Good Vibes
Arms flail about, legs stomp the stage, brown eyes focus on the crowd. Out of his mouth comes a whirlwind of powerful, often profound, poetry. This is what Daniel Beaty is known for when he takes the stage.
An African-American vocal artist from Def Jam Poetry, Beaty performs his slam poetry on Afro-ethnic racial issues to a worldwide audience. He has won various awards and has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Yale University, an NAACP National Convention and even the White House.
On Sept. 11, he will add Syracuse University’s Schine Student Center to the list when he performs at 7:30 p.m. during ‘Verbally Vibing,’ an annual event hosted by the Black Artist League. The event is free and tickets are available at the Schine Box Office.
‘Verbally Vibing’, named to describe an artist expressing himself through words, will feature lyrical, spoken words and poetry performances by students, said Black Artist League President LeShana Brantley. There will also be an open microphone to give event-goers a rare opportunity to speak whatever is on their mind.
Beaty will perform according to the ‘vibe’ he gets from his audience, going along with the theme of the show and basing his performance on real-life situations, said Nancy Cleavland, public relations chair of the Black Artist League.
‘This is different from other jazz and comedy nights we have hosted,’ Brantley said.
During the summer Brantley compiled a list of spoken-word artists that could potentially be the voice and face of the Black Artist League at this year’s event. She first encountered Beaty while watching his slam poetry performance, ‘Knock Knock,’ and she was convinced that he would be the perfect fit for SU.
Clevland agreed and said Beaty appropriately represents the struggles of being African-American and will send a positive message to the black community, encouraging them of their ability to ‘do more, do better.’
Raised with a drug-addicted brother and a father with a criminal past, Beaty looked to figures like Martin Luther King Jr. who were ‘choosing a different path and affecting people in a different way,’ he told Broadway Buzz in 2006.
With this past, he is able to relay hope and inspiration through his poetry.
‘I was struck by his stage presence,’ Cleavland said. ‘He captivates and takes over the stage. It’s right in your face, you get to be part of the action and it pulls you into his performance.’
Published on September 9, 2009 at 12:00 pm
