Tampa’s black art scene becomes much more vast over this decade. Many different venues for various types of black performance are founded in this period, many by Florida natives.

1980- Kuumba Dancers and Drummers established in Tampa as an African folkdance group providing performances and workshops across the east coast as north as Canada. It was founded by Myron and Natalie Jackson who studied African drum and dance at Morehouse College and Hampton University, respectively.

 

1981- Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association is founded with one of its goals to promote “understanding of jazz, its origins and evolution” (Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association). It came from the combined effort of jazz musicians Al Downing, who from St. Petersburg, FL, and Ernie Calhoun. Today the association presents jazz performance as well as workshops and youth education.

1993- University of Southern Florida Theatre Department produces Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession (dir. L. Kenneth Richardson), an adaption by the novel of the same name by Studs Terkel.

December 1999- Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (Sarasota, FL) is established by Nate Jacobs, an actor, singer, comedian, playwright, composer, and director who graduated from Florida A&M. He is known as “a driving force in Florida’s theater scene” (Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe) and has had work featured in the Zora Neale Hurston Festival (Eatonville, FL) that went on be performed at the National Black Theatre Festival. Other accolades include 2012 “Men of Valor” award granted by the Sarasota County NAACP Youth Council and the 2015 “Larry Leon Hamlin Producer Award” granted by the National Black Theatre Festival. Today the troupe produces a number of mainstage plays and musicals as well as hosts educational programs.

Works Cited:

“About the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, Inc.” Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, Inc., 2017, aldowningjazz.com/about.php.

“History.” Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 2017, www.westcoastblacktheatre.org/about-us/history.

“Our Story.” Kuumba Dance Co., Kuumba Dance Co., 2017, www.kuumbadance.com/our-story/.

“Past Theatre & Dance Productions.” University of Southern Florida College of the Arts, University of South Florida, 2017, theatreanddance.arts.usf.edu/content/templates/?a=107&z=10.