Energy and enthusiasm filled the Center for the Arts (CFA) Theater as the Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE dance troupe performed for a full house on Friday night. Part of the Breaking Ground Dance Series, the performance featured “Come Ye,” a newly choreographed dance commissioned by the CFA to commemorate its thirtieth anniversary.
The CFA has never commissioned a dance piece before, so the Ronald K. Brown show was a unique and special anniversary event. Pamela Tatge, Director of the CFA, described the commission as the “anchor event of our thirtieth anniversary.”
“We decided to commission a work with the breadth of influence and vision that is just as wide as the breadth of vision of those at Wesleyan. We turned to Ronald K. Brown,” Tatge said in her welcoming remarks Friday evening.
The CFA chose to commission Brown after an exceptionally positive reception to his Conn. and CFA debut in 2000, which featured his trademark African choreography.
“We asked Ron to create a work for 2004 that would reflect his interest in the great storytellers and activists of African-American culture, using his breathtaking movement vocabulary which incorporates a broad range of contemporary dance influenced by the fast-paced rhythmic movements of Africa,” Tatge wrote in a January press release.
Brown’s interpretation of this assignment resulted in a tribute to the late jazz singer and activist, Nina Simone, who died in April 2003. Inspired by Simone’s life and work, “Come Ye” begins with the silhouettes of the eight-member troupe in a stiff line. As Simone’s soulful song of the same title plays, the dancers individually begin their own movements, each eventually coming together into the light while the music of Simone came over the sound system.
“I say come ye come ye/ Who would have hope,” Simone sings.
In white tops and dark bottoms, the dancers were simply dressed, allowing the audience to focus completely on their movements and their relationship to the music.
In addition to the dances themselves, the lighting effects enhanced the meaning of pieces, offering a different level of visual communication. For example, in the second song of the medley, “Sunday in Savannah,” Simone sings, “Young Folk/ tendin’ Sunday School/ they sing merrily bout the golden rule.” As Simone sings about the golden rule, the lights on the dancers became golden as well, offering a visual support for the auditory image.
After a quick costume change into more monochromatic but stylistically elaborate garb, the dancers performed to Simone singing about revolution. Through their expressive body movements, the dancers interacted with each other, communicating not with words but with the language of dance. These interactions seemed to transport the dancers from the CFA stage to a jazz club in the life of Simone.
The medley in “Come Ye” also included the rhythmic drums and music of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, a Nigerian musician and activist. The EVIDENCE dancers danced to Kuti’s music in unison, all performing the same steps adapted to each dancer’s own specific style.
As the piece concluded, projected images on the back wall of the stage documented key events and figures in civil rights and social justice movements. The last image was of Simone herself. As Simone looked out over the stage and the audience, the dancers merged from two separate rows into one straight line, becoming one unified figure.
“[The ending was] a sort of benediction. It really kind of put a button on it. It was so akin to worship, it really moved me,” said Aleta Straton ’80, who enjoyed the performance as a spectator.
Preceding the “Come Ye” debut, Brown and EVIDENCE performed three other dances, each unique, original, and diverse, displaying the full range of Brown’s creative choreographies.
The evening began as it ended, with all eight members dancing together, in “Upside Down,” an excerpt from Brown’s 1998 piece, “Destiny.” With vivid neon costumes, colorful lighting, and expressive arms, the EVIDENCE dancers exhibited their athletic grace.
Four dancers followed with excerpts from “Walking Out the Dark (2001),” exemplifying exactly how body language and dance can communicate stories and emotions. Wearing muted brown costumes and dancing under a dusky light, the dancers told a story of struggle and conflict through their gestures and movements. Their motions smoothly transitioned between quick, sharp steps and equally powerful slow, strong movements. The dance continued after the music stopped, the performers powerfully dancing to the rhythm and sound of their own breath and movements.
“My favorite part of the show was how the dancers interacted and played off one another,” said Alana Liskov ’06. “I really liked the second piece because it was dramatic due to the emotion coming from the dancers.”
After a brief intermission, Brown performed his new solo, “For You.” Wearing a bright orange outfit in front of blue backdrop, Brown dramatically stood out, captivating the audience.
Brown founded EVIDENCE in 1985 and premiered “Come Ye” in New York at Joyce Theater in November 2003. Friday night’s performance was its New England debut.
EVIDENCE performed in the CFA Theater Saturday night as well. The two performances were part of EVIDENCE’s four-day residency at the University, which included a master class for University dance students and a two-day workshop with the Green Street Arts Program for Middletown children. The company’s residency was presented by the CFA and the Dance Department, and received sponsorship from the University’s Edward W. Snowdon Fund.
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