Created by Nashvillian Cynthia Christina Harris and co-written by OlaOmi Amoloku and Tasneem Grace Tewogbola, the work is a combination of poetry, drama, music, and dance—a choreo-poem that celebrates women’s voices and recognizes the necessity of supportive communities. Inspired by Ntozake Shange’s work for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, Harris calls How to Catch a Flying Woman the “artistic half of [her] research into black women’s lives and intimate relationships.” The playwright describes a woman in flight as someone who is passionately following big ideas and taking risks. Inevitably she will falter as she soars towards success and will need a safe and supportive space amongst friends to heal and restore herself. With this piece, Harris asks, when she falls, will you do more than witness?
She is a self-described Writer/ Performance Artist/ Dancer/ Activist/ Health Educator/ Everyday Magical Waterfixin HooDoo Woman and proud southerner. A natural sign watcher, very much in tune with her surroundings, Ms. Harris finds it almost impossible not to hear the stories hovering around people. Growing up in a multi-talented family, she always felt at peace pursuing her creative interests. However when it came time to choose a career, Cynthia chose to focus on her parallel interest in health and graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University with a BS in biology in 1999. Her subsequent work in the field of women’s reproductive health research fed her appreciation for the analytical and gave her the opportunity to study human behavior, leading her to not only be a vocal advocate for women’s health issues, but to create stories of empowerment. Her first performance piece, “Phrases of Womanhood”, has been performed since 2002 in Tennessee and Georgia by the Phoenix Ensemble under the direction of Ms. Helen Shute-Pettaway. Her performance piece, “Why Won’t She Leave?” has been presented nationally since its debut in 2005.
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