This article examines how preparing soul foods comprised of cultural, social and personal constructions have manifested themselves into a performative representation of Black identities. I will analyze the preparation of popular Black American cuisines such as hot water cornbread and collard greens. Given the popularity of these soul foods, I will look for ways they inform and reveal the cultural, social and personal constructions that influence perceptions of Black identities and performances of blackness. This article is a way of discovering how food can contribute to the memory, meaning, and meaningfulness of Black experiences.

This panel explores the relationship among anti-racist pedagogies, African diasporic spiritual practices, and dance performance and movement. When fused, these practices can often create spaces for community-care that normalize what healing looks like among performers. According to Nicole M. Monteiro and Diana J. Wall in their article African Dance as Healing Modality Throughout the Diaspora,

In the African worldview, dance is a conduit of individual and community healing. Rituals of the African diaspora that involve dance play an essential role in relieving and treating symptoms of psychological distress, as well as neutralize and lessen the impact of psychological trauma. (233-234)

Anti-racist pedagogies promote the urgency of dismantling systems of intersecting race and gender oppression that offer the possibilities for re-formed and reparative dance foundations, promoting the ability to create something new. In Dasha A. Chapman and Mario LaMothe’s recent article with AfroFem Cohort in Dance Research August 2021, AfroFem artist, Lēnablou, talks about how Guadeloupean Gwoka rhythms and dances intertwine with spiritual diasporic concepts like “Bigidi mè pa tonbé” (which translates as “to stumble but not fall”), corporeally recreate dance methodologies to combat gender and racial oppression. Lēnablou states,

I am deeply conscious that I use my art––dance, the concept of Bigidi as a foundation for my contemporary technique, Techni’ka––as a weapon sheathed with a lot of love in order to touch what is intimate about women as well as men. This feminine energy animates my reflections about the Caribbean body, to say to the new generation: do not be afraid, dare to conquer the world. (16)

This panel looks deeply at how dance and movement performers, scholars, activist, teaching artists, and artist-scholars are archiving new and invigorating dance and movement methodologies inspired by anti-racist pedagogies and African diasporic spiritual practices.

June 3, 2022

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Michelle Gibbs, assistant professor of theatre arts at Illinois Wesleyan University, was among several storytellers and educators who presented at the Story Crossroads Annual Festival in Salt Lake County, Utah, last month.

The storytelling festival featured 15 professional, multicultural story artists and more than 40 community members telling on stage. Bilingual and cultural performers combined arts to bring the stories forward for the audience. Stories were told with ancient technique while incorporating new approaches to these traditions. 

The title of Gibbs’ lecture was “Memorializing the Folk: Uncovering Black Folk Oral Traditions in Zora Neale Hurston’s ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God.’”

“I offered some ways of reading and interpreting Hurston's groundbreaking novel about, among many things, gender and Black folk subcultures, that encouraged audiences to see themselves and how they tell stories as a form of relationship building," said Gibbs.

Gibbs said she crafted the presentation with a high school audience in mind, but the themes of her talk are universal. 

“It was an honor to introduce Hurston to a new generation of students who can see themselves in the story and learn to appreciate such a rich and inspiring literary masterpiece,” she said. “It's a presentation for anyone who wants to get to know Hurston, gender and Black folk subcultures, and/or the novel better."

A video of Gibbs’ presentation and other content from the festival is available to view at storycrossroads.org/festival for a fee through June 15.

As a nonprofit organization, Story Crossroads aims to gather and unify people across generations and cultures to celebrate stories and promote creative communities that thrive through strengthened communication, preservation and empathy.

By Julia Perez

June 11, 2021

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Michelle Gibbs is among 25 scholars from across the country selected to participate in the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute focused on the works of Zora Neale Hurston.

Hosted by The Project on the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas, “Hurston on the Horizon: Past, Present and Future” will take place virtually July 11-30. From nearly 100 applicants, the 25 selected scholars will work with top Hurston literary scholars from the U.S. and abroad, engaging with Hurston’s work by participating in synchronous discussions, observing asynchronous presentations, and collaborating on research and teaching projects.

“I’ve spent time researching and writing about Zora Neale Hurston and her love for Black Theatre,” said Gibbs. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to be in community with other Hurston scholars who I know will continue to nuance my understanding of such an important Black cultural icon.”

Hurston was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on hoodoo and Voodoo. The most popular of her four novels is Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937.

In addition to the virtual summer institute, there will be a series of webinars in the fall providing an opportunity to connect with contemporary writers. The group will also be invited to reconvene on-site at the 2022 Zora! Festival in Eatonville, Florida. The festival is a major event for Hurston’s hometown and sponsored by P.E.C., Preservation for the Eatonville Community, which serves as the institute’s partner organization. 

The institute is organized by project director Ayesha Hardison, University of Kansas professor of English and women, gender & sexuality studies, and by Maryemma Graham, University Distinguished Professor and founder of the Project on the History of Black Writing.

By John Twork

In a live Instagram interview, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Michelle Gibbs discussed IWU's work with Brownbody for faculty-staff workshops, and plans for a workshop for theatre students on using the creative arts to promote anti-racist advocacy.

WGLT Radio. NPR from Illinois State University