Pieces of a Dream, Inc.

Blog

Check in.  catch up.  keep informed.
  • About
  • The Director
  • The Company
    • Company Members
    • PD*2
  • The Academy
    • Faculty
    • 2022/2023 Registration
  • Competition Team
    • Comp. Schedule
  • Recital Info
  • Donate

3/19/2013

Words Taking Shape Spectacular Success

0 Comments

Read Now
 
"I am Ashley SK Davis, and this is Pieces of a Dream, Inc."  Thus concluded a wonderful evening of movement, tears, and laughter on March 2 at the Wilmington Drama League.  Pieces of a Dream, Inc. presented its Sixth Annual dance concert "Words Taking Shape" at the venue on Lea Boulevard in Wilmington to a packed house.  True to its missionary focus of presenting meaningful and socially-relevant works, "Words Taking Shape" showed the beauty of movement while simultaneously challenging the viewer to think critically.   By the end of the 90 minute performance, all those audience members were more than satisfied.

The first half of the show was actually an encore of the production "Moved...by Words, by Silence, by Sounds", which premiered at the Fringe Wilmington Festival in September 2012.  This series of four suites uses poetry and prose in lieu of music as a backdrop for the movement.  While most of the spoken word is pre-recorded audio, two of the segments require the dancers to speak as they dance.  In "Mom, I Wish..." the dancers were asked to write a "letter" to their mothers with this prompt, which they then complemented with movement.  The other piece that did not use a recorded track featured not speech, but sound.  A large section in "Moved...by Power" is performed entirely in silence, with sounds, syllables, and phrases of words inserted sporadically.  The highlight of the first half was the final dance in "Moved...by Pain", a solo choreographed and performed by Pieces of a Dream, Inc. veteran Ashlei G. Randolph.  This suite on grief also included a duet by Ketruah Braithwaite and La-Chelle Dickenson and a group piece to a section of Kalil Gibran's The Prophet and Psalm 23.  Ms. Randolph's performance was set to "2 Pearls", a poem by Gayle Danley, in memory of her mother's battle with lung cancer.  The combination of Ms. Danley's words and Ms. Randolph's movement left a definitive impression on everyone in the audience.

Act II was equally poignant.  The first suite, "The New Normal?", addresses the seeming conflict between the American value of the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and the Constitutionally-guaranteed right to bear arms.  The suite is divided into three scenes:  A child caught in the crossfire of gang violence, a bullied high school student who decided to exact vengeance on her tormentors, and the "paradise" that is left behind in the wake of such barbarity.  The goal of this piece is a question why we are no longer appalled to hear news about violent shooting deaths, and whether the public has become complicit in the deaths of children by our silence and inaction.

The final suite of the concert was certainly the crowd favorite of many in the audience.  "In a Dark and Lonesome Place, Seeking Light" is a window into the life of someone suffering from depression.  Our protagonist seeks many different options to find "the light", and finally is triumphant.  This piece, again featuring Ms. Randolph, is relevant to another struggling through a difficult life episode.

With all the heaviness of the dances, the evening ended on a fun note.  Ms. Davis enlisted the audience in helping POAD, Inc. film a "Harlem Shake" video.  Dancers and non-dancers alike joined in the creation of this laughter-inducing video.  The video will be available on our website and YouTube channel shortly.

If you missed the performance, or just want to see it again, the DVD of "Words Taking Shape" is available for order on our Shop page.

Share

0 Comments
Details
    Subscribe to this blog via email updates or your favorite feed reader

     RSS

    Share|
    To be added to our general mailing list send us your information via the contact form. Want to help spread the word about Pieces of a Dream? Grab a free badge for your site.

    Pieces of a Dream Featured Item

    Ringer T-Shirt   Show your Pieces of a Dream, Inc. style with our short-sleeve ringer tee.  The front of the shirt features the DreamDancer logo, and the black accents around the cuff and collar perfectly compliment the design.  To purchase the Ringer T-Shirt or other Pieces of a Dream, Inc. merchandise, click the CafePress link below. 




    Support This Site

    Buy Pieces of a Dream T-shirts, bags and other merchandise on CafePress.

    Categories

    All
    Audition
    Auditions
    Class
    Finance
    Fundraiser
    Holistic Wellness
    News
    Notices
    Perfomances
    Performances
    Press
    Publicity
    Social Networks
    Updates

    Archives

    September 2017
    June 2016
    August 2015
    October 2014
    April 2014
    July 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    January 2012
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    May 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    June 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    March 2008
    February 2008
    December 2007
    November 2007
    September 2007

    Subscribe to this blog for the latest Pieces of a Dream News.

    Board news


    Site graphics by Mythical Design

This organization is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com. ​
  • About
  • The Director
  • The Company
    • Company Members
    • PD*2
  • The Academy
    • Faculty
    • 2022/2023 Registration
  • Competition Team
    • Comp. Schedule
  • Recital Info
  • Donate