Arts and Performance
Spoken Word/Poetry Performer
Hasan Davis' poetry and performance is powerful. He can be intense and light-hearted. He can bellow out a poem from the bowels of his viscera or he can whisper words that linger in the air, echoing and calling to our souls. His poetry is reflective, using the narrative a great deal. The power of his work is his ability to craft characters that are full and round and then deliver them to you on stage.
Mississippi Vibes Nov 1999
The arts play a vital role in the development of youth and communities. Hasan has committed himself to providing or creating opportunities for the arts to be the catalyst for social change and positive growth. The power of the arts is in its ability to transform young people and uplift communities. Whether in performance or extended residency Hasan Davis can add a creative twist to the educational services you provide.
Hasan views poetry as a living medium. One that can give voice to our inner hopes and fears. Hasan's poetry is an in your face spoken word style that has won him high regard nationally. The majority of his writing is focused on issues of race and gender - specifically the struggle of being Black and Male in America. Although molded by urban America, Hasan has found that rural audiences find a strong connection to his work. The struggle for identity and purpose echoed in his poetry are universal. His goal is to show that poetry is not just words in a book, written without knowledge of the trials inherent in modern society. It can speak to life, our life.
To sample Hasan's Poetry Click
Both performances where created with the support of the Kentucky Humanities Council.
As a performer and arts educator, Hasan's work has been selectively showcased and supported by arts and humanities agencies on the local and national level, including:
Kentucky Arts Council-Arts Education roster1999-2000
Kentucky Center for the Arts-Arts Education Showcase roster 1999-2000
Alternate ROOTS-Residency and tour program-1999-2003
Kentucky Arts Council-Performing arts on Tour Roster-2002-2003
Kentucky Humanities Council-Chautauqua, Living History program 1997-1999, 2001-2003
Heartland Chautauqua-Summer Tent tour-1999-2000
Hasan has also worked with arts and community service agencies to develop Arts and Justice Community residencies which allow host communities to build an experience which can be enhanced by the work going on in the other areas of Empowerment Solutions. Adding youth development or community forums to the traditional artist role in the community creates an opportunity for greater impact.
The arts provide a greater appreciation and value of the diversity of experiences around us
Hasan Davis is a living history performer, poet, storyteller and artist in residence using his talent for the written and spoken word to enhance his connection with the diverse communities he serves, and provide a context for considering, understanding and possibly resolving instances of stereotyping, prejudice and other divisive issues griping our communities.
Hasan currently tours and performs two one- man shows nationally as a springboard for community conversations into the need to uncover the hidden history of America, providing validation and affirmation of the presence of people of color at all levels and areas of American Life.
The Long Climb to Freedom: Slave, Soldier, Scholar is a dramatization of the Life of Angus Augustus Burleigh who escaped the bonds of slavery and went on to become an educator and minister.
York: Black Explorer of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is Hasan's latest piece, examines the life of the African-American man known only as York was a distinguished member of the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803. But when the explorers returned to "civilization" three years later, York was returned to a position of insignificance and inferiority.
