March 16: The Reminders

Saturday, March 16, 2019
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Elias J. Halling Recital Hall

MANKATO, Minn. – The Building Bridges: Arts, Culture and Identity grant program in association with the Minnesota State University, Mankato Performance Series presents The Reminders (pictured at right), a Colorado based hip-hop/soul duo joined by hip-hop dancer and choreographer Amirah Sackett, an internationally recognized hip-hop dancer, choreographer and teacher based in Chicago.

During their three-day residency, the artists will be actively engaged with community organizations, schools, and the University delivering workshops and talks that are free and open to the public.

Topping off their residency will be a public performance on Saturday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. on the Elias J. Halling Recital Hall stage in the Earley Center for Performing Arts, 320 Maywood Ave.

The Reminders are a rare and remarkable musical duo seamlessly blending soulful sounds and roots music with insightful messages and thoughtful lyrics. The group consists of Brussels-born emcee Big Samir and Queens-born emcee/vocalist Aja Black. Big Samir weaves intricate rhythmic patterns with a bilingual French/English flow, displaying his street-smart credibility in both his lyrics and cool demeanor. This is beautifully complimented by Aja Black's confident delivery, diverse cadences, and unique vocal stylings. The two have an undeniable magical chemistry as they share more than lyrical abilities and stages; the couple shares a partnership in both music and life as Samir and Aja have been married for almost a decade.

Sackett (pictured at left) explores and embodies her Muslim American identity through combining hip-hop movement and Islamic culture. She is widely known for her choreography and performance ensemble creation, “We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic.”

Sackett was honored as one of the first female hip-hop artists to receive the Jerome Travel/ Study grant in 2008 and traveled to Rotterdam, Holland to study and train at Hip Hop Huis. She curated the international festival for women in Hip- Hop, B-Girl Be in 2009-2010 at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis. Most recently, she was chosen to be a Tedx speaker at TedxAmoskeagMillyard in New Hampshire. Huffington Post featured Amirah in their article, “17 Muslim American Women Who Made America Great in 2016.” Amirah believes hip-hop culture, as a whole, gives voice to those often unheard and is a way to uplift, inspire, and bring change to those communities that need it the most.

These activities are made possible in part by a grant from the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, and Building Bridges: Arts, Culture, and Identify, a component of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

Admission to the March 16 concert is $12 for community members and $11 for University students with a valid MavCARD. Discount tickets are available online for University students. Advance purchase is encouraged.

Those who wish to purchase tickets online should go to www.mnsu.edu/music. For more information, call the Performance Series office, (507) 389-5549.