Neon Black, Indy's first-ever Black dance festival, will showcase 10 local dance groups
A dance that retells the story of Marvel's Black Panther, a Mardi Gras dance workshop and a performance of an African walking song. These are all part of this weekend's first-ever Black Dance festival, Neon Black, which will feature performances from 10 local dance groups comprised of people of color.
Lauren Curry, director of the Indianapolis Movement Arts Collective, said she and some of her Black colleagues came up with the idea for Neon Black at a dance performance more than a year ago.
"Some of us turned to each other and said, 'Wouldn't it be nice if we were all under one roof?'" she said.
Other Black dancers involved with the festival said Neon Black is giving local Black dancers a platform to share their wealth of knowledge and share their perspective.
“It’s going to be a powerhouse,” said Tierre Clark, interim executive director of iibada, a youth dance group. “We have been to countless dance festivals and workshops before and none of them in the city for African Americans solely.... Neon Black allows us that safe space to be a collective.”
Kenyettá Dance Company will headline the festival along with The Epiphany Dance Collective. Lalah Hazelwood, Kenyettá's associate artistic and rehearsal director, called the festival a “melting pot.”
“It will give you a scope of what the dance scene looks like here in Indianapolis,” Hazelwood said. “African American creators and artists are paving the way and creating spaces that we are comfortable in, that we are acknowledged in and that we are celebrated in.”
Many of the festival's participants said they hope to see Neon Black become an annual tradition.
“I want to see it get bigger and better every single year. Expand the reach. Fill the seats,” Clark said.
What's on the Neon Black program
The festival will include a Mardi Gras dance workshop, open to all ages and dance levels, on Saturday from 12 to 2 p.m. It will be led by New Orleans native Michelle Gibson, accompanied by a live brass band and Indianapolis saxophonist Rob Dixon.
The workshop, called The New Orleans Original BuckShop, will teach dancers the art of Mardi Gras second line dancing, or the traditional dance style of partiers who follow behind the parade.
The two live performances of the festival feature a range of West African, hip hop and reggaeton dances. High-school-age students from The iibada Dance Company will retell the story of the Black Panther through dance, complete with warrior costumes straight out of the movie in a number called “Vibranium Visions: Women of Valor."
The Kenyettá dancers will dance to “Flo Me La,” a traditional African walking song, wearing long, colorful skirts that they lift and twirl to accentuate their movements.
“As people would walk from village to village, there was a song to keep the walking pace,” Hazelwood said. “The inspiration for this piece is to keep going, keep pressing on, keep walking forward.”
How to get tickets to Neon Black
Performances will take place Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Madam Walker Legacy Center, 617 Indiana Ave. Performance tickets are $15 for kids and $30 for adults. Workshop tickets are an additional $40 and scholarships are available.Tickets are available at the theater box office or at indymovementarts.org.Alexandra Haddon is a Pulliam fellow. Contact her at AHaddon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy Black Dance festival Neon Black debuts first-ever performance
