… Ensemble hosted Monday community workshop on campus
OXFORD, Miss. – Combining traditional African dance with contemporary choreography in a dynamic performance, Evidence, A Dance Company will perform Tuesday (Feb. 7) at the University of Mississippi’s Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. performance are $29 for orchestra/parterre and $21 for mezzanine/balcony. They are available at the UM Box Office in the Student Union, by calling 662-915-7411 or online at http://www.fordcenter.org/tickets.html.
Part of the university’s acclaimed Artist Series, this one-day residency is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Mississippi Arts Commission. Founded by Ronald K. Brown in 1985 and based in Brooklyn, N.Y., Evidence draws inspiration from African, Latin American and Caribbean dance and focuses on the narrative of African Diaspora.
“Ron K. Brown is an outstanding choreographer who has dedicated his life to his passion for dance,” said Norm Easterbrook, Ford Center director. “His works evoke the human spirit of love and cultural enlightenment. We are looking forward this residency and the interactions that they will have with our students.”
Ron Brown
The choreographer said he hopes that “when people see the work, their spirits are lifted.”
“I am interested in sharing perspectives through modern dance, theater and kinetic storytelling,” Brown said. “I want my work to be evidence of these perspectives.”
The mission of Ron K. Brown/Evidence is to promote understanding of the human experience through dance and storytelling and to provide sensory connections to history and tradition through music, movement and spoken word. His goal is to lead to deeper issues of spirituality, community responsibility and liberation.
Brown welcomes interpretations from his dancers and advocates for the growth of the African-American dance community and for young dancers to pursue careers in the arts.
While Evidence is in Oxford, the ensemble hosted two workshops on Monday at the Ford Center’s Studio Theater/Rehearsal Hall. At 1 p.m., the group will have a closed master class with UM theatre arts dance students. And at 4 p.m., they will host a community workshop, which is free and open to the public.
Over the past 25 years, Evidence has performed in many New York theaters, including New York’s Plaza Hotel, City Center and Harlem Stage, and at venues and festivals across the United States. Evidence also acts as cultural ambassadors in Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.
For his talent as choreographer and founder, Brown won the Astaire Award in 2010 and has created numerous works for prestigious dance companies, among them Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Jennifer Muller/The Works and Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire. Each year, Evidence visits more than 25 communities, where the dancers not only perform but also teach master classes and conduct demonstrations for individuals of all ages.
For more information on Evidence, A Dance Company, and the rest of the 2011-12 Artist Series season, visit the Ford Center website at or at facebook.com/fordcenterpac
. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-2787.