Hartsville, S.C. – March 28, 2018 – Coker College is hosting a performance of Walking Out the Dark, by internationally-renowned Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, on Tuesday, April 24, at 7:30pm in the Watson Theater in the Elizabeth Boatwright Performing Arts Center. The performance is free with Coker ID and $5 for general admission.
Walking Out the Dark is constructed as a danced conversation between mother brother, sister, lover, friend. The piece aims to examine what impedes our ability to assist one another in a time of need. It draws on the idea that in America, we do not have codified rituals of self-examination and healing as in other societies. Ronald K. Brown utilizes this contrast to show how culture and ritual can affect us. The text is excerpted from a series of letters written by Brown. The score includes music by Phillip Hamilton (“Freedom”), Sweet Honey in the Rock (“O Death”) and Francisco Mora. The movement is a fusion of spiritual dances from Benin, Cuba, and Côte d’lvoire.
In a review of Walking Out the Dark on criticaldance.org, Carmel Morgan writes, “The work is a masterful melding of different styles of dance and moods. It is contemplative and inspiring. Sometimes heavy, sometimes joyful, it begs its audience to be kind to each other. It reminds us, despite geographic and cultural boundaries, we’re made of the same stuff. We share the same earth.”
This performance is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
In addition to their April 24 performance, Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, will host a workshop on dance and community at the Butler Heritage Foundation on Monday, April 23, at 6pm. The workshop is free and open to public.
Founded by Ronald K. Brown in 1985 and based in Brooklyn, New York, Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, focuses on the seamless integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. Evidence now tours to some 25 communities in the United States and abroad. Annually the company reaches an audience of more than 25,000. Mr. Brown has received numerous awards during his impressive career, and on June 28, 2018, he will be presented with the prestigious Scripps Award by the American Dance Festival for lifetime achievement in modern dance. Learn more by visiting evidencedance.com.
