Grace by Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE - Cancelled

The school performance of this production has been cancelled.

In the face of the everchanging circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 virus, Des Moines Performing Arts has cancelled remaining Applause Series performances through April 30.

Schools and Home Educators who have paid for their tickets will receive a full refund.

(UNITED STATES)

GRADES 4-12

Gain new understanding of the human experience and the African diaspora through Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE’s seamless integration of traditional African dance, modern choreography and spoken word.

This special performance for school audiences will be anchored by excerpts from Grace - a fervent tour-de-force depicting individuals on a journey to the promised land.  Described by The New York Times as “astounding, something to be sensed as well as seen,” this spiritually-charged work is a rapturous blend of modern dance and West African idioms.  As in many of Brown’s works, the movement alternates fluidly between extremes, with eruptions of power coupled with lightness.  A serene solo for an angel-like figure in white gives way to fireball intensity as 12 dancers resembling urban warriors execute Brown’s whirling, pounding choreography, arms and legs slicing the air and fingers pointing to the sky.
 
Brown’s varied music choices closely reflect the heart of the work, with the spiritual grounding of Duke Ellington’s Come Sunday, the contemporary yet timeless house music vibe of Roy Davis’ “Gabriel,” and the West African and African-American traditions of Fela Kuti’s Afro-Pop beats.

 Please note: all children who enter the theater for this production must have a ticket and be at least three years old.