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Mhina Dada was born in the heartland of Jamaica, and nurtured
by its myths and rhythms. A founding member of the Imperial Orgy,
he studied both art and filmmaking at Penn State University. It was
at the university that a chance encounter with a great Belezian drummer
unlocked the Jamaican rhythms that had lain dormant within Mhina.
Mhina's background includes film and national
television, theatre, art, and percussion. He has worked on a variety
of television commercials, underground documentaries and offbeat experimental
productions in Pennsylvania and New York. |
His avant-garde
documentaries have been seen from New England to the West Coast.
In 1995 Mhina began painting scenery for Off Broadway theatre.
The Wizard Of Oz marked the beginning of his scenic painting.
Recent credits include Acts Of Providence, Babes In Arms, and
Dark Rapture.
When not painting scenery, he can be found working in his studio
on surreal and expressionist art. Jungian imagery and primal myths
drive his paintings. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries in
Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania.
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Mhina's rhythmic experience ranges from leading African drum
ensembles, to sessions with the Urban Bush Women and legendary Afro-Cuban
drummer "Doc" Leonard. His percussive journey took him through a variety
of punk bands, which was where he was spotted by Caeser Pink.
Mhina claims that his meeting with Caeser helped to liberate
his own creative vision. The Imperial Orgy offered Mhina Dada the
rare opportunity to apply his diverse background to the Orgy's unbridled
music and adventurous stage performance.
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Archer
-oil
by Mhina Dada
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Favorite Books: Pensees-Blaise Pascal, Love is a dog
from hell,-Charles Bukowski, Man and His Symbols -Carl Jung, Popul
Vuh-Trans.by Dennis Tedlock, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones-Compiled by Paul
Reps, Henry Miller-Crazy Cock, The Essential Whitman-Walt Whitman,
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists- Nivedita/Coomaraswamy
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Favorite Albums: Rid Of Me-P.J. Harvey, Oy Vey Baby-Tin
Machine Live, Disintegration-The Cure, Uprising-Bob Marley and the
Wailers, Earth Crisis-Steel Pulse, Holy Smoke-Peter Murphy, La mer-Dubussey,
Rain Dogs-Tom Waits
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Favorite Films: The 400 Blows-Truffaut, Knife In The
Water-Polanski,The Sacrifice-Tarkovski, Wings Of Desire-Wim Wenders,
Rashomon- Kurosawa, Dr. Strangelove-Kubrick, Masculine /Feminine-Godard,
Aguirre, Der Zorn Gottes- Herzog |
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