In The Moment

Levyi-Alexander J. Love, D’Andrew Ricketts-Dunn and Markus Aurelyus

In The Moment

Levyi-Alexander J. Love, D’Andrew Ricketts-Dunn and Markus Aurelyus

8:30pm

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Enjoy this imaginative showcase of African diasporic worldviews that represents a wide spectrum of possibilities to alter your reality, from Afrofuturism, African futurism and Afro-surrealism to magical realism and science fiction. In this archived presentation (originally aired on October 26, 2021), host Levyi-Alexander Love introduces the vibrant and expressive vocals of D’Andrew Ricketts-Dunn and Markus Aurelyus – spellbinding artists who identify as belonging to the Black LGBTQ2S+ community. The multidisciplinary storytelling celebration includes intimate song associations, spoken word performances and candid conversations about elevating Black artists today.

In The Moment was a musical showcase curated by Levyi-Alexander J. Love with the assistance of a not-for-profit organization previously referred to as the Black Speculative Arts Movement (BSAM) Canada. Since that time, the non-profit and its members, Nico Taylor and Queen Kukoyi, have gone on to operate as Oddside Arts, a cultural arts organization that merges art, technology and wellness through a Black speculative lens.

English captioning is available for this video. Please click the ‘CC’ button in the video toolbar to turn it on.

This event is currently re-released as part of Harbourfront Centre’s 2023 KUUMBA Presented by TD Bank Group, Toronto’s largest Black Futures Month celebration. The video will be available to watch for free throughout the month of February. Learn more here.

Conversation
Performance

Enjoy this imaginative showcase of African diasporic worldviews that represents a wide spectrum of possibilities to alter your reality, from Afrofuturism, African futurism and Afro-surrealism to magical realism and science fiction. In this archived presentation (originally aired on October 26, 2021), host Levyi-Alexander Love introduces the vibrant and expressive vocals of D’Andrew Ricketts-Dunn and Markus Aurelyus – spellbinding artists who identify as belonging to the Black LGBTQ2S+ community. The multidisciplinary storytelling celebration includes intimate song associations, spoken word performances and candid conversations about elevating Black artists today.

In The Moment was a musical showcase curated by Levyi-Alexander J. Love with the assistance of a not-for-profit organization previously referred to as the Black Speculative Arts Movement (BSAM) Canada. Since that time, the non-profit and its members, Nico Taylor and Queen Kukoyi, have gone on to operate as Oddside Arts, a cultural arts organization that merges art, technology and wellness through a Black speculative lens.

English captioning is available for this video. Please click the ‘CC’ button in the video toolbar to turn it on.

This event is currently re-released as part of Harbourfront Centre’s 2023 KUUMBA Presented by TD Bank Group, Toronto’s largest Black Futures Month celebration. The video will be available to watch for free throughout the month of February. Learn more here.

Conversation
Performance

Featured Authors

Levyi-Alexander J. Love
Levyi-Alexander J. Love is an artist born in Toronto, Ontario.  He is a dude who loves to have fun, kick-back and make sick art. His passion for music and poetry really comes from a deep need to be seen, heard and understood by an entity that can hold him as he evolves and searches for himself, through himself. Levyi is a mostly self-taught singer songwriter and poet who creates art that promotes people to connect and feel all their feelings as they come; you can say his art gives people permission to be.

Read more about Levyi-Alexander J. Love

D’Andrew Ricketts-Dunn
D’Andrew Ricketts-Dunn is a happily married 28-year-old who identifies as a Transmale. He currently works as a Child and Youth Worker for the York Region School Board during the day and at night he enjoys reflecting on his coming out journey and how far he has come. He often uses poetry as healing tool to reflect and manifest. Poetry is a way for him to cope and be able to share his lived experiences with those in similar situations. D’Andrew is inspired to create space where there was never space before, to let those who identity as LGBTQ+ youth, especially those who identify as Trans, be seen, heard and validated.

Read more about D’Andrew Ricketts-Dunn

Markus Aurelyus
Markus Aurelyus is a Scarborough-based singer and songwriter with a story to tell. He has a unique R&B vocal style that’s influenced by Gospel, Soul, Pop and Hip-Hop. He has performed on stage with artists like Jully Black and DVSN, recorded with Serena Ryder, as well as many local artists, such as Quincy Morales and Katasha J. Whether singing his latest single Carnival on stage or singing background for artists around the city, Markus’ energy and presence on stage is hard to ignore.

Read more about Markus Aurelyus

8:30pm

Tuesday, October 26

To top