Hello Readers,
Early this month, I attended a performance by the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble. The company, its mission and goals, etc. are breaking boundaries in more ways than one.
Right from the get-go, the narrator/host breaks the 4th wall in Art by addressing the audience. We get a behind-the-scenes look at the ballet dancers doing warm-ups. Then they exit the stage to prepare for the first number. While the dancers get dressed, the narrator/host gives us a background behind his company's beginnings, philosophy, and classical methods of training.
Another boundary broken is Ballet's traditional fashion ( uniform tights and tutus ) and the typical biological make-up. The female dancers in the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, don't wear the off-white pinkish tights. Instead, they wear Ballet flats that match ( as closely as possible ) to their unique skin tone. This choice not only embraces multiculturalism, it also emphasizes and elongates the beautiful lines these dancers make.
The dancers then perform various innovative pieces from classical and abstract to contemporary ( fused by soul music and moves of James Brown ). Afterwards, audience are invited to go onstage, where they learn Ballet partnering 101. Then several dancers stay onstage to answer questions from the audience ( anything under the sun of the dancer's world ) while the rest prepare for the closing number.
The Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble's innovation is breaking boundaries. Audience are not just passive spectators; they are participants in the world of Ballet that becomes more accessible to them. We get a glimpse that helps us contextualize the Ballet of the past, present, and future. We tip-toe and promenade in their Ballet flats as we practice partnering with them, and we start to understand how to empathize with them. Breaking boundaries is liberating and encouraging: whether Ballet or interpretive, how awesome is it to just dance?
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