When:
December 13–15
Friday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 15 at 6 p.m.
Where:
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
915 W. 60th Street
Chicago
Reaffirmed/Reimagined, the first performance shepherded by new Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer, will feature revivals of two classic Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT) works. Essence – A Portrait of Four Women (1972) by Haitian-American choreographer Martial Roumain, shows the lives of four women of color—a domestic worker, a high-value prostitute, a biracial African-Latina woman navigating two worlds, and an urban woman surviving through race-based rage—intersecting on an emotional journey of self-actualization and sisterhood, set to music by legendary songstresses Nina Simone, Zulema, Roberta Flack, and Nikki Giovanni with the James Cleveland Choir. Deeply Rooted Productions Creative Director and Co-Founder Kevin Iega Jeff’s Dedication (1982) depicts an ancestral elder passing the legacy of life onto children of the new world, set to music by Quincy Jones, Clause Ogerman, and Patti Austin.
Also on the program are three works from the company repertoire. DRDT Co-Founder and Associate Artistic Director Gary Abbott’s Parallel Lives (2017) is a contemporary narrative inspired by poor, working women who have shared life-changing events, both beautiful and tragic, with original music by Evangelos Spanos based on Vivaldi’s La Folia. Nicole Clarke-Springer’s Forces (2018) explores spiritual influences on daily consciousness, with music by Marcelo Zarvos. When Men (2016), by company and Artistic Team member Joshua L. Ishmon, considers the idea of abandoning stigmas to strengthen from within, with music by Ananda Giri and Paolo Nutini and text by Charlie Chaplin.
Along with DRDT repertoire, the December 14 and 15 performances include Gesem, East of the Nile, a preview of a full-length work, premiering in spring 2020, that brings together DRDT and Grammy Award-winning producer/songwriter/gospel artist Donald Lawrence. This theatrical experience melds elements of choral, hip-hop, trap-jazz, and inspirational music with inspirational dance theater. The December preview features original music by Lawrence, a choral ensemble, and the DRDT dancers.
Tickets:
$45+
Tickets and more information are available via the Deeply Rooted Danced Theater website or by calling 312-795-9777.
