Dear Pennies & Pens,
In this post, Pen’s Eye: DBDT Encore! Presents Dancing Beyond Borders – West, I will be sharing my thoughts and writing a review of the show.
First, I would like to thank DBDT: Encore! for collaborating with me to create this review. Secondly, I would like to congratulate all of the artistic directors, choreographers, dancers and all who were involved with this show – it was phenomenal!
Just to give you some background on the show, the website states, “DBDT: Encore! takes its talents across metroplex boundaries by Dancing Beyond Borders, pushing the lines of contemporary modern dance.” Dancing Beyond Borders – West included four different ballets: Shedding Skin, Undercurrent, Tears of War and Spiritual Suite.
Shedding Skin, Tears of War and Spiritual Suite were danced by members of DBDT: Encore! whereas Undercurrent was danced by guest artists from DanceTCU. All four of the ballets were absolutely amazing. These ballets are true visual masterpieces, you could really see how hard each choreographer worked on these ballets. And the dancers who performed them were able to bring to life the emotion of the ballets.
The first ballet, Shedding Skin was choreographed by Jessica Hendricks and danced by Darian Brogdon, Gillian Clifford, Jayla Johnson, Aleigha Mayo, Olivia McCall, Brandon Palmer, Javares Selby, Brianne Sellars, Micah Sherard, and Markel Williams.
Shedding Skin made me think about how we should all embrace our body types and looks. We should see ourselves as beautiful/handsome and think of ourselves as perfect as we are all children of the Most High. It was truly a magnificent ballet.
The second ballet, Undercurrent was choreographed by Richard A. Freeman, Jr. and Katricia Eaglin and danced by DanceTCU guest artists Annie Cellar, Sasha Chapman, Claire Hodges, Shannyn Kell, Betty Moler, Abigail Robertson, Anna Spangenberg, and Genesis Thompson.
It was quite fitting for Women’s Herstory Month as the ballet featured an all female lineup of dancers. Undercurrent was truly a stunning ballet. As noted in the program, “Undercurrent is an ensemble work inspired by the movement of water. Across three distinct sections, this work traverses a broad and varied landscape of tranquility, introspection, power, and force.”
Undercurrent is an inspiring ballet. I enjoyed the performance because water is not only alluring, it’s the perfect metaphor for human life. Water holds so many secrets and untold stories – this is something my sister October Flower and I were talking about the other night as we drove by the Ohio river.
We were discussing how during the time of enslavement of Black Americans, the Ohio river was one of the main obstacles runaway enslaved peoples had to cross. We imagined how difficult it must’ve been for them to swim across the Ohio river to escape from Kentucky (or other slave states) to the free state of Ohio.
As I said previously, water holds so many secrets and untold stories and I’m sure the Ohio river is no different. Going back to Undercurrent, I think this ballet delivered on its promise of showcasing the intersection of tranquility, introspection, power, and force.
The third ballet, Tears of War was choreographed by Christopher L. Huggins and danced by Darian Brogdon, Gillian Clifford, Jayla Johnson, Aleigha Mayo, Olivia McCall, Brandon Palmer, Javares Selby, Brianne Sellars, Micah Sherard, and Markel Williams. As stated on the website, “Tears of War depicts heartbreak through the eyes of victims of war during different periods in American history.”
Tears of War took my breath away as it was truly spectacular. Over the years, I have had mixed feelings about the military and war. In my younger days, I was against all forms of military but as I mature, I see that we need the military and we should be thankful to those who have served and those who are currently serving. In essence, Tears of War is a beautiful depiction of military life.
The last and final ballet, Spiritual Suite was choreographed by Richard A. Freeman, Jr., Dianne Grigsby, Floyd McLean, Jr. and Nycole Ray and danced by Gillian Clifford, Jayla Johnson, Aleigha Mayo, Olivia McCall, Brandon Palmer, Javares Selby, Brianne Sellars, Micah Sherard, and Markel Williams. Spiritual Suite was the perfect ending for Dancing Beyond Borders because Christianity and the church is in so many ways the center of Black American culture.
Spiritual Suite does a wonderful job of expressing spirituality and love of the Most High through dance. It is a stunning ballet that I truly enjoyed. And like I said earlier, you simply cannot discuss Black American culture without referencing church. Therefore, it was a wonderful note to end Dancing Beyond Borders on.
In conclusion, DBDT: Encore! Dancing Beyond Borders – West was exceptional. I feel so blessed to have witnessed such extraordinary art. Once again, thank you to DBDT: Encore! for working with me to create this post.
To learn more about DBDT: Encore! and to purchase tickets for upcoming events, visit: www.DBDT.com.
Thanks for reading de la Pen…All Pen Everything! And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.
