Courtesy OMAI's YouTube channel
Catch previous Just Bust! performances on OMAI’s YouTube channel.
Maybe you’re a 16-year-old beatboxer who’s been at it for a decade. Or, perhaps you just picked up the banjo at age 44. Or you’re a 27-year-old slam poet or a 62-year-old singer.
No matter your age, the kind of performer you are or your skill level, you have the chance to take it to the stage at an open mic series beginning this month.
Known as the Just Bust! open mic series, the performance showcase is held on the first Friday of the month at the Wisconsin Historical Society from 8-10 p.m. and runs October through April. Following on Saturday afternoons from 1-3 p.m., is the Just Bust! Artistic Workshop. Both components have been organized by the UW-Madison Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives since 2006.
“It’s Madison’s longest-running, all-ages open mic,” says Sofía Snow, director of OMAI. But more important than its longevity, she adds, is its inclusivity.
“We welcome any and all performances. We’ve had folks dance. We’ve had folks do stand-up comedy. We’ve even had folks present visual art on a screen and talk about it for a few minutes,” Snow says. “Of course, there’s a lot of poetry — that’s probably what it’s most known for — but we have lots of different types of performances.”
And, she adds, “It takes place on campus, but it’s open to the public. We have everything from children performing to elders, college students, local artists, faculty members.”
A couple years ago, UW student Nyame Imani was anxious about singing on stage at the Just Bust! Series but says the vibe is exactly what’s needed for those new to performing.
“It’s very chill, very inviting.” says Imani, who is now on the Just Bust! planning committee and is also a First Wave scholar in the OMAI program. “If you’re even a little bit apprehensive about signing up, you’ll get a group of people who are ready to tell you, ‘It’s okay’ and ‘We’re excited to hear from you.’
“It’s great, especially for just getting warmed up to being on a stage,” she adds. “There are very few places I’ve found in this city where you can practice your artistry in a low-stakes setting — but that’s what this gives you.”
The Just Bust! guest artists perform at the open mic on Friday night and then lead a free workshop the next day that’s also open to all.
“Having that guest artist not just perform, but also interact with the larger community and facilitate a space for other folks to grow as artists is also critical to us,” says Snow.
Upcoming guest artists include Dasha Kelly Hamilton, who recently served as the poet laureate for both the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin, in October, and Dequadray White, a visual artist and musician from Atlanta and UW-Madison 2020 graduate, in November. Other guest artists will be announced soon on the Just Bust! website.
“We’ve had dancers as the open mic featured artist, so then the next day they gave a workshop on movement,” explains Snow. “We’ve had a range of different musicians and visual artists — it’s important that we diversify the types of creative workshops we’re hosting each month, just like the diversity of artists we have on stage.”
