New York, N.Y., April 12, 2011 – Brave New Voices 2010 is a celebration of free speech, artistic empowerment and youthful expression. It captures the excitement and vocal adrenaline of the spoken word cultural phenomenon showcased annually at the Brave New Voices National Youth Poetry Slam Championships. The special, hosted by actress Rosario Dawson (Unstoppable) and Grammy®-winning rapper Common, follows four talented teams as they compete before a celebrity panel of judges during the 2010 Grand Slam Finals. Brave New Voices 2010 on DVD includes two bonus featurettes and streets July 19, 2011 for the suggested retail price of $19.96.
Engaging, surprising and entertaining, Brave New Voices 2010 spotlights the exhilarating verbal adrenaline of the freewheeling Grand Slam Finals showdown between four teams – Denver, Albuquerque, the California Bay Area and New York City – all performing in front of a raucous audience at the Saban Theatre in Los Angeles. Representing voices of 21st-century America in all its demographic diversity, the young artists put their best poetry forward as their work is critiqued on content, craft of writing, style, delivery and teamwork. The special also features the team coaches and many of the outspoken activists, educators, poets and emerging leaders who gathered for the annual event.
Judges for the competition’s finale include poet Mayda Del Valle (Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry), TV host Penn Jillette (Penn & Teller: Bullshit!), musician Talib Kweli (Eardrum), actress Sanaa Lathan (The Family That Preys) and poet Beau Sia (Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry).
Brave New Voices 2010 includes the bonus features “Reflections on the Finals,” conversations with hosts Common and Dawson, the judges and team coaches as they discuss the young poets and their journey to the competition; and “Sacrificial Poems,” never-before-seen footage of poems from the Ft. Lauderdale, Philadelphia, Stockton and Los Angeles teams as they kick off the Grand Slam finals.
The special is the latest from hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons and Emmy® nominated director Stan Lathan, executive producers of the highly successful HBO landmark series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, Russell Simmons Presents Def Comedy Jam and Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices. The poetry-slam movement that spawned Brave New Voices was the brainchild of Simmons, whose Def Jam Records launched the careers of such rap artists as LL Cool J and Public Enemy. Since 1998, the “Youth Speaks” organization has championed The Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Slam Festival – the largest youth poetry festival in the world.