Experience "What's Going On" Through Dance & Music

What's Going On created and performed by Dance Place.
Photo by Jonathan Hsu.

Christina Cultural Arts Center welcomes Dance Place of Washington, DC to celebrate Marvin Gaye's landmark music brought to life through exuberant dance. The one-night-only performance will be held at The Tatnall School's Laird Performing Arts Center in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, April 21, at 4:00pm.

Dance Place Artistic Director Vincent E. Thomas looks through the lens of Marvin Gaye's transcendent music and finds a reflection of today’s world. Gaye's insights into life, love and social justice are given fresh perspectives through Modern, Jazz and West African dance choreography by Thomas, Ralph Glenmore and Sylvia Soumah. 

The program is a full-length dance piece set to the groundbreaking music of Marvin Gaye, including classic hits like Heard it Through the Grapevine, Let’s Get It On, Mona Lisa, Inner City Blues, Got to Give It Up and many more. 

What's Going On seeks to evoke thoughtfulness and sparks conversations in each community it touches.

Vincent E. Thomas (Artistic Director) is a dancer, choreographer and teacher. His choreographic work has been presented nationally and internationally. He is Artistic Director of VTDance and Professor of Dance at Towson University. Ralph Glenmore (Choreographer) is a former principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His illustrious Broadway career includes A Chorus Line, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ and Bubblin’ Brown Sugar. Sylvia Soumah (Choreographer) is Founder/Artistic Director of Coyaba Dance Theater, performing traditional and contemporary West African dance and music. The What’s Going On company is made up of eight new and established dancers, many familiar to the DC dance scene.

Tickets are $22 or $16 for students, all available now at ccacde.org. 

This project is made possible, in part, with support from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Delaware Special Presenter Initiative Grant.  

See ccacde.org and danceplace.org. 

Striking Performance, Powerful Subjects Found in "Searching for Self"

By Guest Blogger, Hope R. Rose
Hope is a freelance photographer and photojournalist. She has been published in Next Level Magazine, Delawareblack.com, el Hoy and other regional publications.

A past performance by Pieces of A Dream dance company.

Expectations and assumptions were not just what I found, as I rushed down to Wilmington Drama League to catch “Searching for Self,” performed by Pieces of a Dream modern dance company.

I assumed and expected to see the athleticism, skewed forms of ballet, along interpretation of some familiar music. I assumed it would be some familiar protagonist, supporting dancers, lights, fabric and all that other good stuff seen in other past dance performances.  What I did NOT expect was the challenge of taking on hidden topics of suicide, depression, along with current social issues that we as a society are “dealing with.”  It was definitely a performance that I am still “thinking” about and how I wish more youth had an opportunity to see.

The choices of music spanned from jazz, folk, hip-hop, rock. The performance was the eighth annual concert performance for Wilmington, hosted at the Wilmington Drama League on March 6 & 7, 2015.

Ashley SK Davis is the Executive and Artistic Director and brainchild for this premier modern dance company. She continues to grow and exceed my assumptions and expectations, every time I witness their performances.

See www.piecesofadream.org.