"Renowned poet and author, Haki Madhubuti, says, and I agree,' poetry is the jazz of Black language.' The need for this language, our language, to be embedded in the minds, hearts and souls of individuals is urgent. This presentation promises to spark a new dawning of love, admiration, and respect for ourselves and fore parents. Their works, their words, their struggle, their overcoming, and most importantly their vision should remain in the minds of individuals who see and hear this presentation long after it’s over."
Ge'ylah
About Ge'ylah...
She has gained a first-class reputation for her inspirational and dramatic multi-media, presentations. Hailed by Essence Magazine’s Susan L. Taylor as “having a gift people wish they had”, performance poet extraordinaire, Ge’ylah, is uniquely talented, uplifting and inspiring. Renowned for the awesome ability of combining keynote with performance, leaving listeners in tears, and challenging an audience to acknowledge the power that lay within the tongue, she has been billed at conferences with notable keynote phenoms, Dr. Molefi Asante, Les Brown, and Iyanla Vanzant. Her presentation has been referred to as "a flawless collaboration of social, spiritual and historical delight”. Utilizing the art of performance to lecture as well as inspire, Ge'ylah carefully weaves social, educational or religious event themes with powerful orations.
Often referred to as a “poetic encyclopedia” the dynamic orator is no stranger to the stage. As a mandate from her mother, she began reciting poetry at the ripe age of four. Even at that time, countless audiences were left in dismay. A toddler who could not yet read would recite stanza after stanza of literary works. From public schools to church conventions to inaugural halls the child phenom continued to memorize and perform. By the age of sixteen, she possessed a memorized repertoire of over fifty carefully selected poems, prose pieces and soliloquies.
In 1997, having been urged for several years to display her unique gift on a national level, Ge’ylah embarked on a nationwide college and university tour entitled “Power of the Tongue”. The show became an instant success. To date, the electrifying, performance of twenty classical African - American literary works, richly, anchored in indispensable narration, entertaining music and linked together with historical video footage, has been performed at over 350 universities across the country.
Her outstanding ability to captivate audiences has afforded her the opportunity to perform in arenas with Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Haki Madhubuti, Malik Yusef, Sonia Sanchez, Reggie Gibson, Angela Jackson, and Jessica Care Moore. In 1999, after a special request, with the soundtrack produced by mega-producer, Kanye West, she presented a special performance of "Power of the Tongue" to pay tribute to the mother of Black poetry, the late Gwendolyn Brooks. In addition, Ge’ylah was the featured dramatist at a conference featuring Susan L. Taylor. Her show-stopping performance and emotional tribute evoked the Essence powerhouse to leap, first to her feet and then onto the stage for a warm embrace.
A recipient of numerous awards she received the Cultural Citizen's Foundation prestigious "Trophy of Honor". In 1999, Ge’ylah developed Future Orators Reveal Exquisite Natural Skill In Competitive Speaking (F.O.R.E.N.S.I.C.S.)–a speech and drama program for school-age youth. Ge’ylah is the author of “The Day My Voice Comes Out”, "The Power of Performance" and “The Power of the Tongue: Verses for Daily Living”. Her most recent work “F.O.R.E.N.S.I.C.S.”, a public speaking curriculum for teachers and students, is being reviewed by several school systems.
Ge’ylah is highly regarded and heavily sought as a consultant and trainer for oratorical competitions, dramatic programs and youth-oriented speech events. She teaches Drama, annually, for Chicago State University’s Upward Bound Program and directs a community based F.O.R.E.N.S.I.C.S. troupe. Currently, she performs more than 50 shows throughout the season.
