elguante@gmail.com
Contact me directly and we can talk; my full bio/credentials page is here. Fees are negotiable; my main goal is reaching people. As a multi-disciplinary artist, I do a lot of stuff; here's a quick breakdown, though many variations and combinations are possible:
1. Spoken-Word Performance
Whether doing a 15-minute feature at a regular event, or performing an hour-long show in a theater, I can tailor a poetry show to meet any need. I'm a two-time National Poetry Slam champion, and have a ton of experience making sure that a performance is dynamic and engaging from start to finish. I also have specific themed shows prepared:
- A night of spoken-word with Guante (all-purpose poetry show)
- Speak.Justice (poems about social justice topics...thanks to Eric Mata for the title)
- Beyond Blue and Pink (poems about gender, masculinity and being an ally)
- The Fist that Lives in Your Neck (poems about work and identity)
2. Rap Show
I perform solo or backed by DJ Big Cats, depending on the booking. Shows can be anywhere from 20-60 minutes. Over the past ten years, I've played hundreds of shows, from colleges to festivals to art galleries to nightclubs to whatever. I can also mix in some spoken-word stuff and do a hybrid performance.
3. Workshops
A great way to maximize the impact of a performance is to pair it with a facilitated discussion and/or interactive workshop. I've been facilitating workshops like this for over a decade; here are a few that I do regularly:
- Intro to Spoken-Word (its elements, history, importance, etc.)
- On Creating Effective Social Justice-Oriented Art
- Can Art Impact Social Movements? How can we integrate the arts effectively into our movements and campaigns?
- Intro to Identity and Privilege (uses poems as a jumping off point to discuss identity, privilege, oppression and activism)
- Workshops can be adapted to just about any theme or topic. Let's talk.
4. Panel Speaker, Keynote, TED-Style Lecture, etc.
I've sat on panels dealing with hip hop activism, hip hop feminism, artist management/marketing, the effective use of social media and much more. Additionally, any of the workshop ideas from above can be adapted into a lecture, if that's a better fit for you.
5. High School Residency
I'm a roster artist at COMPAS, an organization that places teaching artists in schools. If you'd like to bring me to your high school or middle school for an extended period of time, here's how to do that.
I'm also available to speak to classes or youth groups, host events, write/perform commissioned pieces for specific events/causes, and pretty much anything related to saying things in front of human beings. Contact me at elguante@gmail.com and we can work something out.
