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The beloved and annual month-long festival KUUMBA is back this February 2025, and this time it’s celebrating its 30th anniversary. It’s Toronto’s largest and longest-running Black Futures Month festival, and this year is the second edition of its year-long initiative, KUUMBA 365.
Kicking off on Feb. 1, 2025 and on select dates thereafter, Harbourfront Centre’s KUUMBA Festival will showcase Black futures through artists, and creators along with music, theatre, dance, spoken word and screenings.
“We look at this month as Black Futures, but we also don’t just look at the month as we have KUUMBA 365 that delves into a celebration of Black culture all year round,” shares lead producer of KUUMBA, Diana Wembley, with me.
“KUUMBA is so important because it was one of the first meeting places to celebrate black history and have a welcoming place to share and to kind of commune. And I feel like it turned into almost a reunion every year or so.”
Photo by Desired Media
Whether you’re a fan of dance, enjoy historical facts, appreciate a great documentary or rather sit still and meditate after a long day, KUUMBA has 19 special experiences that offer just that.
Unless your calendar is free this February, catching every single experience may be difficult so plan ahead. But if you’re having trouble deciding which ones to check out, Wembley shares that the Bob Marley Birthday Tribute is a must.
“I would say if we’re going in to dance, you figure out where you fit in. I would choose one of the dance workshops, or if you don’t feel like you need to be that involved I think Silent Legacy will make you want to jump out of your seat,” adds Wembley.
She also suggests taking part in the sound baths if you’ve never been a part of one before.
Here are the upcoming KUUMBA events you can’t miss at the Harbourfront.
Masterclass: Esie Mensah
To kick off KUUMBA, on Feb. 1, 2025, award-winning choreographer, director, and dancer Esie Mensah will host a masterclass. Mensah “will guide participants through the deeper layers of her choreographic practice, exploring how complex choreography is built and how stories take shape through movement,” according to organizers.
She has also created a dance piece inspired by Lap-See Lam’s Floating Sea Palace at The Power Plant. All levels are welcome for this workshop. Registration is available now.
365 Steps: Of Sea and Colour
On Feb. 1, 2025, dancers and choreographers Syreeta Hector, Lua Shayenne, Esie Mensa and Katlyn Addison will perform their commissioned solo piece inspired by this season’s Visual Art exhibitions at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. Tickets start at $5 with doors opening at 8 p.m.
Masterclass: Syreeta Hector
Get your body moving with Syreeta Hector’s movement session that invites people of all levels to explore identity, race, and classical ballet. Her performance will take place on Feb. 1, 2025.
Bob Marley Birthday Tribute
In memory of Bob Marley, KUUMBA will present a celebration of Robert Nesta Marley’s musical contribution through the genres of jazz, reggae, soul and blues.
JUNO Award winners Jay Douglas and the All Stars, Eddie Bullen, Kairo McLean and more will also be a part of this – all on Feb. 1, 2025, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at 5 p.m.
Photo by Harbourfront Centre
Finding Space in Colour: Mental Health and the Multiracial Black Experience
As part of The Journey to Black Liberation Symposium, this panel will speak on prioritizing mental wellness within the multiracial Black experience.
Panellists will include music artist Matthew Progress, comedian Aisha Alfa, Ontario Tech University professor Dr Wesley Critchlow and Daniel Hidalgo B.S.W, Founder of CommUNITY204. It will be moderated by University of Manitoba professor Dr Warren Clarke. Finding Space in Colour will take place on Feb. 1, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Late Night: A Jamaica Mi Come From!
On, Feb. 7, 2025 at 10 p.m., experience the life and enjoyment that is Jamaican culture. Dance to the beats of reggae, dancehall, and ska while enjoying authentic Jamaican cuisine. Tickets start at $15.
Finding Home in Toronto: Conversations with Black Refugees
Take part in a panel bringing together Black refugees from diverse backgrounds, LGBTQ2S+ and heterosexual, to share their experiences of resettling in Toronto and the challenges faced in their pursuit of belonging. It all takes place on Feb. 8, 2025
Voguing Workshop
Learn to PROPERLY Vogue by legend Twysted Miyake-Mugler. You can finally perfect that catwalk and duckwalk on Feb. 8, 2025 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are free with email registration.
