Contact me at elguante@gmail.com. Fees are negotiable; my main goal is reaching people. I'm down to play bars, high schools, theaters, clubs, festivals, libraries, prisons, coffeeshops, colleges, boats... even your living room. As a multi-disciplinary artist, I do a lot of stuff; here's a quick breakdown, though many variations and combinations are possible:
1. Rap Show
I perform solo, with a DJ, with another MC or with a full band, depending on the booking. Shows can be anywhere from 15-60 minutes. Over the past ten years, I've played hundreds of shows, from huge festivals to art galleries to nightclubs to whatever.
2. Spoken-Word Show
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 shows-- poems just about privilege and oppression, for example, or poems just about masculinity.
3. Event Host
I've hosted rock shows, poetry slams, rallies & demonstrations and much more. It's pretty much just about keeping the show moving, keeping the energy up between acts, managing the flow of energy and stuff like that.
4. Writing/Performance Workshop
I have almost ten years of experience facilitating writing/performance workshops for kids, teens, college students and adults, whether on my own, through YouthSpeaks WI, the MN Spoken-Word Association or COMPAS. These workshops are interactive and fun, and can be tailored to beginners or veterans.
5. High School or Middle 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, here's how to do that.
6. Social Justice-Oriented Workshop
I also have a lot of experience facilitating workshops around identity, privilege, oppression and social justice, often (but not always) through the lens of art, hip hop or spoken-word. I'm also available for other activist trainings/consultation stuff, like how to write a good press release, how to integrate the arts into your movement and more.
7. Panel Speaker, Keynote, Facilitator, etc.
I've sat on panels dealing with hip hop activism, hip hop feminism, artist management/marketing and much more. Get at me. We'll talk.
