- [Announcer] Production of "Applause" on Ideastream Public Media is made possible by funding by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

(jazzy music) - [Kabir Bhatia] Coming up, see how a group of immigrant teens is making its mark in Akron with the dance traditions of East Africa.

Plus, meet a rising star of the northeast Ohio jazz scene, Ava Preston, as she performs inside the Ideastream Studios.

And learn how a husband and wife share their love of handmade pottery in Groveport, Ohio.

(jazzy music) Okay folks, it's time for another round of "Applause."

I'm Ideastream Public Media's, Kabir Bhatia.

A group of high school student dancers, who grew up in refugee camps in Tanzania, make up Black Beanz Akron, a dance crew formed during the summer of 2020.

The Black Beanz mix modern dance and their cultural heritage.

And they are now performing not just in Akron, but around the country.

(foreign language) (audience cheers) - The style, we do four or five kind of styles from Africa.

We do South, East, and North Africa.

We do ndombolo, and that is from Congo, from Central Africa.

And we do afrobeats.

That is from Nigeria.

And we do amapiano.

That is from South Africa.

And we also, we do bongo flava and that is from Tanzania.

- Well, I started dancing when I was like two or three years old.

That's when I started dancing.

It was just because of like the use of parties behind our neighbors every time like, like at least that's like at night mostly.

Me and my friends.

And that's when I fall in love with dancing.

- We all from different parts.

We are from two, three different parts of Africa.

Central and East Africa.

We are from Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda and all of us, most of our tribes, we, they all wear that in most of our tribes.

So basically, we looked back, way back, we asked our parents, what do you our people like our ancestors wear back in the days and we all all got the same thing from our parents.

We're like, we can do something with that.

You know?

- We actually pull all the songs together, you know, we just sit down and think what we're gonna do.

Then after that, it just takes time, you know?

You know practice.

We found like what dance matches the song.

Yeah.

That's what we do.

- So most of our dance are choreographed by Martin.

Martin's like a choreographer.

It's like, I'll bring the song.

Martin choreograph on it.

Like he created a dancer or we created together.

But, most of the songs we created all the Black Beanz all together.

- I started creating dances back in 2020 when I moved to Akron, Ohio.

The, this group, the Black Beanz, it was not, not a dancing group.

It was like just four teenagers playing soccer.

And I came up with this idea of dancing because since, 'cause most this of what we know, what we know and yeah, so I just told the boys, let's start.

(African music) - So my mom once told me that since I was young, I used to love dancing.

So everywhere I go is just dancing, dancing, dancing.

(upbeat African music) - They're self-taught and all their dance moves are original.

- I started working with Tom about three years ago and through that process I saw these guys kind of dancing and stuff and wanted to see how I could be involved and we just kind of ended up managing these guys together.

- I wanted to play soccer for a team called Inner City, and I texted Martin and I'm like, I wanna, I wanna play soccer and I wanna join the team.

Then I joined the team.

Then later on I met everybody else from the team.

Then they left.

We have a dancing group, I wanna know if you not dance.

I'm like, I know how to dance then.

So I'm like that.

Then I joined the Black Beanz as a dancer.

- World of Dance, which is the top dance competition in the world.

A couple hundred different groups.

So they all come to California and it's all different.

There's ballerinas to, you know, dancers like these guys and they all compete and the top prize is actually a million dollars.

- David and I brought them to a dance audition.

We sent in one of their videos and they qualified and the reason that we brought 'em there is we knew that technically they really needed to hear from judges what they needed in terms of competition as dancers, what they needed to know, you know, in terms of staying together, transitions, that kind of thing.

They didn't have a lot of practice time.

The judges had to put 'em through.

They just said, this is so unique, these boys are so joyous, we gotta send them through.

- Word of Dance is.

It was amazing.

And I experienced the best dancing in four days.

So great.

I can't, I can't tell you how it was, but I can, it was amazing.

We won crowd favorites at World of Dance.

We performed, we were scared at first before we going on stage, but we became strong and we did.

We did our best.

- They got the most applause in the audience of any dance group and the most people standing up to cheer 'em on.

(African music) (upbeat African music) (African music) - So the Black Beanz, it's not just a bunch of teenagers coming together to dance.

We are like, we are like a family.

We're like brothers where we can be a creative relationship and a family and I mean, if one of us need help, we're all there to support and everything.

(upbeat African music) - [Kabir Bhatia] In addition to performing around Akron, the Black Beanz Plan to audition for the World of Dance again in 2024, as well as America's Got Talent.

(jazzy music) Northeast Ohio vocalist, Ava Preston, was selected to front the 2023 Monterey Jazz festival's New Generation Jazz Orchestra in California.

