Suzan-Lori Parks and More Featured in The Flea's Fifth Annual Juneteenth Performances
These works will occur across New York City on Wednesday, June 18 and Thursday, June 19.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jun. 02, 2025
As part of The Flea's Fifth Annual Juneteenth Public Performance Program, they have commissioned Helga Davis, Ayana Evans, and Suzan-Lori Parks to devise and stage public performances free to the public in celebration of the national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. These artists all have full autonomy over artistic vision and their budgets. The Flea’s Artistic Director, Niegel Smith, will also participate as a performance artist.
These works will occur across New York City on Wednesday, June 18 and Thursday, June 19 (see complete schedule below). A symposium with this year’s lineup discussing the intersection of artmaking and Juneteenth will take place at The Flea on June 16 at 7:00 PM. The symposium will feature all commissioned artists with moderation by acclaimed artist and curator Kaneza Schaal.
“Juneteenth marks the beginning of our journey toward liberation, and I’m thrilled The Flea can continue that legacy by commissioning exceptional Black artists and presenting their work in public spaces for our city,” said Niegel Smith, The Flea’s Artistic Director.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
The Flea’s Juneteenth Public Performance Symposium
Date/Time: Monday, June 16th, 6:30 PM Doors, 7:00 PM Conversation
Location: The Flea Theater (20 Thomas Street)
Please join moderator Kaneza Schaal, commissioned artists Helga Davis, Ayana Evans, and Suzan-Lori Parks and Artistic Director Niegel Smith for the 2025 Juneteenth Public Performances Symposium. This Symposium will offer a deeper exploration of each artist’s unique approach to Juneteenth as a prompt for their creative work.
Hear about the creative process, the intersection of performance and public life, and all the ways liberation can play out street by street in our beautiful city.
Space extremely limited, RSVPs required (www.theflea.org)
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The Worthy | By Niegel Smith
Duration: 70 minutes
Featuring: Talu Green & Niegel Smith
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 18th 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM
Location: The African Burial Ground Monument (290 Broadway)
Reserve Free Tickets: www.theflea.org
In this walk, follow the afro-futuristic griot, Niegel Smith as he leads a walk exploring Lower Manhattan through the lens of liberation, Black love, queer joy, and community healing. Co-led by Talu Green with his commanding Djembe drum, The Worthy takes you through ancestral monuments, past civic buildings, and down the streets of Tribeca. Through contemplation, ritual, and poetry, the worth of Black and queer folks are considered. The Worthy concludes at The Flea with an interactive video installation, and then invites you to celebrate and reflect over liberation libations on a private patio. There you will meet the artists, learn more about the work, and commune with your fellow travelers.
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Reparations and Restoration | By Ayana Evans
Duration: 60 minutes
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 18 at 7:00 PM
Location: The Plaza at 10 Lafayette Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217
Hosted by MoCADA and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, performance artist Ayana Evans presents an immersive experience through dance, joy, and Black liberation actions. The work features four dancers and includes elements that invite the crowd to watch, dance, sing, and celebrate the full meaning of Juneteenth. Gifts will be given freely…because reparations are in order.
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Breadth of Emancipation | By Helga Davis
Duration: 30 minutes
Date/Time: Thursday, June 19 at 11:30 AM
Location: The window at Rubin & Chapelle, 964 Madison Avenue bet 75-76 Streets
The iconic Helga Davis will create an impromptu, improvisational score, using “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a looping device, and text from President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Come hear a brand new song, never to be sung again.
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The Tune Up, a Juneteenth Celebration | By Suzan-Lori Parks & Featuring The Joyful Noise Band
Duration: 80 minutes
Date/Time: Thursday, June 19 at 7:30 PM
Location: Lincoln Center Atrium (1887 Broadway)
SLP & The Joyful Noise, a nine-piece band led by the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist Suzan-Lori Parks, serves as her musical workshop for original songwriting and new storytelling. The Tune Up, directed by Artistic Director Niegel Smith, puts SLP & The Joyful Noise center stage for a program that blends short plays, American music, and high-voltage performance. This is a sip-your-drink, make-new-friends, dance-in-the-aisles kind of evening that traffics in big sounds and bold ideas, booty-shaking, and statement-making. Surrounded by songs, celebrated guests, and exceptional newcomers, Parks reminds us of the importance and joy in remembering who we are!
The Juneteenth Public Performance Program was piloted by The Flea in 2021 and returned each year to great success. Previous commissioned work include: Chanon Judson’s Time’s Up - A Liberation Ritual, a participatory dance piece in Bed Stuy’s Fulton; Ebony Noelle Golden’s The Blueing: Ceremonies From In The Name Of The Mother Tree, a collective ritual for water veneration; James Scruggs’ Ask Me About Juneteenth, where an unusual character offered cotton blooms and cash to those willing to engage in a frank conversation about race; Imani Uzuri’s Jus’ Like A Tree Planted By Water, a performance of experimental interpolations of African American spirituals in Harlem; Trebien Pollard in moving stories of liberation and truth…; Thoughts and Involuntary Mantras (Stripped), a music theater work by Jack Fuller; Freedom is Free: Rest, Restoration, Remembering and Restitution, a community ritual by Shelley Nicole. Artistic Director Niegel Smith’s The Worthy, a celebratory walk for justice and Black men from the African Burial Ground to The Flea theater uplifting our souls.
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