When: Saturday, March 1, 7:30 PM and Sunday, March 2, 4:00 PM
Where: Victoria Theatre, 138 North Main Street, Dayton, OH 45402
On March 1st and 2nd at the Victoria Theatre, audiences get to cheer, applaud, and contemplate the visions of four dynamic Black women creators. And this, just in time, too, as we as a nation are called upon to re-affirm the positive values of a diverse, inclusive and equitable society.
Winifred Harris, activist artist, community organizer, and entrepreneur, seeks to balance the beautiful escapism of dance and the realities that form today’s aesthetic and cultural values. In her world premiere Shadows Just Before, dancers explore the expansions and contractions of their shadow selves. To music by Claude Young and John Batiste, dancers alternate calm meditative moments with startling bursts of speed and passion.
DCDC Associate Artistic Director, Qarrianne Blayr, who is also performing in the above work, uses actual voicemails as a prompt in recalling the warmth engendered by familial endearments. In Call(ing), five women respond to delivered messages in unison passages and assisted solos that vivify communal support. Ms. Blayr’s contemporary choreography is informed by her deep knowledge, and application of West African dance to modern dance aesthetics.
Kia S. Smith’s South Chicago Dance Theatre are DCDC’s special guests. Ms. Smith is an alumnus of DCDC’s 2nd company, who has gone on to further acclaim (Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, is among her many honors and recognitions). Her multi-cultural dance company will perform an excerpt of her full length ballet, Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley. The company of eight dancers are sleek and accomplished movers. Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley, underscores the robust contributions of Black people to jazz culture in Chicago.
Countess V. Winfrey’s huMAN/NAture is a sumptuous banquet of movement, visuals and sound. The sound is provided by Ms. Winfrey’s brother, jazz composer Wesley Winfrey, performed live at these shows. The dramatic, and ever evolving backdrop of verdant trees, indigo sky and floating flowers, was designed by Kanetha Scott. Ms. Winfrey’s multi-section work is epic in its depiction of evolving spirits. Luscious movements of entwined lovers, meticulously timed spinning and leaping men, and women strong enough to carry men twice their size completes this vision of a community gone from elemental to exuberant.
Tickets can be had by going to daytonlive.org/dcdc or calling 937.228.3630
Visit us at www.dcdc.org and on Facebook/Instagram: @daytoncontemporarydancecompany
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) was founded in 1968 to create performance opportunities for African American dancers. 56 years later, it remains rooted in the African-American experience, committed to the presentation of accomplished movement artists on the global stage. Known for its extraordinary artistic expression, precision, and athleticism, DCDC also believes dance is for everyone, and includes dance education as an essential mission goal.
DCDC’s Qarrianne Blayr in huMAN/NAture Photo credit Scott Robbins
South Chicago Dance Theatre Photo credit Michelle Reid
..\Pictures\SCDT Performance2 - photo credit Michelle Reid.jpg
