THE SCORE
In fall 2022, ConsenSIS commissioned Philadelphia-based composer and musician Kendrah Butler-Waters to create Sisterly Affection, a monumental soundscape celebrating Black women and femme poets in the Philly area. We premiered the soundscape at The Score, a listening party event on Saturday, October 8th, at Johnson House Historic Site, a former Underground Railroad stop in the Germantown section of the city.
During The Score, forty Black women and femme poets enjoyed a light menu curated by Our Mothers’ Kitchens. Choreographer Germaine Ingram created an accompanying movement score for Butler-Waters’ musical score, composed of a series of simple gestures and movements that were accessible to various types of bodies and dance backgrounds. We moved and danced to Sisterly Affection on the first listen and wrote in response on the second listen. ConsenSIS partnered with Harriett’s Bookshop to provide copies of Sonia Sanchez’ newly Collected Poems as a parting gift to the attendees.
Photography by Tieshka Smith and Museum of Black Joy
REFLECTIONS ON SISTERLY AFFECTION
“I sought to divide the score into 3 movements – the past, the present and the future. In the past I wanted to acknowledge Harriet Tubman, our ancestors who were enslaved and our ancestors who were free. I wanted to acknowledge the historical work songs and chants of our past. In the present, I wanted to honor current Philadelphia poets and creators. In the future, I wanted to acknowledge those black women and femme poets who are to come.”
— Kendrah Butler-Waters
LISTEN NOW
Hear Sisterly Affection, the full 20-minute monumental soundscape.
A SCORE FOR THE SCORE
by Germaine Ingram
Slow-stepping soles conjuring remembrance from ground that shouts tales of maroonage.
Black, brown, bronze, beige, buff sistah/femmes, their faces catching solar rays on a brisk October morn;
Arms raised, stirring ancient airy echoes---first gently, then with rotor might as sistahs circle on a grassy mound.
Palms to elbows, outstretched hands a-gifting
Then curved arms harvest silent blessings, we bathe in well-wishing vibes that float in autumn air.
Gifting, harvesting, bathing, accumulating, forward, back, four-four, double-time…
Bells break the cadence.
Facing outward, elbows lock, hips press tight against a neighbor’s hip, or waist, or thigh as many statures find collective comfort in a sea-wave of listing bodies----“Hold steady”.
Facing inward---counter-rhythms: holding circle in four, free-style centered in three/four, sharing space, changing time, changing places as groove and laughter mingle and accelerate.
Find a shake—hips, knees, torso, shoulders, head, ankles, wrists, fingers--- first gentle, like sifting flour through a sieve---building to the force of casting off centuries of bondage and betrayal. Ease into an Electric Slide, a Shakin’ Slide---the “Humpin’ Peee-pull” shakin’ forth liberation in an embodiment of the Funk.
Cluster, cluster close---arms raised, wrists flexed, pumping air, lifting all that would smother our genius and vision. Each one rotating ‘round her/their own axis---a single Black, brown, bronze, beige, buff sistah/femme organism turning left by micro-steps.
Scatter---gifting, harvesting, bathing, stirring, shaking, stepping….
Slow-stepping soles conjuring remembrance from ground that shouts tales of maroonage.
KENDRAH BUTLER-WATERS
Composer
Kendrah Butler-Waters is a Philadelphia-based pianist, violinist, vocalist, composer and educator. Musician and scholar, this Butler-Waters weaves the sounds of jazz, classical, and gospel into a sound that is all her own.
Photograph by Ted Waters
GERMAINE INGRAM
Choreographer
Germaine Ingram is a Philadelphia-based jazz percussive dancer, choreographer, song writer, vocal/dance improviser, oral historian, and cultural strategist and archivist. She is a former civil rights and trial lawyer, law professor, and urban school district executive.
THE SCORE COLLABORATORS
Venue
Johnson House Historic Site
Violinist/Griot
Diane Monroe
Volunteers
Eugene George, LaTonya Grant, Mark Palacio, Theo Palacio, and Monty Savage
Sound
Serenity Sound Productions
Catering
Our Mothers’ Kitchens
Books
Harriett’s Bookshop