Upward Bound

The “To All Relations ‘99” concert took place on July 25, 1999 with Upward Bound students at Seeley Mudd Auditorium in Claremont. As part of the annual Arts and Yoga for Youth program with USC Upward Bound, students were up on their feet at the July 25th performance of “To All Relations ‘99” at the Seeley Mudd Theater in Claremont.

The concert, presented by Upward Bound and Great Leap was an exciting collaboration with Nobuko Miyamoto, Nedra Wheeler and Danny Yamamoto. The concert included Nobuko onstage doing tai chi movement and musical numbers including "Somos Asiatico" and "There is a River.” Nedra Wheeler, bassist and composer, performed a piece entitled “What is Jazz” that had the audience grooving together with blues, swing and improvisation. Danny Yamamoto brought it all together on percussion and taiko.

This performance also featured Kamau Daa'ood, African American poet. Percussion Artist WorkShop (PAWS), an Afro-Cuban, Caribbean, and South American percussion group performed with lively dance, global rhythms and song.

"Rice, Frijoles and Greens” was the hit of the show, with Upward Bound students Jennifer Ibekwe, Mable Johnson, Appollonia Longino, Andrea Palacio, Amelia Underwood and Rayshanda Williams. Developed in a theater workshop over 6 sessions, young women from Upward Bound wrote their own personal stories and performed a collaborative piece “Rice, Frijoles & Greens” using music, movement and humor.

Upward Bound workshops took place during July 1999, with over 40 workshops as part of Upward Bound's Summer Arts Program. These workshops included yoga, martial arts, theater, percussion, jazz and taiko workshops.