Muntu marks 35 years
- By News Hound
- Published 07/11/2007
- Theatre
- Unrated
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View all articles by News HoundMuntu marks 35 years
By Jack Bess
An acclaimed Chicago-based African dance company celebrates its 35th anniversary this year by raising its profile even higher -- to a rooftop terrace overlooking Millennium Park.
The Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago will have a lot to celebrate on July 14 at its anniversary gala onstage in the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park. The group will honor its remarkable history with two new dance pieces followed by a catered reception on the Harris Theater's rooftop terrace, and fireworks. Michelle Obama is the honorary chairperson.
In addition, Muntu is well into a $17 million capital campaign to build its own performing arts center at 71st and Ellis on the South Side. Construction is expected to begin in the next 30 days, with the center projected to open in August 2008, said Joan Gray, president of the dance company.
Breaking free
The dance company has come a long way in 35 years. If the 1960s were a "psychic jailbreak," as rock critic Lester Bangs put it, the early '70s was a time when women and ethnic groups were casting off their socially-prescribed identities to look within.
Born in this turbulent era, Muntu planted artistic and philosophical roots that inform its work today.
"You need to know something about yourself and where you came from," Gray said. "It's not that you become that, but it gives you an idea of who you are and what your possibilities are, and it grounds you. Having that sense of self gives you the foundation to take flight."
Muntu has its origins with a group of South Side percussionists, mostly drummers, who were studying African music and other cultural traditions. Hooking up with choreographer Alyo Tolbert, the group began exploring the vibrant combination of drumming and dance at the Washington Park field house, 5531 S. Martin Luther King Drive. They formalized their activities as the Muntu Dance Theatre, based on the "overwhelming response from the community," Gray said.
Its performances grounded in cultural research and enthusiasm, Muntu began to attract attract dancers and audiences from around the country and embarked on tours to places around the globe.
But the group never lost its focus on the community. By holding dance classes and school-based performances, Muntu exposes an estimated 300 young people every week to authentic African dances. In many instances, the dance company gives kids their first exposure to African culture, which even today receives cursory attention in grammar and high schools, Gray said.
Reaching kids
These outreach programs can touch young peoples' lives in ways that other art cannot, said artistic director Amaniyea Payne.
"Dancing is like life," Payne said. "It has ups, downs, turns, weaving, interactions with many situations and people. You have to focus your attention and apply yourself."
At the gala, Payne will debut her new dance piece "In Search of Africa." A second piece, "Guide," will be presented by renowned Brazilian choreographer Rosangela Silvestre. "Guide" is a cross-cultural collaboration between Muntu and Brazilian artists that explores traditional rhythms and moves ripped from Africa and transplanted into North and South American cultures.
But merely describing these pieces inevitably fails to convey how Muntu can electrify audiences, prompting spectators to leave their seats and bust a move in the aisles, even in stiff-upper-lip England.
"We were in Brighton, England and performing for a festival audience that was pretty much white," Gray said. "There was a point in the show where we had to say, 'OK, thank you, you can go back to your seats now.' The same thing happened in Mexico and in Ghana. People just wanted to be part of it. I don't think you'll see people jumping up on stage at the Joffrey."
MUNTU DANCE THEATRE
35th Anniversary Gala Harris at the Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 14. Concert only: $25, $35 and $50; concert and gala tickets: $175. (312) 334-7777 or Muntu at (773) 602-1135.
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/462674,dy-muntu-071107-s1.article
An acclaimed Chicago-based African dance company celebrates its 35th anniversary this year by raising its profile even higher -- to a rooftop terrace overlooking Millennium Park.
The Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago will have a lot to celebrate on July 14 at its anniversary gala onstage in the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park. The group will honor its remarkable history with two new dance pieces followed by a catered reception on the Harris Theater's rooftop terrace, and fireworks. Michelle Obama is the honorary chairperson.
In addition, Muntu is well into a $17 million capital campaign to build its own performing arts center at 71st and Ellis on the South Side. Construction is expected to begin in the next 30 days, with the center projected to open in August 2008, said Joan Gray, president of the dance company.
Breaking free
The dance company has come a long way in 35 years. If the 1960s were a "psychic jailbreak," as rock critic Lester Bangs put it, the early '70s was a time when women and ethnic groups were casting off their socially-prescribed identities to look within.
Born in this turbulent era, Muntu planted artistic and philosophical roots that inform its work today.
"You need to know something about yourself and where you came from," Gray said. "It's not that you become that, but it gives you an idea of who you are and what your possibilities are, and it grounds you. Having that sense of self gives you the foundation to take flight."
Muntu has its origins with a group of South Side percussionists, mostly drummers, who were studying African music and other cultural traditions. Hooking up with choreographer Alyo Tolbert, the group began exploring the vibrant combination of drumming and dance at the Washington Park field house, 5531 S. Martin Luther King Drive. They formalized their activities as the Muntu Dance Theatre, based on the "overwhelming response from the community," Gray said.
Its performances grounded in cultural research and enthusiasm, Muntu began to attract attract dancers and audiences from around the country and embarked on tours to places around the globe.
But the group never lost its focus on the community. By holding dance classes and school-based performances, Muntu exposes an estimated 300 young people every week to authentic African dances. In many instances, the dance company gives kids their first exposure to African culture, which even today receives cursory attention in grammar and high schools, Gray said.
Reaching kids
These outreach programs can touch young peoples' lives in ways that other art cannot, said artistic director Amaniyea Payne.
"Dancing is like life," Payne said. "It has ups, downs, turns, weaving, interactions with many situations and people. You have to focus your attention and apply yourself."
At the gala, Payne will debut her new dance piece "In Search of Africa." A second piece, "Guide," will be presented by renowned Brazilian choreographer Rosangela Silvestre. "Guide" is a cross-cultural collaboration between Muntu and Brazilian artists that explores traditional rhythms and moves ripped from Africa and transplanted into North and South American cultures.
But merely describing these pieces inevitably fails to convey how Muntu can electrify audiences, prompting spectators to leave their seats and bust a move in the aisles, even in stiff-upper-lip England.
"We were in Brighton, England and performing for a festival audience that was pretty much white," Gray said. "There was a point in the show where we had to say, 'OK, thank you, you can go back to your seats now.' The same thing happened in Mexico and in Ghana. People just wanted to be part of it. I don't think you'll see people jumping up on stage at the Joffrey."
MUNTU DANCE THEATRE
35th Anniversary Gala Harris at the Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 14. Concert only: $25, $35 and $50; concert and gala tickets: $175. (312) 334-7777 or Muntu at (773) 602-1135.
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/462674,dy-muntu-071107-s1.article
