CommUNITY

CommUNITY and JazzEast present a night of words and music featuring team-poetry pros Dwayne Morgan and Tomy Bewick

Spoken word artists Dwayne Morgan (Toronto) and Tomy Bewick (Burlington) headline two back-to-back presentations of the CommUNITY series on Saturday, February 2, 2013, at The Sonic Temple.

Presented in partnership with JazzEast, February’s CommUNITY event will also feature new music from host Verena Rizg, and musicians Tim Crofts (keys) and Doug Cameron (percussion) in collaboration with poets on the open mic. Performances take place at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Both shows will showcase Dwayne and Tomy as solo artists and also as a team-poetry powerhouse duo.

Spoken word artist Dwayne Morgan has been touring and performing for more than a decade. He’s widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading performers and promoters of spoken word, having shared the stage with some of Canada’s top artists including K-OS, Kardinal Offishal, Jully Black and Nelly Furtado, and opening for international artists like Alicia Keys and Drake. Dwayne is the founder and host of Toronto’s International Poetry Slam, and a member of the Up From The Roots Toronto Slam Team which took first place honours at the 2012 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.

Tomy Bewick's work is focused on community building, youth outreach and artist mentoring. He is the founder of Open Minds Respect Events such as the annual clothing drive “Straight to the Streets” and the monthly poetry slam “The Burlington Slam Project”. Known for his passionate presence and purpose-filled performance style, he’s represented Toronto on the Canadian National stage multiple times, performed across Canada and the US, and is a four-time finalist at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.

Admission for both shows is by donation. During the second show Hellafactz, Akilah Silverstein and Dominique Oliver-Dares will compete in a charitable poetry slam. The winner will receive proceeds from the night's door to donate to their charity of choice.

The Sonic Temple is located at 1674 Hollis Street in downtown Halifax. For event information contact info@wordrhythm.com or info@jazzeast.com

The CommUNITY Series is presented by Poets 4 Change (a project of Wordrhythm Productions) with funding support from the Canada Council for the Arts. Since 2011 the series has showcased spoken word artists and musicians from around the country and – through generous audience donations – raised funds for charitable organizations at home and abroad.

Since 1987 the non-profit organization JazzEast Rising has presented a diverse range of musical and educational activities including the TD Halifax Jazz Festival. For more information about JazzEast and the 2013 Halifax Jazz Festival taking place July 5-13 visit http://www.jazzeast.com/ or follow JazzEast on Facebook and @HFXJazzFest.