May 27, 2006 / GO Brooklyn
THEY'LL MUV YOU
By Jovana Rizzo
The Brooklyn Paper
Forget classical music.
When the Brownsvillle-based, womens contemporary dance company, Movement for the Urban Village (MUV), performs Shalewa Mackalls original choreography at the BRIC Studio in Fort Greene, June 2-4, theyll be stamping their feet and leaping to the music of Mos Def, Parliament-Funkadelic, The Clash and Sting.
"The movement is rooted in African Diaspora tradition, but performed in a contemporary text," says Mackall, who founded the company in 2003. "The audience can expect to see a company of women with diverse movement experiences as well as life experiences."
In addition to the reprising of "Thembi," "Canon for 4 Dancers," and "Sista Goddess" from previous seasons, two major works were developed for these performances. The world premieres include "Bearers," which concerns the issues of women and the struggle against oppression, set to a blues, rock and funk beat, and "Ghetto Rock," which brings traditional African dance into the modern world through a hip-hop, punk and house score.
Each night, a different artist will join Mackall and the MUVers on stage. On June 2, Lenelle Moise, a Haitian-American poet will read her own works on politics, sexuality and race; poet, journalist and Mid-Westerner Celeste Doaks will speak on June 3; and Yaya, a group of musicians devoted to preserving and promoting African-based musical traditions, will play on June 4.
"I started MUV because as an artist, I wanted to create work that reflected my life as a woman living in Brooklyn, and I wanted to honor the African dance traditions I was trained in," Mackall said. "I use the movement to speak about issues and concerns that are facing me and other people."
Movement for the Urban Village Dance Company performs June 2-3 at 8 pm, and on June 4 at 5 pm at BRIC Studio (57 Rockwell Pl. at Fulton Street in Fort Greene). Tickets are $20, $12 for students and senior citizens. For more information, call (718) 855-7882 or visit the Web site, www.briconline.org.
©2006 The Brooklyn Paper
