Black Diaspora Performance Lab
Caring for black students at BYU.
Our lab fosters a sense of belonging among students at BYU by celebrating black culture through music and dance and providing a safe, welcoming space for black students at a primarily white institution. We have created the Rhythm ‘N Soul Collective and hope to develop it to be fully integrated with the performing arts programs at BYU, giving black students a place to express themselves through song and dance.
The Problem
The first step to solving a problem is deeply understanding the problem. In June 2024, lab members Fatwa and Michael shared their updates and research defining the problem of the lack of diversity and representation of the African Diaspora in the performing arts at BYU.
Welcome to Our Lab
At our lab, we are dedicated to discovering, developing, and disseminating effective interventions to help black students at BYU develop a greater sense of belonging.
Research and Design Phase
We are currently researching data on representation in the performing arts and the experience that black students have at BYU with the performing arts world so that we can put together that data and present it to stakeholders so that we can get support and funding from the university. We are hoping to create an Africana performing group that is fully integrated into the performing arts at BYU so that Black students have a place within the performing arts to express themselves through song and dance
Meet the Team
Franz (Director): With extensive experience working with MIT and government organizations in disaster response, Franz provides strategic direction for our lab.
Fatwa Luka (Lab Lead): Studying Human Development
Michael Forvil (Lab Lead): An international student from Haiti studying Neuroscience
Key Events
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Performed at the Sorenson Center's Juneteenth event at BYU.
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Met with Carl Hernandez and received an invitation to perform at BYU's belonging week in fall 2024.
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Performed a dance at the BYU Unforum event in the Marriott Center
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Performed at BYU's Contemporary Dance Concert
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Performed with Alex Boye at BYU's "Stories of Life" Black History Month Celebration
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We established the team, set expectations, and met with other team leads and mentors to set up the project.
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