🌟 Join us for the Praise House Language Workshop on June 16th from 2:30-4:30 PM at the Chicago Cultural Center! 🌟 Designed to uplift and connect through creative expression, the Praise House Language Workshop draws inspiration from the historical Praise Houses of the Black community. RSVP in Bio Link. As we move forward, we need your support to keep this transformative experience alive. Your donations help cover performer fees, art supplies, and production costs. Together, let’s build a community rooted in praise and creativity. 🙏🏾🎨✨ Click here to learn more about Beautiful Beleaf and the Praise House. Consider donating today and be part of our journey! https://gofund.me/300ef361 or Follow the link in our bio Thank you for your support!

Highlighting our awesome talented team who will be facilitating for our Praise House Language Workshop, June 16th @2 :30pm. We would like to uplift Sam Thousand! @samthousand Bio: Sam Thousand (formally known as Sam Trump) is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/writer, producer/composer and a 3Arts Recipient with 15+ years of experience in live performance art, curation, and self management. Since picking up the trumpet at age 7, his artistry has allowed him the opportunity to perform in all corners of North America as well as overseas. Sam Thousand has become a fixture in Chicago’s music scene through years of performance residencies, curated events and artist showcases. In addition to performing and curating, Sam Thousand is co-founder of multiple Chicago-based organizations, and is a business owner and entrepreneur. Sam Thousand continues to use his platform to engage and uplift those around him, while sharing the knowledge and experiences he’s had throughout his 10 year career as a full-time musician in Chicago.

Highlighting our awesome talented team who will be facilitating for our Praise House Language Workshop, June 16th @2 :30pm. We would like to uplift Frank Morrison! @fmdrums Frank Morrison, a Chicago native, has studied and worked with many of Chicago’s most notable artists, and has learned that music connects and heals us all. Morrison has participated in some of Chicago’s most honorable Youth Jazz programs such as Chicago Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Ravinia Jazz Scholars. Morrison has begun to pour positivity into his community through sharing his passion for music with people of all ages. More than anything, he hopes that his music will continue to inspire people to share music they love with people they love.

Highlighting our awesome talented team who will be facilitating for our Praise House Language Workshop, June 16th @2 :30pm. We would like to uplift Paige Brown! @tpaige22u Bio: A vocalist, pianist, and composer, Paige still sometimes lovingly refers to herself as “arts-adjacent” while establishing herself as an artist in her own right. As a fan/friend of many in the robust Chicago arts ecosystem, she constantly finds herself in awe of the talent and adventurousness of the creatives she is privileged to witness and support. While she more frequently positions herself contently in the audiences of performances and exhibitions, she’s currently strengthening the inner mechanisms and communal connections to deepen and externalize her own artistic practice more fully. She finds joy/peace in communing with plants and other beings, and catalyzing/witnessing the growth of artists and others. She finds challenge in her quest to improve at the art of taking things slow, and in reacquainting herself with the simple, playful practices that attracted her to Music, her first love. Photo credit: Ricardo E. Adame

Highlighting our awesome talented team who will be facilitating for our Praise House Language Workshop, June 16th @2 :30pm. We would like to uplift Izzy Brown! @izzy_bella24 Bio: Hi everyone! My name is Izzy Brown, and I am a licensed professional counselor and registered dance/movement therapist. I received my bachelor’s degree in dance at Columbia College Chicago and decided to stay at the college to receive my master’s in dance/movement therapy and counseling. I work in private practice under the company name, Bella Valore Psychotherapy. I am also reiki level 2 trained. My main philosophy is to connect mind, body and spirit to ignite empowerment and freedom from adversities. I have experience working with eating disorders, body image, trauma, self-harm, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and mood disorders through talk and dance therapy. I utilize mindfulness and spiritual practice in my own self-care, and I value the inner peace that manifests within me as I move through the day calmy and intentionally.

We are so honored to highlight our Praise House DJ DJ Double 8! He will be uplifting us with some awesome music for our Workshop on Fathers Day Sunday, June 16th!!!! Check out the link in the bio to join us! DJ Double-8, is a DJ from Chicago , he developed a good ear and a love for music as a kid. His musical beginnings were in hip-hop, house music, R&B and other music genres. He started his DJ career at the age of 12 years old under the instruction of his Dad and began to work with other DJs, music artists, and organizations.

