Dallas Black Dance Theatre will present its Spring Celebration, featuring soaring aerial and tango rhythms from around the world

Special to The Dallas Examiner

Dallas Black Dance Theatre marks the finale of its 45th season with its Spring Celebration performance showcasing a soaring aerial, tango rhythms from around the world, and a Kameron N. Saunders world premiere full of dazzling vibrancy set to an original musical score.

The performance will be held May 20-21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wyly Theatre, located at 2400 Flora St.

Kameron N. Saunders created a physically demanding and captivating world premiere for the company. Black in Time is an amalgamation of ideas centered around Black experience, history and hope. Inspired by the idea of afro-futurism, Saunders posed the question, “What does the future of Black people look like?” Saunders worked with composer Brandon Finklea to create an original and dynamic score that feels futuristic and contemporary yet nostalgic and ancestral. He is a co-founder of The K/P Project in St. Louis, Missouri.

In the spellbinding aerial duet What to Say? Notes on Echo and Narcissus, former DBDT dancer Jamal Story will bring to life the heartbreak of the Greek tragedy on unrequited love by weaving mesmerizing, passionate movements throughout the work. Jamal, dance and aerial supervisor for the Cher’s Here We Go Again Tour, is the co-chair of the National Dance Committee for SAG-AFTRA.

Journey to the One, A Tango, the solo is one of five suites within the work. International choreographer Nejla Yatkin created the work in 2003, inspired by tango rhythms from different parts of the world, such as Argentina, Turkey and Mexico. The soloist envelops the stage with a voluminous deep red skirt with a 10-foot train as she mourns the loss of her beloved. As the skirt carves the air filled with past memories, it seems to tell its own story as it dances like a sculpture in motion, while the soloist thoughtfully navigates her emotional journey. Critics described the solo as “luminous images, framed in dramatic clarity and passion.” DBDT premiered the work in 2006.

The Execution of a Sentiment, choreographed by Darrell Grand Moultrie, is a high energy and technically challenging showcase of the athleticism of theatre.

Face what’s facing you! is described as a brilliant work that brings many thoughts to the surface: What are your issues? What do they affect? Where does it hurt? How do you get through them? Veteran DBDT dancer Claude Alexander III choreographed this dance that takes an honest, soul-stirring look at facing life’s challenges. Could this be art imitating life or life imitating art?

The theatre has limiting seating capacity to allow for social distancing. Because of limited ticket availability, discounts on groups or subscriptions are not available this year. Live streaming tickets are available for each household. The live stream broadcast will be shown May 21 at 7:30 p.m. and can be watched on-demand starting May 21 at 10 p.m. through May 23 at 11:59 p.m.

For more information and tickets, visit https://www.dbdt.com.

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