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| ABOUT TRaC |
Dance TRaC Fall 2003
Black Burlesque (revisited) Living up to the world of post-modernism, Black Burlesque (revisited) hopped from one country to the other, combining cultures and personalities into one innovative performance. With the sexuality of Trinidad, the attitude of New York and the sultry beats of the cappella world music, dance companies of Noble Douglas and Reggie Wilson is complemented with Black Umfolosi. They come together to the people of New York to present their latest piece at Dance Theater Workshop For what had seemed only to be ninety minutes of choreographic movements, later came into line for what was to be a euphoric celebration of friendship, family and love. As theatrical at is sounds, each character were presented in a call line, gazing into the audience one right after the other while a "ragtime meets soul" music played on.. Though they only walked from one end of the stage to the other, each personalities was a given with only a single stare. Going on forward, they became very play like, with their own version of duck-duck-goose. To my own surprise, this scene had come about not as so choreographic but as a realism of engagements. Flowing with smiles, laughter, and joys, had come into a boastful game, which at one point I wanted to play with them. Each gave such a fantastic role of realism that it looked more natural rather, more of the "spur of the moment" kind of moves. A scene, which amazes me to the tenth degree, was of the dancer, whose name sadly has slipped my mind, performed a solo act whereby she moved from one end of the stage to other side, awaiting a bang lead by Reggie himself. Her, traveling across, showing her struggles and the pain that causes her to reach her goal, her nirvana. Her emotions, especially her endeavors, gave an amazing performance, giving a justifiable reason the revisitation to the Black Burlesque. At every point, the atmosphere of the piece changed from one to the other, depending on the song being sung or the music that is being played. Entering the theater at the beginning a rag-like back drop signified nothing to me but as a décor. Later on, it had come in the dance, where by vibrant colors flashes onto the stage and giving the "rag" a different sense of taste and feeling, thanks to Thabiso Phokompe. The light design not only made everything feel more alive but gave an extra to the audience of the ambiance of their story. The usage of many props, besides the back-drop, only making me delusional for the time being but later intrigued and gave me the drive to learn more about this culture presented to me. From Reggie Wilson's world came this classically done dance piece where a story is told through visual creativity where by means of beats, costumes, attitudes, moods, lighting and everything to deal with what the artists are trying to convey. The whole package comes with a voice being heard miles away to hear what Wilson and the rest, as a whole, has to say. The loneliness, the struggles, the joys shown in Black Burlesque (revisited) has the bliss of one community, one family, to unite each other through the roots of humanity.
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