Looking very much forward to attending a special evening of important American dance history.
A dance retrospective of African-American vernacular dances, starting from the slavery era to today, will be on view at Cal State Dominguez Hills, performed by the Central Avenue Dance Ensemble.
Central Avenue, of course, the historic jazz and r&b black cultural mecca of Los Angeles, in its heyday considered the West Coast corollary to Harlem.
Dance names include Zulu, Work Songs, Cakewalk, Spiritual Dances, Shim Sham, Lindy Hop, Foxtrot, and the African-inspired Latin-American dances.
The current presentation reprises a prior showcase developed by Chester Whitmore, dancer, dance instructor, and dance historian in the South LA community.
Lately the reins have been taken up by Ron Parker, a ballroom dancer and dance historian who is currently the director of the Central Avenue Dance Ensemble.
Hoping we’ll hear the name Marie Bryant dropped in the evening!
History of Black Dance in America | Cal State Dominguez Hills | June 19-21