♪ Pick me a town in any climb ♪ - [Kabir Bhatia] Soon after, Preston joined Shuffle podcast host Amanda Rabinowitz to share stories of her young career, her inspirations and her influences for "Applause" performances.

(jazzy music) - I want you to go back to when you were really, really little because that's when you first discovered that you had perfect pitch and it started with some Disney DVDs.

Can you talk a little bit about that?

- Oh yeah.

From what my mom says, I used to rewind the DVDs, the Disney DVDs on a player and teach myself all the songs.

And when I started singing them and when I started doing piano with a piano teacher, he recognized that I had perfect pitch, that I could hear the notes and understand what they were and name them no matter what pitch it is.

- Wow.

- So that's, that's what perfect pitch is.

- Yeah.

And you were what, like four years old?

- Yeah, three or four, yeah.

- Three or four years old.

And then that developed, you moved on from Disney DVDs didn't you?

- [Ava] Yeah.

- What did you start listening to and singing and emulating then?

- Okay, so you remember those, those those iPods?

- [Amanda] Yeah.

- When they actually used to have iPods.

I would scroll through just, just the music library that was on there and I found Diana Krall and that was my introduction to jazz.

I'm like, whoa, what is, what is this?

Because I, I'd heard pop music, I'd heard rock music, I still love rock music and I love pop to a degree, but jazz is just what stuck out to me.

Like, this is awesome.

And so I just started listening to it.

I didn't start really seriously singing jazz 'til about seven.

Jazz has always been in my life.

- That's so fascinating that that's what you attached to like Ella Fitzgerald too, right?

- Yeah, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan.

I found Carmen McRae a little later, but it was just like.

♪ Footsteps ♪ ♪ That echo in the hallway ♪ ♪ The memory of a moment that's passed ♪ ♪ And the words that I never could say ♪ ♪ I see you standing ♪ ♪ Reflected in the skyline ♪ ♪ With every little breath that I take ♪ ♪ Comes the thoughts that you'd never be mine ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ - I know in school one of your favorite subjects was social studies and that influenced your songwriting.

- My social studies teachers always found a way to make everything like so much more intriguing and interactive.

And I was learning about Malala and things like the Holocaust, a lot of wars, a lot of terrorism, and that really influenced me to write a song about like genocide is the way I put it when I was 11 and I gave it to somebody and they're like, is this a love song?

Like what's this about?

I'm like genocide.

So that's the kind of kid I was and still kind of am.

♪ Here's to finding out the answers ♪ ♪ To all the questions you just don't know how to ask ♪ ♪ Here's to figuring out the reason ♪ ♪ Something about you makes it so hard to move past ♪ ♪ I chose myself ♪ ♪ And wasn't good enough ♪ ♪ I wanted help ♪ ♪ So sick of being tough ♪ ♪ Oh no I can't explain ♪ ♪ The little touch you can't contain ♪ ♪ And I waste time ♪ ♪ But never change ♪ ♪ You wormed your way inside my brain ♪ ♪ Oh tell me ♪ ♪ Why you're running through my head ♪ ♪ 'Cause lately ♪ ♪ I don't know how to feel ♪ ♪ And I know ♪ ♪ Whatever road your taking ♪ ♪ I can't follow ♪ ♪ I got too much to lose ♪ - I know you also went to a lot of songwriting camps.

Is that how you kind of honed your craft?

- Yeah, I went to a couple songwriting camps.

The first one I went to is what inspired me to write songs.

The first song I ever wrote was a song, I think it was called Like "For You" or something.

It was, it was a little cheesy, but I did this songwriting camp with Steve Bogart at The Civic and they told me to write a song and so I wrote it and they're like, this is good, this is good.

I want you to come down to Nashville.

So, I did and I met a lot of mentors down there.

I went to Spring Training the songwriting camp and it's just, it, it sparked something in me.

It's like, I gotta write, that's what I have to do.

- Wow, that's incredible.

And all of those big topics that you've taken on your songwriting, the next song you're gonna perform, "Toy Soldier" is about bullying.

- I was bullied heavily for about seven years.

It was difficult to feel like, and this is a common occurrence I've found for a lot of artists and creatives.

You just don't fit in, you don't fit the mold.

And this was a very homogeneous community in general and it was, it was very difficult, but I feel like it made me the person who I am today and I wouldn't, I wouldn't do it over.

