Posted by By Lorrie Irby Jackson – Dallas South News Contributor
When Black History Month makes its annual appearance, iconic images spring to mind of Freedom Fighters, scientists, politicians and agents of struggle and progress. But when it comes to the arts, dance seems to fall lower on the totem pole, and the creators of this year’s Cultural Event Series, presented by the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, want to change that.
From February 17th through the 21st, the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre is going to be the home to the world premiere of Christopher Huggins’ spiritually influenced work entitled “Beams From Heaven,” and according to DBDT’s Sr. Director, Errika Flood-Moultrie, this set of performances will enthrall the audience while educating the youth on the integral role that dance plays in our history and how it translates to everyday life.
“Children aren’t always aware that the Dallas Black Dance Theatre is a part of the black history of Dallas. And with this series of shows, they can enjoy all forms of dance, including the opportunity to experience live dance on stage. The Dallas Black Dance Theatre has spent 30 years celebrating black history all year around, especially with our cultural awareness series. Our theme is TransceDANCE, because we are transcending into a new era with our move into the AT&T Performing Arts Center.”
The Cultural Awareness Series is the second of three series being presented in the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, which has become the new performance home for the dance troupe.
Co-presented by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs and Wells Fargo, this sensational show is choreographed by New York’s Christopher Huggins and will combine voices from community choirs across North Texas to serve as the foundation of the world-premiere piece (St. Paul Baptist, Holy Cross Catholic Church, and South Dallas Concert Choir, to name a few), a spiritual dance work set to the traditional and contemporary gospel music of Patti LaBelle’s “When You’ve Been Blessed,” Howard Hewitt’s “Amazing Grace,” Marvin Gaye’s “Wholy Holy,” Aretha Franklin’s Old Landmark and other selections.
Ms. Flood-Moultrie says that in addition to the music, “the exciting part is that the choir representatives from the church will be on stage singing live for the entire second half of the show. It really does give the youth the opportunity to understand modern dance, ballet, and how they can come to enjoy those dance forms. We also hope that some of those children would then become inspired to learn those dances themselves and to join our academy.”
The performance series also includes four matinee performances, Wednesday, February 17th at 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. and Thursday, February 18th at 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
Tickets start at $10 and are on sale now and available at www.dbdt.com or by calling (214) 880-0202. Group rates are available by calling (214) 871-2390.
Lorrie Irby Jackson is a freelance journalist based in Dallas and has covered entertainment professionally for several years, writing many articles for The Dallas Morning News. Her e-mail address is lorrie.irby@gmail.com.
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