Looking to experience the talent of Meadows School of the Arts this Homecoming weekend? The Meadows Division of Dance presents the Meadows Dance Ensemble’s pinnacle performance of the fall. This year’s Fall Dance Concert, which kicked off last night, focuses on the works of three renowned African-American choreographers. The concert features three dances: Alvin Ailey’s “The Lark Ascending,” “Las Desenamoradas” by Eleo Pomare and Donald McKayle’s “Songs of the Disinherited” as the finale.
Ailey’s “The Lark Ascending” opens the concert, set to “The Lark Ascending: Romance for Violin and Orchestra” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Ailey is known for drawing upon blues and gospel music for his choreography, a trait he picked up from his childhood in Rogers, Texas. In 1958, he started the Alvin Ailey Dance Company in New York. Ailey’s works, as well as the overall theme of the entire concert, focus on the African American culture and its progress through history.
“Dancing in both Ailey and Eleo’s works is an overwhelming yet fulfilling experience, because I am carrying a rich, deeply rooted legacy,” Jarrell Hamilton, a black student performing in the concert, said. “Having the opportunity to dance these works makes me feel, as a black artist, that I have accomplished so much and that my hard work has paid off.”
The second piece of the night, Pomare’s “Las Desenamoradas,” is an upbeat jazz number that features a score from saxophonist John Coltrane. Last night’s performance marks the first time a work of Pomare’s was performed since his sudden death early last August.
Donald McKayle’s “Songs of the Disinherited” acts as the concert’s final piece. McKayle came to SMU to personally lend his expertise to the dancers in a lengthy workshop. The Dance Heritage Coalition referred to McKayle as one of “America’s irreplaceable dance treasures.”
The Fall Dance Concert will be performed tonight through Saturday at 8 p.m. and again on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Bob Hope Theatre in the Owen Arts Center. The dance will also be performed Nov. 13-16. Tickets cost $13 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and $7 for SMU students, faculty and staff. To purchase tickets call 214-768-2787.
Sarah Cook contributed to this report.
