Heritage Fest Resumes In Person In 2022

Miami FL

26 January, 2022

3:59 PM

Description

By Johania Charles and Bianca Marcof, Miami Times Staff Writers Jan 25, 2022 The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County's third annual Heritage Fest – filled with dancing, music, food and family-friendly activities – returns on Feb. 5, coinciding with the start of Black History Month. After moving to a virtual platform amid a COVID-19 surge last year, Arsht thought it best to host the event in person next month, to help rebuild a sense of community lost during the pandemic and encourage people to find peace and connect with their inner selves. Hosted by Hot 105 FM's Jill Tracey, this year's "Mind, Body, and Soul" theme uplifts Black culture through various art forms while also promoting health and wellness. The free festival, sponsored by Bank of America – visit ArshtCenter.org to RSVP – features meditation with yoga instructor Denetrya Brookins, a dance workshop led by Konpa on the Rise (KOTR) founder Sony Laventure, health screenings, and self-care products sold by local artisans. "Heritage Fest was such a success [in its first year] that we wanted to do this annually," said Bridget Stegall, program manager at the Arsht and a member of the Heritage Festival planning committee. "In this third year, we are focusing on the mind, body and soul. We want to focus on health benefits for the Black community." Stegall told The Miami Times that the event theme, selected by a countywide program committee, aligns with a community need for more mental and physical health resources as people continue to navigate the global health crisis. As customary, the festival will also include a panel discussion, part of a six-month-long Harlem Renaissance salon-like series highlighting the influence of Black art in American culture. The "Race, Intimacy & Expression in Dance" panel, accessible in-person at the festival as well as online, will dive into intersectionality and examine how social injustice has influenced dance and choreography. Panelists Aaron Lopez, Terrence Pride and Melissa Cobblah Gutierrez will share their experiences in the dance world; Michelle Grant-Murray, Olujimi Dance Collective artistic director and an author, will serve as moderator. Through Paint with Faith, a faith-based motivational painting company, attendees will also have an opportunity to participate in creating a community mural. Homegrown talent will grace the Arsht's outdoor stage. The Delou Africa Dance Ensemble, an educational and artistic folklore company headquartered at the Little Haiti Cultural Center, will perform to the tune of West African drums and live musicians. Headliner Kaylan Arnold, a Belizean and Haitian multigenre artist who was exposed to music at a young age, will also perform. Kaylan Arnold will headline Heritage Fest 2022 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. (Kaylan Arnold Via Meta) "I feel blessed and honored to be given this opportunity from the Arsht Center," said Arnold, who has performed at previous shows at the venue. "I really love the idea behind the festival and what it stands for. There aren't very many cultural festivals for Black or 'melanated' people. It's easy to just throw a festival together and say it's for Black people without treating it as such." She told The Miami Times that it's important for the community to be exposed to different cultures, especially for people who may not understand the significance of certain practices, behaviors and customs. And Heritage Fest, she says, provides that opportunity. "We all represent various portions of the African diaspora within the [Heritage Planning] committee," said Stegall, explaining how the festival will bring representation and an authentic portrayal of various cultures. "We try to blend it all together to speak to all those different corners of the diaspora here in Miami." A vendor at Heritage Fest 2020 sells traditional headwear for women. (Eyeworks Production) Arnold shares Stegall's excitement for the event and says she's looking forward to using music as a form of cultural expression and as a unifying tool. "Music speaks, brings people together and makes [them] feel things that they didn't know they could feel," she said. "I think it is the foundation of a lot of cultures. It's essential to the overall makeup of our melanin and [who] we are as a community. I want to touch people without physically touching them and hope to uplift some spirits while I'm there." The 22-year-old singer-songwriter and instrumentalist plans to perform original songs from her debut album, "Hydrate," which was released last year, along with a few covers. "She really brings a very amazing vibe to every performance that she has," said Stegall. "[Kaylan] has this neo-soul Lauryn Hill meets India Reba style [and] is extremely talented as a songwriter and performer." Heritage Fest will be held outdoors with the exception of the panel, which will take place indoors. Girl Scouts pose with a professional face painter after getting their faces painted at Heritage Fest 2020. (Eyeworks Production) "We're really excited to amplify Black voices and welcome the entire Miami community to have a wonderful time at the Arsht," added Stegall. If you go Heritage Fest 2022 Saturday, Feb. 5; starts at 3 p.m. Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33132 305.949.6722 and ArshtCenter.org Masks will be required at the event and proof of a recent negative COVID test, excluding at home tests, is required for entry. Proof of vaccination is accepted in lieu of a negative test. Visit ArshtCenter.org to RSVP for this free event. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.