The DuSable Museum of African American History presents an evening-length sampling of African performance at the Harris Theater, some traditional—as with Ghanaian company Tatjj Drama ‘N’ Dance Ensemble—some contemporary and inspired by the diaspora—as with music, poetry and dance group Giwayen Mata. The program is advertised as an arm of the museum’s permanent collection—a new live component to flesh out the ongoing “Africa Speaks,” an exhibition that tours African culture region by region.
Also performing are Chicago-based theatrical dance-fusion company the Andrea Kelly Dance Ensemble, a group dedicated to urban youth outreach, and multidisciplinary arts collective POETREE (yes, it’s an acronym, albeit an ungainly one). POETREE is a collaboration between musicians, emcees and poets that strives to create urban music with a positive message. The Odyssey promises to be an upbeat, family-oriented presentation of both African and African American performance art. (Sharon Hoyer)
At the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 East Randolph, (312)334-7777, October 31.
The Beauty Myth: A Review of "School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play" at Goodman Theatre Set in 1986 in the Aburi Girls Boarding School in Ghana, five teenagers gossip and primp as they prepare for beauty pageant auditions the following day. The social hierarchy of "mean girls'' is quickly established, as Paulina, the prettiest and best singer, alternately boasts about her superiority and denigrates her classmates for what she considers their inferiority.
The DuSable Museum of African American History presents an evening-length sampling of African performance at the Harris Theater, some traditional—as with Ghanaian company Tatjj Drama ‘N’ Dance Ensemble—some contemporary and inspired by the diaspora—as with music, poetry and dance group Giwayen Mata. The program is advertised as an arm of the museum’s permanent collection—a new live component to flesh out the ongoing “Africa Speaks,” an exhibition that tours African culture region by region.
