MassQ Ball Performance

MassQ Ball Performance

Imagine an art event...

Where instead of looking at objects on walls, we looked at each other. Where instead of going to see art, we became it. Where the lines between artist, art and attendees blur, and our collective human nature is once again aligned with nature itself.​

This is the inspiration behind MassQ Ball 2025: Color - an intergenerational, cross-cultural celebration of the arts and culture of Boston's many communities of color.

For MassQ Ball 2025 Color we have assembled a star-studded lineup of artists, performers, activists and cultural bearers from a wide range of disciplines to create a one-of-a-kind, immersive, multi-sensory experience that represents the beauty, diversity and color of our commonwealth and wider world.

The MassQ Ball is BACK!

Join Castle of our Skins, Daniel Callahan, and the Arnold Arboretum for MassQ Ball 2025: COLOR — a free, family-friendly celebration of ritual, performance, and cross-cultural artistry, happening Saturday, October 4, 2025 at the Arboretum! 🌿🎶🌍

Experience the vibrant creativity of Boston’s communities of color through music, dance, installation art, and the ritual of MassQing. 💫

📍 Arnold Arboretum, Conifer Collection
🗓️ October 4, 2025 | ⏰ 10AM–4PM

JAE’s performance will be 11am-1pm on October 4.

Learn more!

Banboche 2025

Banboche 2025

Hibernian Hall (map)

Banboche 2025 is Saturday, November 1st, 6 pm - 10 pm at Hibernian Hall, Roxbury.

Jean Appolon Expressions’ (JAE) annual Banboche celebration showcases a vibrant program of Haitian art, culture, and dance performances with live drumming, special guest speakers, a live DJ, and community dancing. Banboche 2025 will celebrate the historic grand opening of our permanent home in Nubian Square, the Jean Appolon Expressions Dance Center! This year, JAE will be celebrating the life and legacy of Danielle Legros Georges, a beloved community member, friend, and artist who helped share the beauty and magic of Haiti with the world.

Banboche 2025 Silent Auction opens Saturday, October 11th! All auction proceeds will support JAE programs and the JAE Dance Center.

Celebrity Series presents JAE at Roxbury Community College Media Arts Center

Celebrity Series presents JAE at Roxbury Community College Media Arts Center

Roxbury Community College Media Arts Center (map)

Boston’s own Jean Appolon Expressions blends Haitian folkloric dance with contemporary movement, creating powerful, visually stunning works that are grounded in cultural specificity and ritual while offering an emotionally resonant experience for audiences of all backgrounds.

Through a compelling blend of the time-honored and the contemporary, artistic director and choreographer Jean Appolon creates works that speak to Haiti’s rich cultural heritage and the Afro-Haitian roots of modern dance. Through movement, he tells deeply human stories about his homeland and its people.

Excerpts from Pouvwa and Traka

More info here.