Who We Carry

Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater’s newest dance film, Who We Carry, is a three part journey of ancestral roots in the Ring Shout traditions of the Gullah Geechee, Yoruba Orishas in the African Diaspora, and lands in the Pacific Northwest. Who We Carry transforms grief and loss during the COVID pandemic into an opportunity to reclaim our power. With labor, gratitude, love and power we become our intimate visions for the future. Co-produced by Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater and Portland Playhouse, and an Elijah Hasan Film

  • Elijah Hasan
    Director
  • Oluyinka Akinjiola
    Director
  • Michael Galen
    Composer
  • Oluyinka Akinjiola
    Key Cast
  • Bethany Harvey
    Key Cast
  • Michael Galen
    Key Cast
  • Jamie Minkus
    Key Cast
  • Decimus Yarbrough
    Key Cast
  • Malik Delgado
    Key Cast
  • Jamie Minkus
    Costumes
  • Bethany Harvey
    Prop Design
  • Thyra Hartshorn
    Tehcnical Director & Lighting Designer
  • Project Type:
    Music Video, Other
  • Genres:
    Dance, Afro futurism, African Diaspora, Afro House, Ring Shout, Movement, Dance Theater
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 24, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Portland Institute of Contemporary Art
    Portland
    United States
    October 10, 2021
    North American Premeire
Director Biography - Elijah Hasan, Oluyinka Akinjiola

Elijah Hasan is an award winning photographer, filmmaker, and educator has emerged as one of the region’s most daring and innovative artists. His work knows no boundaries or genres, as he moves between art disciplines and the styles within them. As a writer and director his work includes documentary, experimental, and narrative filmmaking. As a teaching artist through residencies and workshops he’s introduced young
people to creative filmmaking, photography and various multimedia disciplines. Whether it be police officers working with students as artists or facilitating candid conversations between youth and civic leaders utilizing film as the medium, his
hybrid artistic approaches to programming have resulted in transformative impacts on participants as well as their exhibition audiences. While primarily known for his films and still photography, he describes what he does more universally—as “making art.” His films often employ experimental techniques that work to blend complex concepts with powerful, graceful
storytelling.

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Director Statement

“We call on these traditional ring shout practices to help us move forward. From this Black-centric knowledge, we create and manifest our own healing, process of mourning, and strengthening our community in the Pacific Northwest. This is where we depart from tradition and imagine Afro Futuristically.” Oluyinka Akinjiola, Artistic Director