Twins Antoine and Antonio Duke are building an artistic foundation at Pillsbury House + Theatre. When Artistic Associate James Williams visited their classroom at Washburn High School, he showed them “that the things we were seeking to create were real,” recalls Antoine, that “people can make a living in the creative arts and be artists.” Since bringing them into Pillsbury House + Theatre’s new Power of Our Voices (POV) teen leadership and performance ensemble, Antonio wrote, acted in, and directed the short film, Escape, starring his fellow POV ensemble members. Antoine is headed to San Francisco as a member of Minnesota youth slam poetry team, and is leading a hip-hop dance class at the House on Monday nights. Together, the twins received a grant from the City of Minneapolis to work with Pillsbury House + Theatre to develop a dance, spoken word, and video performance to address violence prevention issues. “POV teaches you how to take the initiative,” says Antoine. And Antonio adds, “Pillsbury House has opened doors for me, opened me up to people, which allows me to do what I love—theatre.”
$50 provides dance studio space for Antonio and Antoine’s Shaking Fences hip-hop dance class for one month. Your donation makes this story possible.
photo of Antoine and Antonio by Alan Berks