Lift your hand and give God a shout of PRAISE!!! Join us on Fathers day JUNE 16TH 2:30-4:30PM for an experience of playfullllll praise and worship. Free and open to the public. Let's Praise our Father in Heaven together!!! Bring the family or just bring yourself. You are welcomed in! Tix Link in Bio

Saturday, April 27th our Praise House participants, collaborators, and Chicago community members gathered at the Chicago Cultural Center for our Praise House Language Workshop! Through this unique opportunity with open expressions of praise and worship, participants engaged with song, dance, art making, and care facilitated work, all for the purpose of experiencing genuine & authentic release. The presence of God was in the room✨Thank you to everyone who came out, showed support, and made this Workshop possible! Feel free to join us June 16th 2:30pm-4:30pm for a more playful iteration of the Praise House. We welcome families aged 5 and up to gather and engage in this fun and uplifting experience. Space is limited, For more info check the tix link in the bio! Videography & Edits: Brittany Bradley, @brittvny_vids Facilitation for 4/27: Marceia Scruggs, Keisha Janae, Gloria Parker, Stephen Wilkes, Ginger Lumpkin. Music: Frederick Jackson Jr., DJ Major Taylor Location & Programming: Dance Studio Residency @chicagoculturalcenter

Highlighting our awesome talented team who will be Presenting for our Praise House Language Workshop, April 27th @3pm . Follow the link in bio to come out and support. We would like to uplift DJ Major Taylor! @dj_major_taylor_ Emerging from Philadelphia’s punk scene, DJ Major Taylor has established himself as a boundary-pushing musician and DJ in Chicago. Renowned for his genre-blending sets, he founded November Electric, curating high-end events worldwide. Alongside his DJing, he’s composed music for films, commercials, and TV shows, showcasing his multifaceted talents. Collaborating on projects like The Puny Humans, he continues to captivate audiences with his eclectic sounds and innovative compositions, embodying the essence of artistic versatility in today’s music landscape.

Highlighting our awesome talented team who will be facilitating for our Praise House Language Workshop, April 27th @3pm . Follow the link in bio to come out and support. We would like to uplift Fredrick Jackson Jr! @fred_jackson_jr Bio: Fred Jackson Jr. was born in 1974 in Fort Worth, Texas. After high school he would attend Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. where he would became the first graduate of Batiste’s AA in Jazz studies. After graduating with a BA in music performance in 1999, he would moved to Chicago, IL. In 2010 he became a member of AACM. Performed with The A.A.C.M. and Saalik Zyiad on Poznań, Poland on a “Made in Chicago” tour. He traveled to Germany was with the AACM New Generations ensemble (under the direction of Ben Lamar Gaye). He was in the first inaugural band of “The Bridge” that played at the MCA in 2010. Since then because of the the Bridge, has toured France in 2017 with that same ensemble. He went back to school in 2012 - 14 and received his Masters in Jazz studies from DePaul where he studied with Mark Colby, Dana Hall, Dr Robert Lark Tom Matta (composition) and many other professors. . Also He studied extensively the music of the African diaspora for ten years, “Magic Carpet (band) allowed me the opportunity to study music from all over the world”. Currently working with Sitarist (Shanta Nuerulla of AACM) and his own ensembles (Erudition Project). His newest venture is Spacetonic Music (Music publishing label since 2017). Awarded the 2020-21 “Fresh Works, New Voices” grant from the Jazz Institute of Chicago. This grant will be an opportunity to make an album of original compositions. Genre (released in 2022).

Highlighting our awesome talented team who will be facilitating for our Praise House Language Workshop, April 27th @3pm . Follow the link in bio to come out and support. We would like to uplift Marceia L. Scruggs! @_marceialynne Bio: Marceia L. Scruggs is a Chicago based performer, dancemaker, collaborator, and therapist-in-training. As a creative, Marceia values writing, performance, and storytelling and is rooted in high energy movement practice. Her recent work has been presented at Holding Common Ground: Pathways to Cultural Exchange in Vietnam 2021 (Virtual), RAD Fest (Kalamazoo, MI), and Links Hall (Chicago). She is a 2019 Links Hall Co-Mission artist and Chicago Dancemakers Forum (CDF) Greenhouse recipient. She is also a graduate student of Governors State University in the Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling program. Marceia is elated to bring joy and healing to those she encounters through her creative and therapeutic work in pursuit of the Kingdom of God.

Highlighting our awesome talented team who will be facilitating for our Praise House Language Workshop, April 27th @3pm . Follow the link in bio to come out and support. We would like to uplift Gloria Parker! @gloreo_beotch Bio: Gloria was born in raised on the south side of Chicago. She has been playing piano for 23 years. She received her Bachelors in Music at Xavier University of Louisiana and is completing her Master of Music Therapy at Loyola University New Orleans. She is currently completing her Research Thesis that focuses on music therapy and how it can assist with stress levels with adults with disabilities. She is a music therapist who aims to share her love of music with everyone around her.