Dr. Kariamu Dance Critique

Above the bustling Broad Street below, Dr. Kariamu's dance team purged itself of modern African expression for the admiring audience before them. Themed around issues relating to African American history, the dancers sent degree defying kicks and base throbbing shakes in the pursuit of telling five stories.

The first ... a coming of age piece held all of the elements of a young woman, realizing herself, among her peers, feeling scared as well as curious as the new her comes into bloom. This dance was impressive in the fact the ladies danced to no music. There was no junjun to keep them in step, but you would have never known the difference.

The next piece was about the plight of the black man, an all male piece. The lighting was very nice; it was impressive to see the stage lights dim as the spotlight warmed up upon the single male singer.

The third, which was my favorite, was powerful enough to almost bring tears to my eyes. Aside from the obvious, a seamstress dreams of one day having the chance to wear one of the beautiful gowns she sews. The facial expressions of the dancers carried this piece as the women preened and danced and at times showed a questioning look as to whether it was rightÐ'--it as in the decision to assimilate.

In coming to America, the Africans lost a lot of themselves in the Atlantic holocaust. Aside from losing family to the sharks that followed these slave ships, Africans were also molested of their pride in being themselves. The decision to assimilate contains the decision to give up ones own ideal of beauty and grace in exchange for someone else's. The dresses of the dancers could have been a perm, a trip to the plastic surgeon, or a thought with held. I felt it was very powerful, and the dancers transcended the stage and probably had more than just myself thinking about how society today is an iVersion of what it was yesterday.

The next piece was incredibly high power with a beautiful woman screaming Ramona as her cast silhouette behind her danced as though it had its own personality. I was actually inspired by that piece to look into the MOVE crises, and I wish I had the opportunity to see the piece again so that I could see how Dr. Kariamu depicted the nature of the tragedy.

The final piece was very intriguing to watch but once I understood the meaning behind some of the mime like meetings of the dancers, I had to let out a big oooohhhhhhh. Best costumes of