FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sarah Snyder
ssnyder3@umd.edu
301.405.8151
February 27, 2012 – College Park, MD – Choreographers Kwame Opare and Graham Brown explore the transformational power of dance in their Shared MFA Dance Thesis Concert on March 14 and 15 at 8pm in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Dance Theatre. Opare’s Triumph of Disruption: A Movement to Subvert relates to his experiences teaching dance to inner city youth. Brown will present Apple Falling, a piece that touches on themes of familial inheritance and legacy through the lens of dance and theatre.
Triumph of Disruption: A Movement to Subvert — Kwame Shaka Opare
Born and raised in DC, Kwame Opare is a testament to the power of the arts and its ability to transform lives. He works with inner city Baltimore students through ConneXions Community Leadership Academy, a public school on the West side of Baltimore. Not only will Triumph of Disruption feature 12 of his young students performing by his side, the work speaks to Opare’s experience working in public schools. He says, “Triumph relates to my work in the community and the power of the arts. When you can educate children properly — give them something that pertains to them, makes them want to learn —you instill them with pride. It is through this empowerment that you can make a better society.”
In addition to Opare’s work with ConneXions, he is involved with Teaching Artist Institute, an arts advocacy program in Maryland. He also specializes in West African dance and performed in Stomp on Broadway from 1998-2003.
Apple Falling — Graham Brown
In Graham Brown’s Apple Falling, the lives of seven individuals intersect as they each interact with their familial histories, musing over the stories and characters that have, over the generations, helped shape who they are and who they will become. Brown says of his piece, “Apple Falling shows that life is tough. But that’s the beauty of it. It’s hope in spite of the discord.”
Brown’s choreographic work over the past two years has been within the realm of dance theatre, using personal experiences, spoken text, and other theatric elements as a means to more deeply convey narrative. He has received choreographic commissions from the Sugar Space (UT) and the Dance Exchange. He currently performs with PearsonWidrig DanceTheater, directed by Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig, and has freelanced with many others including The Dance Exchange, Nicholas Leichter Dance (NYC), Tzveta Kassabova (MD), Cie. Wili Dorner (Vienna, Austria) and Stephen Koester (UT).
Tickets
More information can be found on our web site. Tickets for this performance are $20/$10 (Regular/Students), and can be purchased online or by calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787).
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About The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at UMD
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland is a collaborative space shared by the School of Music (SOM), the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. The Clarice Smith Center presents performances and programs by visiting artists as well as by students and faculty of SOM and TDPS in an environment of creative learning, exploration and growth. A national model for a performing arts center on a major research university campus, the Center enables innovative partnerships and extraordinary experiences.
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.