd with their different interpretations of hip hop dance. Dysphunctional Family an energetic, rap group, introduced the entertainment with its fun party lyrics while Johnny Five displayed crafts that included delivering lyrics in Spanish and English. Local band, Zawadi—lead by front women Ammala Douangsavanh and Desiree Nash—impressed the audience with a powerful political message and eclectic style that mixes spoken word, hip hop, and jazz.
Enlightening and entertaining—a new model? Maybe not. A job well done? Absolutely. Click here to see more photos of the performances.
For more information about the PrYSM Youth Survey results or about the organization itself, call 401-419-5713 or visit www.prysm.us.
Reza Corinne Clifton is a community organizer for high school reform at RI Children’s Crusade for Higher Education. She is also a freelance writer who is regularly published in several RI-area publications. Her articles can be seen at www.RezaRitesRi.com and she can be reached by emailing rezaclif@aol.com.
reza | Women in RI, Leaders/Organizations/Businesses in RI, Art, Dance