SAT, DEC 7 I 7PM ET
Harlem Stage’s WaterWorks Artists Program provides commissioning grants to emerging artists of the Global Majority. The year-long program offers a commissioning grant, peer- to-peer learning among a multidisciplinary cohort, mentorship, critical feedback, and professional development workshops. Artists develop an original performance piece, presented as part of a work-in-progress artist spotlight. The 2024 cohort comprises: dancer, vocalist, choreographer, and writer Marie Lloyd Paspe; kathak dancer, choreographer, and educator Barkha Patel; actor, author, podcaster, playwright, and storyteller Christopher Rivas; writer, independent producer, and director Marie Thomas; and saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins.
Marie Lloyd Paspe is a Filipina American dance/vocal performer, choreographer, and writer. Bessie-awarded for Outstanding Choreography for contributions to Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane’s
“Deep Blue Sea,” performer with BTJ/AZ since 2018, 2022 A4 Jadin Wong Fellow, 2023 Gallim Moving Artist Resident, and 2024 TMT Institute Fellow. Her work re-roots the diasporic Asian body through memory and empathetic belonging in ‘kapwa’ (shared one-ness) within foreign environments. Features include premieres in Philippines, China, Israel, Germany; MASS MoCA, and press in The New York Times.
Barkha Patel is a kathak dancer, choreographer, educator, and the Artistic Director of Barkha Dance Company based in New York City. A touring artist, Barkha has performed solo and ensemble works at dance festivals in India and the U.S.
Her work has been presented at venues such as Dance Theatre Harlem, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Joyce Theatre, Lincoln Center: Out of Doors, Little Island Dance Festival, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NJPAC and SOPAC. She has been awarded a choreographic fellowship with NJPAC and an Individual Artist grant from Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation and New Jersey State Council of the Arts.
Barkha was a Dance/USA Institute for Leadership mentee and fellow with Forge NYC consulting. She was named a 2022-2023 fellow with the National Arts Club, a recipient of the 2023 Juried Bessie Award, and a 2024 Princess Grace Award recipient.
Christopher Rivas is an actor, author, podcaster, playwright, and storyteller. His critically acclaimed debut book, Brown Enough, explores what it means to be Brown in America. The book is part memoir and part social commentary, a roller coaster of finding one’s true self while simultaneously having a racial awakening amidst the struggle to be “perfectly” Latinx, woke, and as Brown as possible to make it in today’s America.
He’s the host and executive producer of two podcasts with SiriusXM’s Stitcher: Brown Enough, which explores the parallel themes of this book through interview-style episodes; and Rubirosa, a 10-episode documentary-style investigation of Porfirio Rubirosa, a Dominican diplomat, race car driver, soldier, and polo player who’s believed to be the inspiration for the famous character ‘James Bond’. On screen, Rivas is known for his work on the Fox series, Call Me Kat, opposite Mayim Bialik.
Marie Thomas is a published writer, independent producer, and director. As a modern-day renaissance woman, Thomas has shown her original theater production The Noir Door in Denver and New York City, having sold out in both cities. She has appeared in New York Magazine’s ‘The Cut’ podcast and CNN’s Head Line News, as an advocate of women’s rights and against sexual abuse.
She is a Black and Chicanisma woman from Denver, Colorado, with a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from Spelman College. While she has written, produced, and directed projects for others, her work often mirrors her persona. Her contemporary style, use of humor, and otherwise bold and playful aesthetic can be found in her creations and brand. Her personal artistic ethos centers cultural awareness through Afro-surrealism, ancestral thought, and magical realism.
Alto saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins burst onto the musical scene in 2020 with the release of his Blue Note recording debut, Omega. Although just 22 at the time of its release, his quartet had already been together for years and their musicality is reflected in both the maturity of Wilkins’ sound and the sophistication and depth of his compositions. Accolades soon followed, including Omega being named the best new jazz release of 2020 by the The New York Times and the best debut jazz album by NPR.
In 2022, Wilkins released his sophomore album on Blue Note, The 7th Hand. Like his debut, The 7th Hand topped year-end lists including Jazzwise, NPR, The New York Times, and The Financial Times. 2022 also opened up new touring opportunities. His quartet has toured throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and South America. In 2023, Wilkins was awarded with three Downbeat Critics Poll Awards: Best Alto Saxophonist, Best Rising Star Composer and Best Rising Star Group. Wilkins has a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from the Juilliard School.