Masterclass: Lua Shayenne
Not a dancer? No problem! Learn the movements of traditional Mandé dances from West Africa led by Lua Shayenne. This workshop invites you to “celebrate your body as a temple of spirit, rooted in the energy of Mother Earth.” Tickets are free with email registration for this Feb, 8, 2025 event.
“The Eighth Day”: A Play Reading by Nicole Brooks
Award-winning producer Nicole Brooks, will read an excerpt from her new play, “The Eighth Day” and it will be followed by a Q&A with the audience. Tickets for the Feb. 8, 2025 event start at $5.
Our Bodies, Our Liberation
Celebrate Black History Month with “Our Bodies, Our Liberation,” an evening exploring body positivity, social justice, and liberation. Renowned poet and activist Sonya Renee Taylor along with scholar and artist Dr. Syrus Ware will lead the conversation.
It will be moderated by CBC journalist Shari Okeke. The event ends with a book signing by Sonya Renee Taylor in the Harbourfront Centre Theatre lobby. Tickets start at $25 and it all takes place on Feb. 8, 2025 at 5 p.m.
Pause+Expand Wellness Series
This four-session immersive experience combines meditation, guided visualization and sound therapy. If you need a relaxing evening, this is for you. On each date, the wellness experience starts at 6 p.m.
Feb. 11, 2025: For Men Of Colour
Feb. 12, 2025: Fathers and Sons, in partnership with Black Daddies Club
Feb. 25, 2025: Community
Feb. 26, 2025: Wellness & The Arts
Tickets are free when you register online.
Imagination Unbound: Black Life in Motion
In partnership with Reelworld Film Festival, watch a curated list of five short films that were screened at its event from 2022 to 2024. The films will highlight and discuss the complexities of Black life, according to organizers. There will be a Q&A following the screenings. Here are the movies that are on the line up:
- Strangers, directed by Leah Doz
- Viper, directed by Raine LeMay
- The Future Above Us, directed by Vanessa Magic
- Pendulum, directed by Manuel Mathieu
Tickets start at $5 for the Feb. 14, 2025 event.
Photo by César Vayssié
Silent Legacy
Make sure you’re free on Feb. 14 and 15 for Silent Legacy as it brings together Krump prodigy Adeline Kerry Cruz and Siaska Chareyre in a powerful dance dialogue about identity, gender, and heritage. Tickets start at $39. It all kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
Rock Harder Day 1: Youth & Preliminaries
Canada’s premiere breaking event, Rock Harder will take place on Feb. 15, 2025 at 11 a.m. Watch top breakers from around the world compete and show off their skills. The competition will showcase young talent in U9, U13 and U17. You’ll also get the chance to catch Preliminary Rounds of the Open 2v2 competition, where teams battle on the floor for a spot in the Top 16 to make it to the next round – The Final Battles.
Tickets start at $5.
Intro to Breaking Workshop
Learn how to break dance from some of the best in the world. The pros will show you the fundamentals of breaking, from toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes on Feb. 16, 2025 at 1 p.m. This is perfect for beginners. Tickets are free with online registration.
Rock Harder Day 2: The Final Battles
Day 2 of Rock Harder takes place on Feb. 16, 2025 where selected finalists will compete in The Final Battles. There will be special guests include like Keimar from Toronto, Hijack from Hawaii, Mighty Jimm from Belgium, Stray Curt from Vancouver, Profo from California, Roxy from the UK and Switch B from Toronto.
Tickets are $25.
A Mother Apart
This is an evening of amazing cinematic storytelling! Clear your calendar for Feb. 21, 2025 to catch a screening of A Mother Apart and the short film Wes “Maestro” Williams: Wes to the East – Forward Movin’. There’s a Q&A afterwards with some of the filmmakers too.
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
To mark the end of KUUMBA, on Feb. 28, 2025 get your tickets to watch an incredible film of the life of Canadian trans soul singer, Jackie Shane in Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story. The short Measha Brueggergosman-Lee: A New Song will also be part of the evening. Stick around to the end for a Q&A with some of the filmmakers.
