On Friday, February 7, Forces of Nature Dance Theatre performed on the stage of the John Cranford Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University. The performance featured various styles of dance including modern, traditional West African, contemporary ballet, hip-hop and more. The dance pieces were accompanied by both recorded and live music.
The performance began with Elemental Exuberance… A Memorial Tribute, which was a piece that honored the lives of many Black individuals who have made a lasting impact throughout history. There were five dance pieces that followed including E.R., B’Flowin B’Smoove, Rated R “Revolution,” “The Black West,” and Bride. Additionally, there was a musical interlude that featured four musicians playing traditional West African beats on the drums.
All pieces were choreographed by Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Executive Artistic Director/Choreographer Abdel R Salaam with the exception of Rated R “Revolution,” which was choreographed by Jae Ponder. Each piece was full of life and the choreography selection was well-suited for honoring and celebrating Black history.
The opening dance, Elemental Exuberance… A Memorial Tribute began in the dark with candles in each dancer’s hands. The names of prominent Black individuals were listed at the beginning of the dance and continued throughout. Dancers were dressed in all black and performed movements that mixed modern and traditional West African dance. At the end of the piece, one of the dancers held up a staff in the center of the stage. The significance of this piece was acknowledgment of the lives and legacies of “many people from various societies and communities of Africa” who have passed on and are now Ancestors.
The second piece, E.R., was a solo performed by company dancer Courtney J. Lewis which featured a large folding table as a prop. Wood was placed over the table to created a smooth surface and provide stability for the various ways it was used by Lewis. This piece highlighted the endless possibilities of dancing with a large prop and using it unconventional ways. Lewis pushed, jumped on, fell on, climbed up and balanced on the table in different ways throughout the piece. She fully trusted the table’s stability when performing movements that were dangerous and truly treated the table as her partner. Lewis allowed her weight and the sound of the drums to guide her movements throughout the piece. The soundtrack featured the sound of sirens to accompany Lewis’s movement, which created a sense of urgency and excitement.
B’Flowin B’Smoove is a two-section piece that embodies its title. The piece is filled with various port de bras, and the movements have a lot of breath. There was an emphasis on letting the body go and releasing while also incorporating moments of attacking movement to showcase different dynamics. The first section incorporated a lot of torso isolations while the second section continued with fluid movement. The dancers moved through each of their movements fully and the music guided a lot of the choreography.
After intermission, there was a hip-hop piece titled Rated R “Revolution”. The dancers all had waist-length braids that they incorporated into the choreography. There were a lot of lighting blackouts when dancers would run on and off the stage and moments when one dancer was highlighted by a red spotlight. The lighting and the high-energy choreography made this piece highly attention-grabbing. Following this hip-hop piece was “The Black West”, which explored and honored significant Black individuals of the American West in the late 19th century. Through photos, sound effects, music, lighting and dance, the Western setting of this piece was clear. Dancers used their bodies to illustrate a story and emphasize the Western theme. The piece ends with a group dance to the song “Buffalo Soldier”. The dancers moved to the beat of the music and ended in a cluster imitating motions from the West.
Before dancers took the stage for the final piece Bride, there was a musical interlude with four musicians. The interlude featured traditional African beats played on the drums and transitioned into the final dance piece.
Bride tells the story of a woman who is a victim of wartime rape and unwanted pregnancy. She is considered a “ruined woman,” but a man in her community wants to marry her. There is a scene with midwives who come out to deliver her baby, and drum beats to add to the visual. After having the baby, the woman goes through a healing journey within her community and is surrounded by people who uplift her. In one section, all the women leave the stage, and three men stay on. The male dancers signal the audience to clap along with the musicians, and the pit of the stage rises to highlight the drummers. The piece is primarily traditional African dance with pelvic isolations, high energy, quick footwork and quick arm movements. At the end of the piece, the woman and the man who pursued her are dressed in all white among their community members, and they get married. Bride told a story, had the message of healing within your community, and highlighted Black culture in a captivating way.
This entire performance was soulful, full of life and vibrancy and an excellent way to showcase the beauty of Black history. Abdel ended the performance with a speech highlighting that Black history is American history. He noted various important Black individuals who have had a great impact on this country throughout history. The most significant thing he noted in his speech is “regardless of everything going on in this country currently, Black history will not be erased, and we will continue to share our history and culture with the world.”