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ESSENCE TO PRESENT SPRING DANCE CONCERT MARCH 14, 15, 16 AT OBERLIN COLLEGE
MARCH 7, 2003--African-American dance and drumming alumni from Oberlin College will join the Essence student dancers in presenting the company’s 2003 spring concert Friday, March 14, and Saturday March15, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 16, at 2 p.m. in Warner Center, 30 N. Professor St.
Performing with them will be the seven-member College drumming group Ilu Aiye and its founder Matthew Hill ’00.
Admission is $4 in advance and $5 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased from the College Central Ticket Service 9CTS) box office, 12 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by calling the CTS 24-hour reservation line (440-775-8169).
Titled "Alumni & Friends," the program of original dance pieces was choreographed by Oberlin students and alumni to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the African American Studies Department at Oberlin, which gave birth to the student-directed dance company during its early years.
The concert, a joint venture between Oberlin's Department of African American Studies and the Theater and Dance Program, also celebrates the 10th anniversary of Dance Diaspora, the College’s widely-acclaimed national student-touring group that evolved from Essence.
The returning alumni include Johanna Almiron’00, Camille Fair ’00, Dominique Atchison ’02, Rashida Bumbray ’00, Phoenix Singleton ’00, and Raven Taylor ’00. Dance Diaspora director Adenike Sharpley is the artistic director for the "Alumni & Friends;" Theater and Dance Technical Coordinator Astrid Jobe is technical and lighting director.
The program includes Karibu, a medley of dances from Kilamanjaro, Tanzania, accompanied by jimbe drumming, and Kabio Si , a mix of Filipino and Afro-forms choreographed by Almiron. Also to be performed are two Bumbray-choreographed dances: Ring Shout and Star Eyes, a tap piece to be danced to the song of the same title by Charlie Parker. Seduced, choreographed by first-year Diaspora member Sherece Donalds, is a love story told in modern dance form, to the music of Zap Mama, Damn Your Eyes.
I Asked God if I Could Change My Name, a solo performance by Karla Dionne’04 choreographed by Sharpley to the music of Nina Simone, is a story of racism and discrimination told through Afro-modern dance form. Kasa, performed by Dance Diaspora, is a dance of exhibition from Gambia, West Africa.
Media Contact: Betty Gabrielli
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