Claps - not snaps - were the applause of choice after Southeast-based poet Lakeisha Richardson finished her poem, making room for the next poet, Bonnie Duffy-Page. On this chilly January evening, arts lovers mixed and mingled at the hip U Street club Cada Vez to check out the talent and see who would win the coveted artist of the year award. Dreams in Motion, an entertainment entity owned by East of the River native Marquita Siler, holds the event each year, awarding winners $100 and a trophy.
“This is my passion,” says Siler, who’s also known as “Storm.” With several irons in the fire, including a spa business and a career in the nonprofit world, Siler is a one woman tour de force. Her Dreams in Motion events have grown from an occasional affair to a monthly meeting place for a faithful following who include performers and patrons of the arts hailing from East of the River and other parts of the DC metro area.
“We’ve been coming out here for a while now, and we like it,” says Southeast native Carol Dupree.
Each month, Dreams in Motion holds an artist of the month showcase where artists compete for the artist of the month title. Each month’s winner ultimately competes in the annual artist of the year event.
One of last year’s monthly winners was Duffy-Page, a 50-something-yearold who is best known for her steamily erotic poetry.
“She’s the sexiest grandma you ever gonna see,” Timothy Gladden, a local poet who co-hosts the event, tells the audience as Duffy-Page takes the stage. Duffy-Page, with naturally bronzed skin and long curled hair, gives the audience what they want: a sexy poem about her enjoyment of being intimate. The audience laughs and claps as the poem both humors and makes you blush.
Duffy-Page’s poetry was G-rated compared to the intensely sexual tone of the following poet, Beverly. A newcomer to the mic and a seemingly meek personality, Beverly’s poetry spoke to energized sexual encounters that resembled the raunchy stories of DC novelist Zane.
Almost lost for words, Gladden remarked on the mic, “She wasn’t no microphone virgin, talking like that.”
Kendra Hall, event coordinator for Dreams in Motion, comments that the talent is often diverse. From rap artists and singers to political spoken word artists, Hall says the showcases draw them all. “We have a nice mix,” she says.
True to word, Siler next introduces to the mic a hooded rapper, The Sniper, who takes the ambiance from one reminiscent of the sexy poetry lounge scenes in the movie “Love Jones” to the intense rap halls depicted in the movie “8 mile.” The audience, a mix of ages, didn’t seem as excited about the rap performance, which was laced with talk of death, guns and snitching to the cops, as they did about Siler’s poem, “Breathe,” which followed. Without reading from a paper and embracing the audience with her eyes, Siler seductively recited her poem then seamlessly segued back into the competition and introduced the next act who bounded onto the stage.
“May I have your attention now, if I have your attention, say ‘oh yeah,’” said the next act, Trevor. A rapper with locks and a never-fading smile, Trevor engaged the audience, getting some to wave their hands in the air and bob their heads. Though he rapped on top of his own vocals which was distracting at times, his energy charmed the audience who seemed entertained. He performed next with the house band, The Cornel West Theory. With cosmic beats similar to the trip alternative music of the band Sweetback, The Cornel West Theory band added a nice backdrop to Trevor’s flow that was always upbeat.
The show was stolen, however, by Jeneba B. Suma who followed on the mic. Suma, a singer hailing from Baltimore, was on fire from the start dressed in electric-red and fur boots. She prepped the band quickly with the type of backdrop she wanted and broke into a house version of the Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams.”
“This is house music, ya’ll,” she yelled into the mic as the electrified audience smiled, transfixed as she performed. Simulating vocal trills that would put Martha Wash to shame, Suma played the stage well with her high-paced, almost manic energy that flooded the room. She won the competition hands-down.
“She was wild,” said one audience member.
Siler is proud of the community of artistry she is creating with her showcases. Eventually, she would like to see an evolution of the things Dreams in Motion does.
“I would love to see Dreams in Motion begin to do some touring, artist representation and publishing,” she says. “I want to see Dreams in Motion continue to grow.”
For more information on Dreams in Motion, call Marquita Siler at 202-368-6075, or visit www.myspace.com/dreams_in_motion. Cada Vez is located at 1438 U St., NW.
