Review: Ronald K. Brown/Evidence Celebrates its 30th Anniversary at BRIC

Shining a spotlight on human struggles, tragedies and triumphs, and bearing witness to the atrocities against black bodies in America is the mission of Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, A Dance Company, illustrated soulfully, urgently and purposefully through a fusion of traditional African dance and modern dance.

For two years, Brown has been the artist in residence for performance at BRIC, a performing arts and media space in Brooklyn, where he also teaches free community dance classes. In celebration of his company's 30th anniversary, Brown presented a riveting sampling of his repertoire from across the decades in two programs, November 12-14 and November 19-22.

We attended a packed performance of Program A, which opened with "Two Year Old Gentleman" (2008). Four men of color of different age groups, body types, and nattily dressed in suits, took the stage, along with two young boys, also wearing their Sunday best. With frenetic African dance moves so natural they looked free-styled, accompanied by gospel music and live Guinean drumming, the piece set the tone for the evening. It addressed the theme of brotherhood. And as brothers do, the dancers supported each other and playfully tried to outdo one another. Lithe and rhythmic, Taylor Jones and Sherman D. Wood were standouts.

The second number was "Clear as Tear Water," a confident yet one-dimensional solo by Annique Roberts. The third number, however, was the riveting "March" (1995), danced beautifully by Clarice Young and Shayla Alayre Caldwell and set to a timely speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. about the necessity of protest against racism and white supremacy. Dressed in black jumpsuits, Young and Caldwell articulated the despair and dignity of marchers from Selma to "Black Lives Matter" through Brown's plaintive choreography. Every raised hand and pointed finger helped illustrate the story of perseverance and collective strength.

After a brief intermission, the performance concluded with "Water" (1999), a haunting 22-minute piece featuring the entire troupe and spoken word poetry by Cheryl Boyce Taylor. Boyce Taylor's poignant prose sounded in memoriam of the Atlanta child murder victims in the late 70s, and thematically the dance embodied images of violence, rituals of initiation and healing.

If only the BRIC stage were larger, so the dancers could really stretch and give Brown's emotive work more room to breath. The intimate setting, however, fostered a sense of community. We were right there with the dancers, so close we could hear their breath and see their sweat. And in that sense, the setting was perfect.

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