Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Dance SHE Created It to showcase Atlanta's female dancers and choreographers
Posted by Andrew Alexander @AndrewAWriter on Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 1:47 PM
There are 11 pieces in the show in a variety of styles: from a tap piece by Andrea M. Price to hip hop by CiCi Kelley, from Tambra Harris' West African dancing, drumming and singing to Johnson's own blend of modern, African, and hip-hop. “You'll hear a lot of different voices,” says 2 Kids and a Dream co-founder Juel D Lane, who recently premiered a piece with the Atlanta Ballet but is stepping aside this weekend for the women to take the stage. “The common ground for all these choreographers is a love for what they do.”
The show started out as a solo piece by Johnson about the struggles she'd had as an African-American woman in the dance industry, but she eventually expanded the vision to include a diverse range of other female artists into an evening-length mixed program. “I wanted to open it up because many of us have stories to tell,” she says. “Through my experience, I have been shut down. It wasn't because of my talent. I was told I was too dark, too short, or I didn't have long hair... I'm not in that space anymore, but as women we often get told 'You can't do that.' And we have to rise above that.”
The company 2 Kids and a Dream is a one-year-old partnership between Lane and Johnson, both professional dancers and choreographers who originally met as students at Atlanta's Tri-Cities High School. “We want to create new avenues for other artists,” says Johnson. “I don't believe in starving artists. I believe in passionate artists who can live off their artistry. It just takes someone to go in and help them, and that's the company we are.”
If you miss SHE Created It you can catch another 2 Kids and a Dream production titled Wha Cha Don't Wanna Tap Into on Friday, September 23, at 7 pm, which will be performed at Underground Atlanta as a part of the city-sponsored public art event Elevate/Atlanta. The site-specific show examines tough social issues through music, dance and theater.
SHE Created It will debut at Tri-Cities High School Viola Turner Theater on Saturday, September 17, at 8pm and Sunday, September 18, at 3pm. Tickets are $10 at the door, $5 for high school students with ID.
Readers also liked…
-
Review: Atlanta Ballet explores three different worlds in "Man in Black"
New mixed program allows the company to dive into distinct styles
-
A few questions with Malina Rodriguez 1
The Dance Truck founder is collaborating with Dances Made to Order, a monthly online film series highlighting the dance culture of different U.S. cities
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
Spoleto 2013 kicks off this weekend in Charleston, South Carolina
Arts writer Andrew Alexander covers the event for "Creative Loafing"
-
Meet Derrick Grayson, 'The Minister of Truth,' yet another U.S. Senate candidate 11
Stone Mountain conservative boasts the slogan 'A principled voice for Georgia!'
-
MARTA: Bus involved in train collision got 'stuck' on railroad crossing 4
Could a better designed railroad crossing help prevent future accidents?
- More »
More by Andrew Alexander
-
ASO Conductor Robert Spano to perform as piano soloist 2
Spano plays a Triple from the bench
-
Atlanta Ballet announces 2013-14 season
Play on, Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare!
- More »
Search Fresh Loaf
People who saved…
Top Commenters
