Don’t be fooled by the name. Sharing Grandmothers is not a monotonous show about old women talking about their pasts and bragging about how amazing their grandchildren are.

Instead, Sharing Grandmothers—on stage for two nights as part of The Ringling's Black History Month celebration—is an exciting presentation of culture and music showcased through a multidisciplinary song cycle. While exploring the traditions of Haiti and Cameroon, the show also highlights the ancestry both cultures share. 

Sharing Grandmothers features Inez Barlatier and LORNOAR, two young women embracing and sharing their cultures’ traditions.

Barlatier is a first generation Haitian-American, residing in Miami. A singer, songwriter, percussionist and dancer, Barlatier performed at The Ringling two years ago and literally had audience members dancing in their seats—and in the lobby. Hailing from Cameroon is LORNOAR. Also a singer, songwriter and dancer, she composes and sings songs in French, English and her native tongue, Eton. Carlos Caballero, a Miami-based Latino/Caribbean actor and theater director with over 30 years of theatrical experience will be acting as the production’s director.

Through folktales, lullabies and other oral traditions held by the women of their native lands, Barlatier and LORNOAR will honor the influence of African culture in the Caribbean and its diaspora, and celebrate the empowerment of modern-day Black women.

Sharing Grandmothers will be on stage at the Ringling Museum’s Historic Asolo Theater this Friday and Saturday, February 11 and 12 at 7:30 pm. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the theater’s website or call the box office at (941) 360-7399.