Renaissance Gyal 

Organization: HartBeat Ensemble Inc. 

Date(s): May 27, June 24, July 22

Rain Date(s): May 28, June 25, July 23,

Time: 2:00 PM-5:00 PM 

Location: We are partnering with the Butler McCook House Garden

Description of the Event: 

“Renaissance Gyal” is an artistic spring/summer series that includes two family-friendly gatherings and two full-length, choreographic productions, with live music, set on a cast of four Hartford-based young Black women dancers and a 12-person, Black woman-led band. Inspired by the Renaissance, “Renaissance Gyal” frames Black creativity in movement, music, art and style as a continuous cultural boom deserving of both deference and celebration. The proposed version of the project will be a multi-day outdoor experience that invites a Black majority, an intergenerational audience to engage in accessible contemporary dance, costuming, and storytelling that is culturally specific, familiar, and captivating. Overarchingly, “Renaissance Gyal” explores the ways in which Black women have set a precedent for culture in America, while simultaneously being erased. Through each movement, song, and monologue, the piece tells the stories of those of Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Afro-American, and African heritage who have come to make America home.  

The series will unfold from May through July 2023, including two family-friendly garden parties and two full-length productions at the Butler McCook House and Garden and at Elizabeth Park in Hartford. Our alternative park locations are Keney Park or Pope Park. For each garden party, audiences will partake in celebrating Black culture through an excerpt of the production; where they will be introduced to the concepts and sounds and learn movement in preparation to witness and participate in the full-length show. These garden parties will also feature a local Black DJ, lawn games, a local Black chef providing catering, ways to share stories, and opportunities to mingle with featured performing artists. Both the full-length productions and garden parties will utilize the natural environment of the historic spaces which they inhabit, making these garden/park spaces come to life in their storytelling.