National Poetry SLAM! Part II: Under the Apollo's bright lights

On April 16, two exceptional poet-athletes represented DC alongside 28 of their peers from SCORES affiliates across the country at the 6th Annual America SCORES National Poetry SLAM! The event was held at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, where elementary school students performed their original pieces of poetry exhibiting community pride and emotional maturity beyond their years. Nikki Allinson, DC SCORES Community Outreach Coordinator, provides a sneak peek behind the scenes of the three-day trip to New York City -- funded by the Meltzer Group Employee Giving Fund -- with this two-part series: 

Part 2: Under the Apollo's bright lights 

Sunday, April 15 (continued) 

On Sunday afternoon, we had a couple free hours, so we generated a plan of exploration —D, or DeAndre, would meet up with his mom to explore Times Square while Ayanna and I would go off on our own. Naturally, we chose the same place.

We snapped a few pictures with characters in costume, twirled around the Disney store singing princess songs, and ended up in Toys R Us decorating cookies. It was a blur, and before we knew it we were back at the hotel getting ready for the VIP dinner.

Ayanna looked like all of the Disney princesses we played with at the store in her dress and heels, and DeAndre rocked a bright pink sweater that matched his vibrant personality. The DC poet-athletes were looking good!

After gobbling down pizza, pasta, salad, and an endless plate of desserts at Harry’s Italian Pizza Bar, the students and chaperones were full and tired after a long day.

We made it back to the hotel with enough time for the students to practice their poems a few times through before it was lights out. The girls came up with their own rules: each of them would stand on the far bed and pretend the lint roller was their microphone. They had to perform the way they would onstage at the Apollo. If they completed their poem perfectly to a round of applause from the audience (really just me), they would get 3 M&M’s and a cookie.

They each took their turn, and I helped them remember the advice their peers gave them earlier that day. Student after student, they were high fiving each other and giving words of encouragement through slumber party giggles. Naturally, when it was time for bed I could still hear their whispers and giggles from my bedroom.

Monday, April 16

It was the big day and we are up early again! The day started with another round of rehearsals at the hotel, adding physical movements to their group piece. Luckily for them, their lunch plans included a scavenger hunt and soccer game in Central Park! A break from rehearsing and performing was just what the kids needed.

They ran through the sprinklers, pushed each other on swings, and set out on a hilarious scavenger hunt with their cameras ready to snag the winning photo. But Ayanna and DeAndre were still in the zone, mentally preparing for their performance.

I asked them if they were nervous and DeAndre spoke up first, “Not at all Ms. Nikki! I just want my mom to know it’s for her, my poem is for her.” “I’m only nervous ’cause my church is coming to see me, even my Grandma’s friends!” said Ayanna.

The rest of their afternoon was spent running through rehearsals on stage at the Apollo Theater. We entered through the back door, where the performers always enter and you could feel the energy in the building. The students were amazed by the number of seats and the signatures on every door they passed. Each hotel room had its own dressing room, making each student feel like a star.

My favorite part of the entire weekend was watching the 6th Annual America SCORES Poetry SLAM! Monday night. I had heard so many of their poems already through rehearsals and I had gotten to know each of the students from the different cities. But it wasn’t until they got up on stage in their matching jerseys under the bright lights that I saw them as more than elementary school students.

They were artists, stars in the making, and future world changers.

They shared private pieces of themselves expressing a range of strong emotions. Students spoke of the fear they have for the communities they live in, the sadness they have for lost family members due to violence, the frustrations they have for the way the world is.

These confessions were seen through the eyes and spoken from the lips of children.

I had spent the weekend making sure my five girls were where they needed to be, that DeAndre was on the bus when he needed to be and that these students had an enriching, fun, and memorable weekend. I hadn’t taken the time to relax and enjoy it for myself until now.

I don’t consider myself an overly emotional person, but the performance brought tears to my eyes several times, most notably when Eric from St. Louis took the stage.

“I was born another statistic, but if I put God first and school second, I know I’m gonna be all right.”

The kids all had incredible strength to take that stage and bear their soul to strangers. But the connections built throughout the weekend were made clear in their comfortable poses, listening to their peers take the mic from center stage. The green room was where students gathered to shake out their jitters and give high fives after performing. It was also where hugs and phone numbers were exchanged. 

After a delicious dessert reception, we headed back to the hotel with Ayanna’s writing coach and DC SCORES AmeriCorps member and Noyes coach Shakeria Reed. It was the last night together as a room, and the bonds formed within that first night were even stronger now as we painted each other’s nails and recapped the weekend.

What was Ayanna’s favorite part?

“When I dared Ms. Nikki to wear that mustache sticker in Times Square and she really did! And the food was really good!”

A natural star, DeAndre’s favorite part was the performance.

“I love being on stage, man that was nice," he said.

The weekend in New York was incredible in countless ways for the students, but I know it’s something I won’t forget being a part of either. These poet-athletes from across the country came together for a few intense, jam-packed days and left going back to their respective cities having grown and become more secure in their own identity.

I went to New York thinking I would be bringing children around from place to place. I left the SLAM! feeling empowered and confident that the students I met would one day make the changes in the world they spoke about in their poems.