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Suffolk Center still has a few more spots available for local talent to perform at the Dasan Ahanu Open Mic Night on Friday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m.

Suffolk Center will welcome Dasan Ahanu, a North Carolina based cultural leader, spoken word artist, and loyal Hip Hop head, to the stage. Dasan Ahanu will not only be performing. He will also be the evening’s emcee’ showcasing 20+ talented Suffolk area performers. Join us for this Open Mic Night! Come cheer on the poets, musicians, comedians, and singers for this FREE show at the Suffolk Center, with a half-price Happy Hour ‘Downstairs at the Center’ starting at 7 p.m. 

If you would like to share your talents at the Dasan Ahanu Open Mic Night, contact Tavaris Powell, Suffolk Center’s Performing Arts Manager, by Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, at Tavaris.Powell@SuffolkCenter.org. There is no charge to perform, and free to attend the show on Nov. 10, 2023. 

Space is limited, so reserve your seats in advance by calling the Box Office at 757.923.2900. Suffolk Center also says this performance may include explicit language and is recommended for adults 18 and over.

As a self-described introvert with a very public profession, Dasan Ahanu is a cultural organizer, performing artist, and scholar. He is a visiting professor at UNC Chapel Hill, teaching courses on hip-hop and Black culture. Among the many honors throughout his career, Dasan is an alumnus of the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Archive Fellowship at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. In 2023, he was named the 15th Piedmont Laureate. His writing has been published extensively, he has performed across the country, and he is the author of four poetry collections.

As an active participant in poetry slam, Ahanu has competed regionally and nationally as a founding member and coach of Durham, North Carolina’s own Bull City Slam Team. In 2010 and 2014, Ahanu led the Bull City Slam Team in winning the Southern Fried Southeastern Regional Poetry Slam, the largest regional poetry slam in the country. He also led the team to a 3rd place finish at the 2010 National Poetry Slam and a 2nd place finish in the Group Piece Finals at the 2012 National Poetry Slam. Dasan has also appeared on NPR News, TV One’s Verses Floe, and the documentary Poet Son, among other features. 

The Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts is celebrating its 18th Performance Season, full of great performances, art exhibitions, and exceptional classes. The Center is located in Downtown Suffolk at 110 W. Finney Ave, Suffolk, VA 23434. For additional information, visit SuffolkCenter.org.