First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor
Omar Offendum Residency:
Work in Progress Showing: Little Syria
Omar Offendum’s residency culminates with a work-in-progress performance. Set amidst the backdrop of the fabled Little Syria neighborhood in NYC (1880-1940), this unique performance project bridges hip-hop & live Arabic instrumentation with the time-honored “Hakawati” storytelling traditions of the Levant. Offendum (Syria via LA) is joined by oud virtuoso Ronnie Malley (Palestine via Chicago) and DJ/beatmaker Thanks Joey (Syria via Brooklyn), to uncover what life in the heart of Arab-America was like over a century ago, while informing much of what is happening today in terms of immigration, xenophobia, Syria, and the ever-evolving notion of an “American dream.”
Please note venue change to First Baptist Church. First Baptist “joyfully welcome[s] and affirm[s] individuals of any age, race, ethnicity, nationality, physical and mental ability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, level of education, economic circumstance, and religious background to participate fully in all aspects of the life and ministry of our church.”