Camille A. Brown and Dancers come to REDCAT. / Photo by Matt Karas
In its ongoing mission to bring noteworthy out-of-town performing arts productions to Los Angeles, REDCAT is hosting Camille A. Brown and Dancers this Thursday, Dec. 3, through Sunday, Dec. 6, in its downtown location. Performances begin at 8:30 p.m. for the first three shows and at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Bringing the award-winning “BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play” to the stage, nine dancers and two musicians “celebrate Black womanhood” in this evening-length program. Incorporating storytelling and theatricality, as well as African-American dance vernacular — social dancing, hip hop, double dutch, steppin’, tap, Juba, ring shout and gesture —promotional materials describe the piece as revealing “the complexity of carving out a self-defined identity as a black female in urban American culture.”
Performances feature original live music by composers Tracy Wormworth (of The B52s and The Waitresses) on electric bass and Scott Patterson on piano, as well as a moderated dialogue with viewers around the themes presented in the dance. Time Out New York calls “BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play” “arguably the best thing that has ever happened on, and to, the Joyce [Theater] stage.”
Wow. That dance-friendly proscenium has seen some knock-out productions over the years, so this must be good.
REDCAT publicity asserts that Brown, a TED Fellow and recipient of several prestigious national awards (a Bessie and a Doris Duke Artist Award), “connects history with contemporary culture in a dialogue and reflection on meaning, understanding, and relevance” in the new work.
Looking forward….
—Benn Widdey, Culture Spot LA
REDCAT is located at 631 W. Second St., LA 90012. Tickets are $10-$25 and can be purchased at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/950407. For more information, visit https://www.redcat.org/event/camille-brown-dancers-black-girl-linguistic-play.