Marc Bamuthi Joseph facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Joseph in 2014
Born	1975 (age 49–50) Laurelton, Queens, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Poet, dancer, playwright, musician, actor
Spouse(s)	Kanoelani Connor Joseph
Children	2

Marc Bamuthi Joseph (born in 1975) is a talented artist. He is a poet, dancer, playwright, and actor. He is well-known for creating and directing plays that combine hip-hop music and theater.

Early Life and Beginnings

Marc Bamuthi Joseph grew up in Laurelton, Queens, New York City. His parents came from Haiti. When he was just 10 years old, he got his first big break. He was a tap dancing understudy for Savion Glover in the musical The Tap Dance Kid on Broadway. By age 12, he was appearing on TV and touring the country with the show.

Joseph later attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. There, he became involved in the spoken word scene. He worked with his classmate, Saul Williams. After graduating in 1997, he taught English and dance at The Branson School.

Creative Career

In 1998, Joseph worked with the Senegalese National Ballet. This helped him grow as a dancer.

In 1999, he became a champion at the National Poetry Slam. He was part of the San Francisco team. He also worked with famous artists like Katherine Dunham, Joe Hahn, Mos Def, and Bonnie Raitt.

That same year, he became a leader at Youth Speaks. He helped create the Brave New Voices Festival and Network. This festival helps young poets and artists share their voices.

In 2003, Joseph presented his unique "choreo-poem" called Word Becomes Flesh. This show explored themes of love, fatherhood, and family history. His work was also featured on Russell Simmons' Def Poetry on HBO in 2004 and 2005.

In 2006, he created Scourge. This performance used hip-hop, spoken word, and dance. It looked at the past and future of his home country, Haiti. He worked with choreographers Rennie Harris and Adia Whitaker on this project.

Joseph appeared on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine in 2007. Two of his plays, Chicago, Sudan (2011) and the break/s (2008), were shown at the Humana Festival of New American Plays.

He also co-founded the Life is Living Festival for Youth Speaks. He created an art installation called “Black Joy in the Hour of Chaos.” These projects celebrate Black life in public spaces.

Projects in the 2010s

Joseph has worked twice with composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain. In 2016, they toured their concert called Blackbird, Fly. They also created We Shall Not Be Moved. This opera was called one of the "Best Classical Music Performances" of 2017 by The New York Times. Roumain composed the music, and Joseph wrote the story for the opera.

His most recent work, “The Just and the Blind,” explores the issue of too many people being sent to prison. It premiered at Carnegie Hall in March 2019. Joseph is also developing a new play called The Black Whole. It is set to debut at Laney College in 2020.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

In 2011, Joseph presented his dance theater piece, Red, Black & Green, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA). He worked with artist Theaster Gates on this project. Soon after, he became the Director of Performing Arts at YBCA in February 2012.

At YBCA, he came up with the YBCA 100. This is a yearly list of 100 people who are making a difference. He also created the YBCA 100 Summit. He developed the YBCA Fellows Program too. This program helps creative people in the San Francisco Bay Area work together. Their projects are shown in an annual exhibition called The Public Square. Joseph left YBCA at the end of 2018.

Kennedy Center

In January 2019, Joseph became a Vice President and Artistic Director at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. This role focuses on social impact through art.

The Kennedy Center asked him to write his play, /peh-LO-tah/, in 2017. This play looks at Black life and fairness through the sport of futbol (soccer). It explores how the fun of the game can be different from the political issues in many parts of the world. The play toured North America for three years.

Joseph has performed at the Kennedy Center before. He was there for the “One Mic Hip Hop Culture Worldwide” festival in 2013. He performed Red, Black & Green: A Blues in 2014. In 2018, he performed in a live show of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me.

Personal Life

Marc Bamuthi Joseph is married to Kanoelani Connor Joseph. She is an elementary school teacher. They have a son and a daughter. Joseph moved to Oakland, California, in 2001.

Awards and Recognition

• 2006 Creative Capital Award
• 2006 United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship
• 2011 Herb Alpert Award in Theatre
• 2012 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award
• 2016 Recipient of the Guggenheim Museum Social Practice initiative
• 2017 TED Global Fellow