photo by AVC Photography

Pi Provocateurs Presents 

Black Space Jam

Produced by Black Space Media/Afro Van Connect 

March 3, 2023 | 8pm-11pm | Biltmore Cabaret | 2755 Prince Edward Avenue

Tickets:  $15-$20 (plus applicable venue fees) at pitheatre.com

(Vancouver, B.C.) – Pi Theatre, as part of its Provocateurs Series, is pleased to present Black Space Jam – an evening of multidisciplinary art – on Friday, March 3 at the Biltmore Cabaret.

Produced by Black Space Media/Afro Van Connect, Black Space Jam (BSJ) is a live performance showcase that provides local and international artists of African descent a platform to share and promote their artwork. This showcase intentionally amplifies, celebrates, and centers Black creatives and the Black Experience. BSJ was created to enhance the visibility of youth of African descent within the local arts and culture community. This platform was made by artists for artists to create opportunities for skill cultivation and brand promotion.

The theme of the night is cultural renaissance. Featuring dance, spoken word, stand-up comedy, music and a live DJ, BSJ offers attendees a cultural experience and spectrum of Black art. The event will also host various culturally relevant vendors selling their locally made goods. Each artist will perform 20 minute sets from 8pm to 11pm with time between sets for artists, vendors, and audience members to mingle with one another.

The lineup for Black Space Jam includes the following artists:

Shayna Jones (spoken word/poetry)

Shayna is an award-winning professional performance artist specializing in the Traditional Oral Storytelling of African and Afro-Diasporic Folklore. As a professionally trained actor, vocalist and fine mover, Shayna has performed for audiences across Canada. As a folklorist, Shayna combines her passion for live performance with the in-depth study of Afrocentric Folk History, Folklore, and Contemporary Experience.

DJ Bazenga (music)

Bazenga, an international DJ and Curator based in Vancouver, B.C., uses music to create infectious playlists, dance grooves, and a feel-good atmosphere.

Brotha Jason (dance)

Jason Bempong, also known as Brotha Jason, is a multidisciplinary artist “manifesting through many mediums” through dance, fashion, graphic design, animation, acting, and modelling. While juggling these art forms, Bempong spends most of his time focusing on Sleepless Mindz, his art and fashion brand, dance and dance battles, and acting. Sleepless Mindz combines major influences from Bempong’s childhood – primarily 90s cartoons like Rugrats and Ninja Turtles and anime like Dragon Ball Z, but also elements from the 80s, 90s, early 2000s, and his Ghanaian heritage.

Mufaro Mbudzi (stand-up comedy)

Mufaro is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who has been featured at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, comedy clubs across Canada, and as an MC for music and concerts. He has self-produced two comedy specials and has gained great popularity in Vancouver where he now hosts his own comedy show, “Scheduled Meditation”, bringing together comics and audiences of notable diversity in an intimate environment.

ebonEmpress (music)

ebonEmpress (aka Dae Shields) is the founder and Executive Director of Afro Van Connect Society, a community advocate, musician, MC, designer, and curator. Under her stage name, she blends hip hop, neo-soul and R&B, and shares her lived experience as a woman of African descent, spreading a message of unity and acceptance. She is committed to spreading awareness about the injustice faced by African communities and showcasing the impact people of African descent have on Canadian and global cultures.

KOR (music)

KOR (aka Osmoses x) is a community activist, artist, director, writer, designer, cultural curator, co-founder of Afro Van Connect, and Executive Director of Black Space Media. KOR’s art and music reflects his African descent culture and heritage. Fusing elements of hip-hop, R&B, Afrobeat and soul, KOR uses his art to promote African descent culture and messages of empowerment, love, unity, and equality.

For more information on Pi Theatre, please visit the following social media channels:

Website: www.pitheatre.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/pitheatre

Instagram: www.instagram.com/pi.theatre

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pitheatre