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Spelman Spotlight
The -
September 1981
55
J
Photo by Mitchell Faulkner
Dancers for “Colored Girls” present an “alter ego”.
Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theater.
Devoted T o Dance
By L. D. Shipley
Exhilarating, exciting, and fan
tastic are just some of the words
used to describe the Annette
Beard Contemporary Dance
Company. The dance troupe
lectured and performed Thurs
day, October 1, 1981, at Sisters
Chapel. Led by Bruce awkins, the
group illustrated several warm
up techniques, and performed a
dance to be done in concert the
following Friday night.
Eight members make up the
company, they include; Kim
Snow, Marcia James, Michelle
Saranne, Chiquita Ross, Gina
Ellis, Stanley Dalton, John Young,
and Broderick Crawford. Also
with the group is the Costume
Mistress Sajda Masawwir Ladner.
Everyone was extremely per
sonable as they talked with the
audience after the show.
The Company has toured all
over the world. They tour ap
proximately every three months.
Mr. Hawkins stated that,
Colored Girls
Begin New Season
By Nancy Bowman
Ntozake Shange’s For ColQred
Girls Who Have Considered
Suicide When the Rainbow is
Enuf, under the direction of Dr.
LindaGreen,will open the season
for the Morehouse/ Spelman
Players, running October 12-17
at the Fine Arts building.
Due to a tremendous turnout
of at least 90 people for the
audition, Green has double cast
the seven principal roles with:
Kim Barnum and Vanessa
Bardwell as the Lady in Green,
Robin Black and Myla Churchill
as the Lady in Red, Daphne
Goodson and Kaye Celeste Evans
as the Lady in Yellow, Nina Lyons
and Rhonda Orr as the Lady in
Orange, Kelee Wilson as the
Lady in Blue, Mignon Philpotts
and Lisa Stewart as the Lady in
Brown and Denise Thimes and
Brenda Breaux as the Lady in
Purple.
This production quite
different from the one familiar to
most of us will incorporate music
as well as dance into the ac
tresses' performances. The
dancers, acting as what Green
calls an "alter ego”, are:
Michelle Bernard, Cheryl
Blackburn, Cora Harrison,
Cassandra Hides, Celeste Adams,
Cheryl McClelland, Valerie
Rogers, and Tangie Turner.
This variation in the produc
tion is Green’s effort to capitalize
on what the playwright calls a
"coral poem.”
In this play Green says she
wants to use "all the elements in
the Fine Arts”.
Prior to joining the Spelman
Community as the new Drama
Dept, chairperson, Dr. Green
acted as assistant professor in
speech - theatre and co - or-
dinator of the drama program at
Lincoln University in Jefferson
City, Missouri.
Of the students she has en
countered, Green says "they
have a lot of energy and interest
in the new program." This
enthusiasm will naturally help
make the season successful.
Future Morehouse/Spelman
Player productions inlcude The
Cherry Orchard, What Drove
Molly Mad, an original play by
new faculty member Lemar
Alfoad, a children's theatre
production, and closing the
season will be a musical presen
tation entitled Three Penny
Opera.
Annual Morehouse-Spelman
Homecoming Coronation
Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel
November 6, 1981
“Dedication is the key.” Most of
the dancers work another job to
help supplement their income,
but they all agree that they love
to dance. Ms. Bingham, who has
been dancing for 15yearssaid,"I
still enjoy it." All of the dancers
stressed that a requirement for
dancing professionally was a
devotion to the art of dancing.
Bruce Hawkins is the leader of the dance troupe.