Photo Flash: Francesca Harper's Modo Fusion Lounge

Conceptual pop artist Francesca Harper, currently on stage in The Color Purple, blended original music, choreography, dance, and film into a contemporary pop variety show, "Modo Fusion Lounge," which was performed at the 92nd Street Y's Makor/Steinhardt Center (35 W. 67th St.) on October 9th at 7:30 PM.

"As a singer and lyricist, Harper will be performing her rich mix of soul-inspired R&B and rhythmic electronica grooves off of her debut full-length solo album 'Modo Fusion' along with the Modo Fusion Lounge Band featuring Damon Banks (bass), Bruce Cox (drums), and Victor Y. See Yuen (percussion). 'Modo Fusion Lounge' serves as an ever-evolving show that welcomes special guest collaborators ranging from people on the street to fellow Broadway performers including Kemba Shannon and Maia Wilson of The Color Purple.  Harper, who is also a film director, will screen her experimental short film Swan Lake…Another Point of View, the 2004 winner of Best film/video in the Fine Arts Discipline at Black International Cinema Berlin Film Awards," stated press notes on the event. 

"Conceived by Harper and written with the help of Pulitzer-Prize winning author Margo Jefferson, 'Modo Fusion Lounge' draws on Harper's experiences as a dancer, a singer and an African-American woman, by exploring social quirks and cultural baggage through an accessible, hybrid stage work."  Harper is in the ensemble of The Color Purple, and her other Broadway credits include Fosse, All Shook Up and The Frogs.  In 2005, she founded The Francesca Harper Project, a concert-dance company dedicated to creating groundbreaking dance, music, and theater works.

For more information about Francesca Harper, visit www.francescaharper.com. 

Photos by April Thibeault

Francesca Harper with Jamal Story, Kemba Shannon, Maia Wilson, Saycon Sengbloh, and Jackie Arnold, and Krisha Marcano

Kemba Shannon, Maia Wilson, Jackie Arnold, Francesca Harper and Saycon Sengbloh