Monday, August 09, 2004
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Multicultural music, dance mixes with Dr. Seuss
By
Lori Beckman
What do you get when you mix the world-renowned dancers, music and dance from several different cultures, the Underground Railroad and Dr. Seuss? You get the 2004-2005 Ballet Tech Ohio Performing Arts Association’s (btopaa) dance season. Opening with The Conductors Multicultural Dance Fest on September 17 and 18, this year’s season celebrates the people of the Underground Railroad; dance from many cultures; anddiversity and literacy.
The opening show, The Conductors Multicultural Dance Fest, is presentedin collaboration with the Arts Consortium and as part of the Festival of Freedom. The performancecelebrates the grand opening of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Claudia Barrett, the show’s choreographer and the founding artistic director of the btopaa, brings a wealth of talent to the stage. She received her training in dance at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet, and has since created a number of ballets for pre-professionals. Among them are The Mask, Peter and the Wolf and excerpts from the Nutcracker, just to name a few. Her husband, Ian Barrett, wrote the original music for The Conductors, where the score uses banjo, harmonica and piano music reminiscent of the era of slavery in America.
In collaboration with Barrett’s original music and btopaa, guest dance companies— including Bi-Okoto Drum and Dance, Gaiananda Dance and Judah Praise Dance—will present a show consisting of Negro spirituals and original music, and the narrative of The Conductors.
Among the groups performing in the dance fest isthe Bi-Okoto Drum and Dance Theatre. Established in 1994, the group has been fulfilling its goal of preserving traditional African drum and dance heritage and promoting cultural understanding by educating audiences about African countries. While calling Ohio home, the group has broadened its horizons by performing nationally and internationally, representing Nigeria in South Korea’s Youth Festival, and receiving presidential welcomes in Italy, Germany, Bulgaria and France. Seven of the artists in the group performed for U.S. Army troops on American and United Nation bases in honor of Black History Month.
Like Bi-Okoto, Gaiananda Music and Dance Ensemble makes their missioneducation. “We all had a vision, either being dancers or musicians, of bringing a lot of people together to create an environment that actually helps educate people about the richness of embracing cultural diversity and what each culture has to bring to a community,” said Gaiananda’s founding member Suzanne Gerrard.
The Ensemble has specialized in fusing forms of ethnic music and dance since its beginnings in 2001. Engraved metal and stone-inlayed wooden drums, bass, soprano guitars, a fiddle, a flute and a raq (a large Egyptian tambourine) are just some of the instruments used by the group to create music.
Another dance group, Judah Praise Dance Ministry, reaches out to the spiritual needs of the community for healing, deliverance, faith and hope while delivering the word of God. Originating at the Quinn Chapel AME church in Forest Park in 1996, the dance group has participated in the annual Praises in the Park program and has ministered before many congregations in the Cincinnati area. The dancers have also completed their second annual Sermon in Dance: Because of the Cross, which includes narration and interpretive dance to gospel music.
Beyond the music and dance of The Conductors, however, is a touching story that must not be overlooked as a critical and fascinating part of our American history. It is a chronicle of one family’s quest to obtain its freedom through the Underground Railroad. Learn of the family’s ordeal as plantation slaves, its heartbreaking separation when the father and brother are sold, the escape of the remaining family members, their journey on the Underground Railroad and the family’s joyful reunion at a safe house near Cincinnati.
On the lighter side of life, come back to the Aronoff early next year for the production of btopaa’s Green Legs and Ham, where the company will dance to the rhythmic and melodic narration of the collection of Dr. Seuss’ works. Don’t miss the colorful sets and costumes planned for this show.
Then, next August’s Season Finale, the 4th Annual Gala of International Ballet Stars, will showcase the best dancers from the best companies and the best choreography. Past shows have featured starts of American Ballet Theatre, BalletMet, Bolshoi Ballet, Coplexions, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Kirov Ballet, and more.
Season series subscriptions are available for $71 to $91, as well as single tickets on sale for anywhere from $20 to $55 depending on the show.
Green Legs and Ham
3/4/2005 - 3/5/2005, Downtown
The show features colorful and exciting sets and costumes, great choreography, danced to the melodic narration of the collection of Dr. Seuss' works.
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Lori Beckman is a production manager at Gardner Publications and is a Cincinnati native.