♪ So my feelings are out ♪ ♪ And the crowds have died down ♪ ♪ I gave it a shot ♪ ♪ What more can I want ♪ ♪ There's nothing left now ♪ ♪ And those little toy soldiers ♪ ♪ That you sell when your older ♪ ♪ 'Cause you want to move on ♪ ♪ When your play days are done ♪ ♪ Be the person you should've become ♪ ♪ And I left broken ♪ ♪ And in pieces and parts of myself ♪ ♪ Hoping some day I'll learn how to fix them ♪ ♪ To make something more ♪ ♪ Than I was with my arms wide open ♪ ♪ To the burning regret that I carry around ♪ ♪ 'Cause I can't face the thought of forgetting ♪ (piano music) - We talked a little bit about, you know, some of the camps and songwriting camps that you've been to and you mentioned one of the best is right here in northeast Ohio, Tri-C JazzFest Academy director, Dominick Farinacci, who's your mentor.

- Yeah.

- Can you talk a little bit about that?

- Tri-C is honestly one of the best camps that I've been to.

Everything I've learned about being a leader and figuring out how to do gigs, figuring out how to balance my schedule, how to just, you know, get through life in general, I've learned from there and I've learned from my mentor, Dominick Farinacci.

He won't like that I say this, because he doesn't think he.

He hates to think that he's old, but he's like a second father to me.

Sometimes like we call him the jazz father in our circle of friends.

But yeah, he's really been an influential person in my life.

And so have the other teachers like Joe Hunter, Chris Coles.

Evelyn Wright, definitely.

She is one of my favorites.

I love her to death, oh my gosh.

They're passing the torch.

They're not, they're not saying, no, no, you can't play it this way.

You can't play it that way.

They're giving you the foundation to go off and do whatever you want and that's really, really helpful.

♪ The cuts will still bleed ♪ ♪ Even if you ignore them ♪ ♪ So you block out the pain ♪ ♪ Hoping others will stay ♪ ♪ Get you out of your head ♪ ♪ Head ♪ ♪ Head ♪ ♪ I'm left broken ♪ ♪ And in pieces and parts of myself ♪ - [Kabir Bhatia] Watch the entire session of "Applause" performances featuring Ava Preston anytime with the PBS app.

♪ More than I was ♪ ♪ More than I was ♪ ♪ With my arms wide open ♪ - [Kabir Bhatia] Next time on "Applause," head inside the National Choreography Center at the University of Akron.

You'll see a Cleveland choreographer put UA dance students through their paces.

Then follow in the footsteps of Ohio suffragists with the National Votes for Women Trail.

Plus, hear renowned British conductor, Dame Jane Glover, lead the Cleveland Orchestra in a Mozart symphony.

All that and more on the next round of "Applause."

(classical music) You can watch past episodes of "Applause" with the PBS app.

LangWeil Studio Pottery in Groveport, Ohio takes its name from the wife and husband team of Sandra Lang and Walter Weil.

They share a love for crafting handmade art and have turned that love into a business.

(joyful music) - People don't see exactly what you're seeing unless you go ahead and carry it through.

And that's what your job is as an artist is to, to bring that what you're seeing, make it possible for other people to see it.

(joyful music) We met in art school, CCD, started out in painting and drawing, but found clay.

So I moved into that and actually it's been this gradual sort of getting to where we are.

It was just a, I guess a natural evolution, but with always that being a goal of making our living as artisans.

- I went to learn to paint and draw.

I met Sandy and kind of hung out with her in the clay studio.

I was just sitting there talking, she was working.

I should have been home doing homework or something.

When we decided to do this, as a business, you know, it was hard.

It was a struggle.

So you just make little tweaks constantly to see what, what's going to sell, what's going to keep us alive.

I never thought I would be doing functional ceramics when I was in school, but it's a good living.

- So many people say they don't see how you can work with your spouse and we've never had any problem working together.

I think we both grew up with that really deeply ingrained blue collar kind of values of work.

I can't imagine not working.

I do love physical labor.

That's part of that whole experience of the 3D visceral living.

And I think that, you know, for us, we are not afraid of sweat and we're not afraid of getting in it in the dirt.

And, you know, exhausting hard work.

(kiln humming) - Raku's a traditional firing from Japan, which actually came from Korea.

They usually take the pot out red hot and let it cool naturally or quench it.

They brought Raku back from Japan and were playing with it and they were carrying a pot, they were carrying pots down to a creek and somebody dropped one of them and they said, oh, just leave it.

And they kept going and then when they came back to it, it had smoldered and leaves and, and the dry stuff and got some lusters and some cool things.

And so that's where the post-fire reduction came in.

So it's pretty new to ceramics.

With the Raku, it's the temperature of the day, the humidity, the length of time it's in the can, how hot the kiln fired to, and how long it takes to get from the, the kiln to the can.

Just every little thing can change and it's just so unpredictable, you know, it's kind of cool that way.

