From the moment Kunya Rowley first stepped on stage, he felt both the power of the moment—and the ache of absence. He realized that he rarely heard melodies that spoke to the rhythms of his roots or reflected the weight and wonder of Black history.
A graduate of Miami’s New World School of the Arts, Rowley began his professional career as a magnetic tenor performing with Magic City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Opera Naples. But Rowley was never one to stay in a single key. While rooted in classical training, his voice became a vessel for something deeper—seamlessly gliding between opera, gospel, jazz, and the rich soundscape of Afro-diasporic traditions.
With just 150 words and a bold vision, Rowley secured a $20,000 Knight Arts Challenge grant for his idea “Hued Songs of Strength and Freedom.” That seed of inspiration bloomed into Hued Songs—a cultural force and nonprofit dedicated to celebrating Black history, identity, and joy through immersive, interdisciplinary performance.
In 2017, he founded Hued Songs to uplift Black joy, creativity, and foster Black belonging through multiple art forms from music, dance, spoken word and film.
In conservatories and concert halls, Rowley says, “I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me or stories like mine. I wanted to make something for other artists of color to have a platform and build something where they and our history feel seen.”
Rowley’s vision made him realize he wanted to go beyond performing—he wanted to create a space where Black stories could take center stage. With Hued Songs, he created a Black-led performing arts collective that transforms stages into spaces of celebration, resistance, and reflection through vibrant blends of music, dance, and spoken word to amplify Black creativity while reimagining cultural narratives.
“We continue to amplify voices,” says Rowley. “We get to continue that with the Juneteenth Experience.”
Started in Miami, and now in its fifth year, “Hued Songs: The Juneteenth Experience,” the stage becomes a living canvas—dancers in flowing fabrics spin and stomp with purpose, telling stories with their bodies that words could never hold. Dancers blend traditional African movement with modern techniques, often in dialogue with live musicians and poets.
On Saturday, June 14 at Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse, musicians will blend classical string instruments with the pulse of African drums and the grooves of jazz and gospel, creating a soundscape that feels both ancestral and futuristic. Spoken word artists will deliver verses about freedom, struggle, beauty, and Black brilliance. Behind them, visuals will light up the stage: collages of historical footage, contemporary art, and radiant colors.
“We started all this with the Juneteenth event in 2021 when the world seemed like it was falling apart,” says Rowley when everything was reeling from the pandemic.
The inaugural at the Miami Beach Bandshell catalyzed what has now become an annual community celebration.
“They were uncertain times,” says Rowley. “But we found balance again, and we believed a lot was happening around this time and we realized that Juneteenth can teach us something all year long and we shouldn’t be pigeonholed by one day. We wanted to create something that was an experience and that’s a month-long celebration all leading up to June 14th.”
“Hued Songs: The Juneteenth Experience” has new themes every year, with this year’s being “nonerasure,” according to Rowley.
“We’re taking a look at the world around us and thinking about how we should center this year’s performance,” says Rowley. “The country and world seem to want to erase our history from textbooks, schools, and we want to honor that history but also honor South Florida’s Black history.”
Events like Rowley’s Juneteenth celebration become more than commemorations—they are living, breathing declarations. “Other than people singing their faces off, we’ll also have two historians for Black Broward and Black Miami-Dade history,” says Rowley. “It’s the biggest production we produce and it’s been in production since October.”
Gentry George is choreographing his dance group Zest Collective, and while most kids were trading Pokémon cards or chasing ice cream trucks down the street, he started dancing when he was eight years old. In a world of juice boxes and jungle gyms, he already knew he’d be in the world of arts.
“I’ve been doing this my entire life,” says George, originally from Miami. “This is my third time choreographing this production and my fourth time being a part of it. I was originally a dancer for it, and in 2022, I came in as the choreographer, and each year we’ve grown.”
George realizes the stage means more than a performance—it holds purpose and opportunities. Students he once taught are now standing tall, poised to honor Juneteenth with every stretch, turn, and stomp.
“I have students who are now a part of this production,” says George. “It’s also an opportunity for them to break out of their shells and be a part of a labor of love.”
Using a wide range of artistic genres to help celebrate, “Hued Songs: The Juneteenth Experience” will also transform into a cinematic love letter to Blackness. Projected onto a glowing canvas surface, the voices of four Black filmmakers fill the air with stories stitched from truth, triumph, and tenderness.
Chosen from dozens of submissions, the four filmmakers dive deep into the waters of Black liberation, identity, and belonging. They champion artists of color not just as creators, but as keepers of culture.
In “Consistent Gardeners,” Corey Davis with Alexa Carravia capture what happens when a group of Miami musicians are challenged to write a new justice anthem in just three days. Featuring a preacher’s kid, a semi-retired opera singer, and a visionary dreamer, the film explores how artistic expression grows in the face of urgency and resistance.
In “Boat People,” Al’Ikens Plancher, a filmmaker from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, tells the powerful story of Marie, a Haitian refugee detained at Guantánamo Bay in the early ’90s. The film redefines liberation—not as a distant goal, but as a bold personal decision. Through quiet resistance and a hunger strike, Marie reclaims her voice and autonomy.
he short documentary, “The HUB: Episode 3 — Ft. Lauderdale” by Emmanuel George with David Paulo and Samuel Woods, tells the story of how Fort Lauderdale’s rich Black history is vibrant, from Dillard High School, The Provident, The Sistrunk festival and more. This featured episode, part of The Hub series, explores intergenerational stories from locals who grew up across the tracks; their experiences and outlook on the future of their communities.
Princess Usanga’s “Hooky” explores the duality of being a second-generation Haitian American through Nora’s struggle to balance her cultural roots with her desire for freedom and belonging.
This is a celebration, a reckoning, and a joy-filled reminder that the story isn’t over. It’s still being sung. It’s theatrical, it’s cinematic, it’s church, it’s a block party—it’s all of it.
“I’m here for all of it,” says George. “As a choreographer, my job is done, and I’m looking forward to being like everyone else, where I can see the lights go down and just sit in the audience and enjoy.”
WHAT: “Hued Songs: The Juneteenth Experience”
WHERE: The Parker Playhouse, 707 NE 8th St, Fort Lauderdale
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Saturday. June 14
TICKETS: Prices range between $25 and $45.
INFORMATION: 954-462-0222 and www.huedsongs.org
This story was produced by Broward Arts Journalism Alliance (BAJA), an independent journalism program of the Broward County Cultural Division. Visit ArtsCalendar.com for more stories about the arts in South Florida.
