Girl Fest aims to raise awareness about abuse

Advertiser Staff

Sisters of Sound, from left, DJ Marloca, DJ Toki, DJ Chia and DJ Zita, will take part in "Speak Out" tomorrow night at Studio 1. Girl Fest Honolulu 'Speak Out' The lineup of artists and performers includes: Spoken Word: Kasi Nunes, Katana, Ted de Oliviera and Renee. Music: Quadrophonix, Hope Atz, and DJ Zita and DJ Toki of Sisters in Sound. Film and Video: Experimental work from Kathryn Xian, Jenny McCormack and Merlyn Bilas. Visual Art: "Women Who Dream in Color" by Elea Dumas, and metalwork by Solar Eye Metal Fabrication. Modern Dance and Hula: Giinko Marischino dance collective, choreographed by Sami L.A. Akuna, and hula by Halau Lokahi Hawaiian Public Charter School.

With that in mind, the Safe Zone Foundation, is kicking off a year of consciousness-raising Girl Fest events with a night of multimedia arts and entertainment.

"Speak Out," featuring local spoken word, music, film and video, visual art, modern dance and hula practitioners, takes place tomorrow at Studio 1. Doors open at 8 p.m., with performances starting at 9 p.m. Admission is on a sliding scale (pay what you can), $7 to $20.

The Girl Fest project is headed by local filmmaker Kathryn Xian and Aquaria Salon owner Rebecca Long, from whose extensive network of contacts the performers were culled.

"All of the people involved have experienced or know someone very close who had experienced severe abuse," Xian said. "We were all sick of the climate of rising violence against girls and women. We wanted to do something to change the culture."

Xian and Long hope the event will convey positive messages about women, using various artistic media to engage the audience's minds and emotions.

"We wanted to do something in a way that makes people not afraid to hear beautiful, funny, sometimes sad words in an artistic way," Xian said.

While future events will likely include national and international artists and performers (Girl Fest is a national movement), the "Speak Out" event is primarily Hawai'i-bred.

For more information about "Speak Out" and Girl Fest, call 945-0996.