JAYLENE CLARK WINS FIRST PLACE IN AMATEUR NIGHT COMPETITION AT THE WORLD FAMOUS APOLLO THEATER

February 17, 2012- Jaylene Clark, Executive Director of Harlem KW Project, LLC and Director of the Off-Broadway play, Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale was the first place winner in Wednesday night’s Amateur Night competition at the Apollo Theater. Clark performed a spoken word piece from Killer Whale entitled “SoHA”, in which she creatively expresses her sentiments against the renaming of Harlem and the changes to the neighborhood as a result of gentrification. Her performance was met with thunderous applause and was the first, and only performance of the night to receive a standing ovation. Her success is featured in today’s Uptown section of the New York Daily News and also in the “In the Papers” segment on NY1. Clark will return to the Apollo stage on February 29th to compete in the Show-off round of the competition. If she advances past the Show-off and the Top Dog semifinal rounds she will compete in October for the chance to win the Super Top Dog grand prize. If she wins, Clark plans to further the mission of the Harlem KW Project, LLC by contributing a portion of the prize to support local arts organizations in the Harlem community.

Killer Whale is a montage of spoken word poetry, theatre, dance, and song. It explores the conflicts in coming to terms with a gentrified Harlem. The ladies grapple with the positive aspects of gentrification such as increased security, new businesses, and more resources, but also the negative aspects such as displacement of residents, the higher cost of living, and a cultural loss. The piece was written by Jaylene Clark, Hollis Heath, Janelle Heatley, and Chyann Sapp, who collectively make up Harlem KW Project, LLC. Harlem KW Project, LLC is a proud member of the Harlem Arts Alliance (HAA) and a recipient of the 2012 HAA Arts & Community Award.

To purchase tickets to the Amateur Night Show-off round at the Apollo Theater, visit the Ticketmaster website at ticketmaster.com.

For more information about the show and booking, please visit our website: www.HarlemKWProject.com or email us at info@HarlemKWProject.com

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The mission of the Harlem KW Project is to use artistic expression to cultivate, create, and encourage a local arts culture. Through collaborations with various arts organizations in Harlem and beyond, educational and theatrical workshops, performances, and community events, we hope to motivate communities to support the arts, especially in their own neighborhoods.

Harlem KW Project, LLC
PO Box 964
Harlem, NY 10030

This release was published on openPR.