In honor and celebration of Black History Month, Victoria Theatre Association will present its first African-American Arts Festival, continuing throughout the month of February.
The festival features the fourth annual Visual Voices art exhibition in the Wintergarden of the Schuster Center, as well as performances, both musical and theatrical, including The M.L.K. Musical Concert, Richard Loring's African Footprint, Freedom Train, Jasmine Guy and the Avery Sharpe Jazz Trio in Raisin' Cane and An Evening with Spike Lee.
"We are proud to host this special African-American Arts Festival, featuring an array of performances, events, and exhibits – all celebrating the rich and diverse cultures of not only the continent of Africa, but also African-Americans," says Victoria Theatre Association President & CEO Dione Kennedy.
Continuing, Kennedy says, "Victoria Theatre Association has an ongoing commitment to presenting performances that appeal to the widest cross section of our community. As part of that commitment we are proud to announce a series of programs and activities in January and February that specifically speak to and about the African-American community here in the Miami Valley."
Victoria Theatre Association is collaborating with several outside organizations as partners in the African-American Arts Festival, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Willis "Bing" Davis and EbonNia Gallery, and University of Dayton's Lecture Series.
• Visual Voices: through February 29
Carrying the same theme as last year's Visual Voices art exhibit, Dayton Skyscrapers II: An African-American Visual Artists' Tribute to African American Heroes of Dayton, Ohio is a visual tribute to the many African Americans who have made significant contributions to the Dayton community.
These skyscrapers are not the clustered buildings of Dayton, but rather the African Americans imbedded in our culture through their achievements, standing tall as role models for the community. The exhibit showcases and celebrates their achievements.
For the forth successive year, Willis "Bing" Davis is serving as curator of the Visual Voices exhibit. Dayton Skyscrapers II features inspirational works created by local African-American artists in tribute to the various African-American heroes who are currently making an active impact or who glimmer in the history of Dayton.
• Richard Loring's African Footprint: February 10
Don't miss this thrilling new production on tour for the first time in the United States! The mesmerizing heartbeat of the African drum, the soulful saxophone and the haunting pennywhistlye meld Afro- and Euro-centric music and dance – Kwela-jive, traditional gumboot, tap, contemporary ballet, hip-hop and pantsula – into an "explosive stampede of dance and song" that tells the vibrant and diverse history of South Africa.
• Freedom Train: February 11
A long-standing tradition, Freedom Train is presented annually as part of the Physicians for Kids Discovery Series, which features performances that are designed specifically for school groups to attend and which are tailored to support Ohio Academic Content Standards.
Freedom Train is a musical telling of the life and work of Harriet Tubman, the intrepid conductor of the Underground Railroad.
• Jasmine Guy and the Avery Sharpe Jazz Trio in Raisin' Cane: February 15
This one-woman tour de force captures the power, beauty and brilliance of the Harlem Renaissance. Six-time NAACP Image Award Winner and acclaimed actress Jasmine Guy ("A Different World," School Daze, Harlem Nights) stars in this theatrical presentation in words, music and visuals with a stunning score by the Avery Sharpe Jazz Trio.
Join us as we pay tribute to the period's literary luminaries, including Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, George Schyler, Georgia Douglas Johnson, James Weldon and Jean Toomer, whose seminal novel Cane inspired the title. A noted bass player, Sharpe's music uses and develops the jazz idiom of this extraordinary period of explosive cultural growth.
• An Evening with Spike Lee: February 18
This special event is presented in partnership with University of Dayton's Diversity Lecture Series. As a writer-director, actor, producer, author and philanthropist, Spike Lee has revolutionized the role of black talent in cinema. Widely regarded as today's premier African-American filmmaker Lee is a forerunner in the do it yourself school of independent film. Recent critical and box office successes have included such films as The 25th Hour, The Original Kings of Comedy, Bamboozled and Summer of Sam. Lee's films, Girl 6, Get on The Bus, Do The Right Thing and Clockers display his ability to showcase a series of outspoken and provocative socio-political critiques that challenge cultural assumptions - not only about race but also class and gender identity. -- www.victoriatheatre.com
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