Joe Bataan / Asia Nitollano

When Asia Nitollano, 15, arrived at 548 Broadway last winter to audition for the cast of HAI's Respect project, she made a strong impression on the project’s Artistic Director, Tony Award winning Choreographer/Director George Faison and HAI Program Coordinator Rhonda McLean-Nur. "She was very centered and professional in her audition. As soon as the music began, the light that shone in her eyes and the energy and passion exhibited in her dancing and singing let me know immediately that we had a gifted, budding star in our midst," said McLean-Nur. Nitollano has continued to draw attention in the Respect performance tour of public schools throughout the city.

HAI staff members were surprised and delighted to find a prior connection between HAI and Nitollano. In 1982, Nitollano's father, the talented musician Joe Bataan, was a performing artist with HAI's In-Facility Department.

Bataan recalls this work as a chance to reach out to people who otherwise lack access. "I grew up in Spanish Harlem… my roots are there. Going into the community for HAI and performing before residential audiences in psychiatric centers and nursing homes was very gratifying, something most musicians never experience.” Bataan and his wife Yvonne Nitollano have consistently supported their daughter, attending nearly every rehearsal and performance of Respect.

As a member of the Respect Project, Nitollano and other cast members wrote and developed performance material that addresses critical issues affecting urban youths today. "All the things that we go through in real life we put in Respect. We discussed and debated issues together and this is important because these are the issues we deal with each day."

Nitollano is happy to be working with an organization that her father worked for so many years ago. "It shows you that it's a small world…I feel like I am following in his footsteps in a way." When the Respect Project performed in a group home for troubled youths, the impact of their work on peers was brought home to Ms. Nitollano. "The kids there had been through so much. These were kids who had experienced many of the subjects we included in our performance." Standing up before audiences that are often no older than themselves, the process of fielding comments in the Q&A part of the performance created a critical learning laboratory for Respect cast members and audience alike. After one Respect performance, a young girl in the audience spoke about her own personal decision to have a child at a young age. "In the beginning when we were in workshops and writing with George Faison, I never thought Respect would be like this and come together the way it has. It's just great," says Nitollano.

Stephanie Berry / Kisha Skinner

Stephanie Berry, critically acclaimed for her central role in the film Finding Forrester, Obie Award winner for her performance in The Shaneequa Chronicles: The Making of a Black Woman, founder of Blackberry Productions and longstanding HAI artist, has a lot to be proud of these days. In the process of making a serious commitment to professional acting and striving to create and take on roles that sincerely and accurately depict African-Americans, Stephanie passed on her passion for the arts to her daughter, Kisha Skinner.

Stephanie's collaboration with HAI began when she worked as a dancer for HAI's Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (C.E.T.A.)-sponsored programs over twenty years ago. Shortly after leaving HAI Berry founded Blackberry Productions theater company with several other artists. A part of Blackberry Production’s mission was to create original theater that gives voice to the voiceless and brings professional theater to the community.

During her work with HAI, Berry often brought her daughter to rehearsals and performances at residential facilities, something Kisha now recalls with clarity. "I would sit someplace out of the way, sometimes in the back of the room, and watch the people watch the performance. You could see it affected them, that they enjoyed the performance and that they were grateful."

In 2002 Ms. Skinner and Co-Director Razena Baines officially launched the Blackberry Youth Ensemble for youthful actors and performers from nine to twelve years of age. The group is currently performing for HAI's residential youth audiences with great success.

In the initial stages of forming the Blackberry Youth Ensemble, Ms. Berry and her daughter worked together, conducting writing and acting workshops with participating youth. It wasn’t long before Stephanie realized that her daughter Kisha had a gift of working with young people that was distinctly her own. "One day I walked into the room and [the kids] were responding to her in a way they didn't with me. I knew that would be my last day. They really respond to her."

Mildred Pugh at Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center noted: "Kisha and her associate were consummate professionals…they had high expectations for the performance and expected the same of the kids. They got it. The staff was 'blown away.' They were stunned at how our kids sat quietly and took in every word. They commented on the professional poise of the group, their attention to their parts and the seriousness with which they played them."

The youth ensemble began as a residency program at the Ralph Bunche School, P.S. 125, as part of a cultural arts program lesson plan and has expanded with a core group of members and the help of a dedicated cadre of parents. The performance material reflects participants' own experiences, as well as incorporating the history and culture of diverse communities. Remarking on one particular youth member who was not able to contribute in the initial stages of her enrollment, Ms. Skinner noted that "she totally came out of her shell," as did other young students who have been transformed by the experience of creating and performing for their peers.”

Facilitating the development and growth of youth participants is part of Blackberry Youth Ensemble's mission. "We want to increase young people's exposure to the arts, make more people aware of historical contributions through the arts and diverse cultural value systems. In the creative process students share with the community and develop, expanding their own horizons and that of their audiences," says Skinner.

HAI is pleased to promote the work of individuals with a strong commitment to their art and a determination to see the creative efforts of others realized. Over the course of twenty years, Ms. Berry and Mr. Bataan have not wavered in their commitment to serving others through the arts and have inculcated these values in their children. As Stephanie Berry concluded, "I call it passing the torch."