(bluegrass music) You have to let things go.

You know, you can't be, you can't be perfect.

It might be, but you can't expect it to be and you can never recreate the same thing twice.

And this is just what fits into our space and what we have.

- The way we chose to live is the reason that we can do what we do.

So it's so completely entwined.

It's a way of living.

You do what it takes to, it kind of just kind of fits together.

You know, we're not big consumers.

We're more likely to buy a piece of art probably than we are to go out and buy the latest and newest stuff.

And so we really consider that kind of thing.

And there again, the idea of pottery going into your life.

It's meant to last you your life.

It's not a throwaway thing.

(bluegrass music) We make the clay and all the glazes.

It's from scratch as you can get it.

- Our technique is slip trail, which is our clay dissolved to liquid, put into a bottle with a needle tip and then drawn onto the surface of the clay.

So that gives it some texture and it also holds the glaze where you put it.

It's technical for us for certain reasons, but also gives the user something to just hold onto, to caress, to feel.

And it's usually something either pretty or funny.

I think that sets it apart a little bit.

And when we put handles on mugs, we try to make it a comfortable handle.

And since they're all handmade, they're all gonna be different.

People come into a booth and just pick up mug after mug and go, oh, this is the one.

It feels just right.

Maybe it might inspire them, maybe it'll just be something that comforts them.

Something, yeah, just fun.

It's just such a joy to be able to pick something up and hold it and use it and appreciate it.

You know, we have, people will come in to a booth and say, oh, well you know, I would buy this but my mother's a potter.

And it's like, well we have cupboards full of everybody else's pots and it's just so nice to have a different pot every morning to drink coffee out of.

Everyone feels different and it gives you a different feeling, different joy.

- I feel like the hand of the person that made it makes it an individual piece that a piece of them kind of goes with it.

Or you know, a bit of their energy, their spirit.

Art for life is how we think about it.

(piano music) - [Kabir Bhatia] Meanwhile, there are several studios around northeast Ohio that welcome beginners in pottery, such as Cleveland Co-op seen here.

If you'd like to give ceramics a try, we have a guide about getting started online at arts.ideastream.org.

This is my cue to say goodbye everyone.

It's always nice sharing the arts with you.

I'm Ideastream Public Media's, Kabir Bhatia, sending you off with another song from Ava Preston.

It's a tune she wrote about a fitful night's sleep called "Antifreeze."

♪ Last month ♪ ♪ Or was it last week ♪ ♪ No, I can't remember ♪ ♪ What day you set your alarm ♪ ♪ They say things are looking up for next November ♪ ♪ Lose track band or look back on your arm ♪ ♪ Stare straight ♪ ♪ Read the headlines from the next town over ♪ ♪ Still fresh in the back of your mind ♪ ♪ Oh great this seats occupied ♪ ♪ But you move on closer ♪ ♪ No stay home ♪ ♪ I really don't mind ♪ (piano music) (bass music) ♪ 2 a.m. again I wanna down a cup of antifreeze ♪ ♪ I never understood through all the static on your old TV ♪ ♪ I say it's the same size as mine ♪ ♪ Take you off a border like gold on the inside ♪ ♪ 3 a.m. again I wanna douse myself in gasoline ♪ ♪ Strike a match and burn up all the things you said to me ♪ ♪ The temperature is 104 and fall apart ♪ ♪ Cold to the touch but just close enough to ♪ ♪ Try to tell what ever lies behind those violent eyes ♪ ♪ You're perfect poison that keeps playing on my mind ♪ (bass music) ♪ Oh hey I thought I saw but I can't remember ♪ ♪ My bad I hoped you would leave ♪ ♪ It's sad but it takes one to know one baby ♪ ♪ It's tough that your just like me ♪ ♪ Just like me ♪ ♪ 2 a.m. again I wanna down a cup of antifreeze ♪ ♪ I never understood through all the static on your old TV ♪ ♪ I say it's the same size as mine ♪ ♪ Take you off a border like gold on the inside ♪ ♪ 3 a.m. again I wanna douse myself in gasoline ♪ ♪ Strike a match and burn up all the things you said to me ♪ ♪ The temperature that is to start ♪ ♪ 104 and fall apart ♪ ♪ 104 and fall apart ♪ ♪ 4 a.m. the spinning and the screaming isn't stopping ♪ ♪ To five so I can figure out what messed up ♪ ♪ Remind me of six, but I don't really care.

♪ ♪ Seven really gets you there.

♪ ♪ Cold to the touch but just close enough to ♪ ♪ Try to tell whatever lies behind those violent eyes ♪ (magical music) - [Announcer] Production of "Applause" on Ideastream Public Media is made possible by funding by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.