The performing arts here in the country is something that is normally taken for granted and not looked upon as a solid career path. Artist are always hearing comments such as “Is that all you do full time” or “How are you gonna make money doing that”, and those comments are directed more toward the singers, dancers, painters. Now just imagine the commentary a young Bahamian girl who has taken up the craft of Poetry and Spoken Word performance must hear on a daily. When we at eLIFE 242 were first introduced to Tanicia Pratt at a Spoken Word Jam Session “SPEAK” at the Golden Club, we were blown away by the passion in her words and the emotion brought across by her voice. Tanicia’s petite frame and shy demeanor off stage is a stark contrast to the powerful spoken word pieces that she puts on paper and then memorizes to perform in front of crowds weekly. So when the eLIFE 242 team decided to feature her in this issue our biggest hope was that it would inspire other young poets to step up and display this art form that has great potential. We caught up with Tanicia at a spot that we thought was a great location to get inspired to write great poetry.
So Nicci ,how did you get your start as a spoken word artist? A: Wellll! Poetry was always my hobby! Since primary school, I preferred traditional written pieces. To be real, I was never really fond of Spoken Word until after I graduated high school. Eventually, Spoken Word grew on me until, one day, I was like “Hey, I wanna speak like that!”, so I did; I watched countless poets, most from BNV (Brave New Voices) and Def Poetry, to study their content, flow, voice pitch and body movements. When I finally wrote (and memorized) my first few performance pieces, I started performing at open mics [with my group, Just Cause]. The more we wrote, the better we got, and the better we got, the more we were asked to perform at events and radio shows. Now here I am, two years later, sharing my talent off of what was just a hobby.
Who would you say your work speaks to? A: Everyone. I have many poems that are diverse in terms of content but recently, I’ve gotten a bit ‘soft’ so I’m most known for my heart-break poems that speak to women. But I also have poems about war, violence and homosexuality. I don’t have a specific set of audience in mind when I’m writing though. I just write to let out how I feel and since I am a woman, I guess that side shows more! I want to start writing some more poems that speak to the men though; give them time to feel less guilty about break- ing a girl’s heart, haha!
Does it surprise you who is attracted to your work? A: Yes! Every single time! I’m such a dork – I would act calm and pleasant in front of the person but once I’m home, I’m prancing with a goofy smile on my face. Feedback, especially if it’s positive, is always surprising for poets because we put so much pressure on ourselves to always write a better piece than our last piece. For me, I don’t realize how good my performance is until I hear some snapping and a woman shouting “Yesssssss!” while I’m on stage.
Your spoken word pieces talk a lot about love and relationships, which one of your pieces has been inspired most by a real life event? A: I would have to say, “Distant Pain, Long Faces”. I have more recent ones that can come to par, but for some reason this one never gets old. It was about a man I dated overseas and we know how that ends. I woke up one morning, and the first line came to my head. Once I started typing, I didn’t stop until the poem was over. Just how it’s performed, was how it was written that day. It’s the most raw, deep and naturally emotive without all of the ‘poetic fluff’ that my other poems have.
What do you want people to get from your art? A: I want people to feel. That’s all. I want, when they hear my poem, whether they’ve been through the situation or not, to empathize with someone who probably has. My art is all about emotion; because it’s always good ‘what you say’, but ‘how you say’ it makes it even more special.
How do you feel the spoken word movement is progressing in The Bahamas? A: Definitely. It’s not progressing at the rate we would want it to, but every other day we discover literary talent from seniors that come to Spoken Word poetry is, still, very much an underground community that not many people know about. Despite that, we’re still grateful for every new visitor that we can inspire because in the end, our goal is not to develop at least an appreciation for the craft.
What are you looking forward to in your spoken word/art career ? A: Overall, I’m looking forward to bringing more awareness of Spoken Word, and poetry in general, as an art form to the Bahamas and not just a hobby. That includes more workshops, poetry events, and performance gigs. Personally, I believe publishing books is every writer’s dream… and I would love my talent to work for me and allow me to branch off in different forms of writing (like books, songwriting, advertisements, scriptwriting etc). Regardless, a girl can only dream; the opportunities are endless, but it all starts with exposure. And how do you expect to be exposed, if you’re not even around to perform, right? So in order to get there, I’m focusing on writing more and more pieces, that way, I’ll have more pieces to perform.
Where can people come out and see you perform? A: You can come and see me per- form [with the other members of Just Cause] at SPEAK! @ Blue Reef Sports Bar every Monday night. So if you’re looking for something more fulfilling than a regular night of dancing, come to relax and be entertained by countless of Bahamian poets that will make you laugh, cry, smile and most importantly, feel at home.
NICE STORY