Monday, February 2, 2009

Seen and Unseen

"SEEN AND UNSEEN" is a programmatic theme for dances that will intertwine several layers of meaning, exploring the visible and the invisible. The Black History portion of the show will have a several works with focus on the life of Frederick Douglass, loosely based on excerpts from the "Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglass" with assorted musical references from classical renditions of folk tunes, to hollering work calls. This work will be told as story in sections sensitively choreographed to highlight to children what slavery was like for a child, as well Douglass' thoughts on education as the first step toward freedom. There will be also be new work rifting off of Ralph Ellison's Invisible man, entitled, Invisible No More, in celebration of the recent inauguration of President Obama. Among reprisals is my 1998 version of "all that you have is your soul" featuring the music of Tracy Chapman; and "Sabbathday" a work using the music of The Shakers, whose inventive legacy and movement oriented worship welcomed people of all races.
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Photography above credited to Amitava Sarkar from "Dogan"