An old African proverb goes, “Who does not love to dance, does not love to sing.”
Recognizing the central role of expressive movement forms in African-American culture, the Gordon Center for Performing Arts will host a month-long celebration of “Black Dance in America” in February as part of Black History Month.
Located at 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave. in Owings Mills, the Gordon Center will host the celebration in partnership with the Baltimore Black Dance Collective. The initiative is part of Take a Leap, a decade-old program in partnership with Baltimore County’s Commission on Arts and Sciences and with additional support this year from the Maryland State Department of Education’s state-aided institutions.
In addition to workshops and classes, there will be three live performances on the Gordon Center stage, including by SOLE Defined on Wednesday, Feb. 8; the Baltimore Dance Collective on Thursday, Feb. 16; and Hiplet on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Hiplet (pronounced Hip-lay) is a nationally recognized dance troupe whose hip hop/ballet style became an online sensation five years ago and has been featured TV’s “America’s Got Talent” and “Good Morning America.”
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 7 and 8, at 11 a.m., more than 800 middle and high school students from Baltimore County Public Schools will come to the Gordon Center to experience SOLE Defined, a dance company based in Washington, D.C., followed by a public performance on Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m..
On Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m., the Gordon Center will host “CELEBRATION: Uplifting and Honoring the Culture and History of Black Dance.” This event will showcase local dancers, dance companies, studios and schools. Participating companies include the Full Circle Dance Company, the Keur Khaleyi African Dance & Cultural Institute, Ballet After Dark Stephanie Powell DanseEnsemble, and Dance Baltimore.
On Feb. 28 at 8 p.m., the Hiplet Ballerinas will perform classical pointe techniques with African, Latin, Hip-Hop and urban dance styles. Performances may incorporate the rhythms of African drums with Tchaikovsky, arabesques, beat-boxing and even Tango en pointe, all while showcasing Hiplet’s trademark hip movements and struts.
For information about “Black Dance in America,” visit jcc.org/gordon-center/dance.
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