Category Archives: Dance

Clarice Smith presents Martius and crash test, Nov 5, Online

“Martius” and “crash test”

Thursday, November 5, 2020 7:30PM

By: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Online.

Martius
Written and composed by Beth Rendely
Directed by Abigail Olshin

Martius, a musical inspired by Shakespeare’s play Coriolanus, follows the breakdowns of family relationships against a backdrop of political conflict and warfare in Rome. Martius, a decorated soldier, is forced by her mother into a political career. What happens when the people reject her? What happens when Martius herself rejects being a pawn in the city’s battles, the senators’ political games and her mother’s ambitions? Will this Roman family—and by extension, Rome—break out of a cycle of glorifying bloodshed?

crash test
Choreographed by Christina Robson

Using the sheet music for Paganini’s “24 Caprices for violin in B-minor,” Robson created a series of movement-based rule systems that generates a series of unexpected and interrupted movement sentences to challenge habitual understandings of weight shift and momentum. As the choreographer, Robson provided her own movement notation made up of hand-drawn geometric symbols to her collaborator, cellist and composer Lily Gelfand, to generate a new musical composition for cello. In this piece, Robson and Gelfand perform their two original compositions simultaneously without revision.

Free, No Tickets Required, Online here.

Clarice Smith presents Can’t Kill Us All and Tough Skin, Oct 27, 5:30PM, Online

ACTNow: Far From The Norm and TL Collective
Dance and Film Activism
Dance Artist Botis Seva
Filmmaker Ben Williams
Composer Torben Lars Sylvest
Far From the Norm: Can’t Kill Us All
TL Collective: Tough Skin

Tuesday, October 27, 2020 . 5:30PM

By: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Click here.
This event will be archived for future viewing.

Two dance companies present intimate short films followed by a live virtual Q&A moderated by Associate Professor of American Studies La Marr Jurelle Bruce, an interdisciplinary humanities scholar, critical theorist and Afromanticist.

Far From The Norm’s CAN’T KILL US ALL unravels one man’s mental unrest as he navigates the turbulence of dealing with two global pandemics. This theatrical experience combines hip-hop theatre and film, revealing the deterioration of a man’s emotional sanity and physical stability as he confronts life in lockdown. From reflecting on childhood memories, to reliving trauma experienced by Black bodies, CAN’T KILL US ALL pushes through the darkness to find light, humility and peace.

TL Collective’s Tough Skin presents four humans from completely different backgrounds and cultures. The film is a captivating visual representation of what it looks like to stay committed to connection and humanity even in dire circumstances.

From themes of racial violence and cultural appropriation to multiculturalism and gender equality, the work of The Clarice’s 2020-21 visiting artists is complex, provocative and deeply sensitive. Arts Citizenship Talks (ACTnow) are opportunities to hear from these artists about the issues reflected in their works. These conversations are an invitation to act now!

Engagement on Campus and in the Community: Throughout Fall 2020, Botis Seva and members of Far From The Norm will virtually visit students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies to discuss their work and choreographic technique. Micaela Taylor and members of TL Collective will also visit students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. In addition, Micaela Taylor is participating in The Clarice’s BlackLight Summit as a member of the summit Career Readiness mentorship team.

Film Credits:

CAN’T KILL US ALL

Produced by Far From The Norm, CAN’T KILL US ALL is a collaboration from 3 original voices working in hip-hop theatre: dance artist Botis Seva, filmmaker Ben Williams and composer Torben Lars Sylvest. CAN’T KILL US ALL is co-commissioned by Arts Council England, BBC and The Space.

This engagement of Far From The Norm is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support has been provided by the Maryland State Arts Council and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

Free, No Tickets Required, Online here.

Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Online, Vimeo, Free Performance, ACTNow, Far From The Norm, TL Collective, Can’t Kill Us All, Botis Seva, Ben Williams, Torben Lars Sylvest

Clarice Smith presents Hip-Hop in the White Space, Sep 29, 5:30PM, Online

Clarice Smith presents Hip-Hop in the White Space, Sep 29, 5:30PM, Online

ACTNow with Far From The Norm
Hip-Hop in the White Space
Tariq O’Meally, moderator
Botis Seva, artistic director – Far From The Norm

Tuesday, September 29, 2020 . 5:30PM

By: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Click here.

If beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, then the person who is observing gets to decide what is beautiful. This Arts Citizenship Talk evaluates what it means to make a dance about hardship and struggle under the gaze of whiteness. Dance iconoclast Botis Seva and his UK-based dance company Far From The Norm doggedly explore the individual psyche and the sociopolitical soul through their works. Through them, they also strive to understand what humans do to persevere.

From themes of racial violence and cultural appropriation to multiculturalism and gender equality, the work of The Clarice’s 2020-21 visiting artists is complex, provocative and deeply sensitive. Arts Citizenship Talks (ACTnow) are opportunities to hear from these artists about the issues reflected in their works. These conversations are an invitation to act now!

Artist Engagement on Campus and in the Community: Throughout Fall 2020, Botis Seva and members of Far From The Norm will virtually visit students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies to discuss their work and choreographic technique.

This event is part of The Clarice’s BlackLight Summit.

Free, No Tickets Required, Online here.

Taratibu Youth Association presents Black Genius at Clarice Smith, Feb 29

Taratibu Youth Association presents Black Genius at Clarice Smith, Feb 29

Taratibu Youth Association Presents “Black Genius”

Saturday, February 29, 2020 . 3PM & 7PM

Sat, Feb 29, 2020 . 3:00PM
Sat, Feb 29, 2020 . 7:00PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Dance Theatre, general admission.

This year TYA highlights BLACK GENIUS on the continent and in the diaspora. We recognize different facets of BLACK GENIUS from science, poetry, music, dance and politics. BLACK GENIUS can be seen in our daily lives but is not acknowledged as major contributions. TYA acknowledges and celebrates the Black Genius that surrounds and reminds us of our genius ancestry and heritage.

Tickets: $30. Click here.

Ballet Theatre of Maryland presents Swan Lake at Prince George’s Community College, Feb 29

Ballet Theatre of Maryland presents Swan Lake at Prince George’s Community College, Feb 29

The Ballet Theatre of Maryland presents:
Swan Lake
by Pyotr Illich Tschaikovsky

February 29, 2020 at 1pm and 7pm

Location: Prince George’s Community College.

PGCC Center for the Performing Arts, 301 Largo Road, Largo MD 20774

Tickets: click here.

For More Information Call: (301) 546-0926