Review: FREEZE FRAME Combines Art, Dance and Music to Affect Social Change

Written, directed and choreographed by three-time Emmy Award-winner Debbie Allen, Freeze Frame takes audiences on a rollercoaster ride through some of LA's toughest streets where gangs, poverty, violence, and drugs are an everyday reality. Originally commissioned by the Brisbane Arts Festival, Freeze Frame is a dynamic mix of street-tough characters sharing their stories through a series of high-powered scenes of dance, song and drama.

More than thirty Debbie Allen Dance Academy protégés and professional guest artists appear together onstage for explosive 'break-the-floor' moves propelled by a score that features new music, most notably by soul and funk legend Stevie Wonder and James Ingram. The rich and smooth mix of hip-hop, soul, gospel and R&B is led by Ricky Minor, who was the music director for American Idol, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Super Bowl and the Grammy Awards. He has also worked on tour with Whitney Houston, Alicia Keyes, Christina Aguilera, Ray Charles and Beyoncé.

The show is a dance-driven narrative that reframes the conversation about violence in America, designed to open hearts and minds to affect positive change in the world. "The opportunity to spur social change is at the heart of not only Freeze Frame but also my own artistic core," said Debbie Allen. "Maria Shiver and I know that to affect real positive change in the violence and mental health problems in this country we must engage in constructive dialogue. The many voices in Freeze Frame bring to life the stories of those most affected by violence and provide a lens through which audiences can be a witness, see themselves in the picture and consider how to make change."

Many of the settings described during the production are very familiar to me, having taught at many secondary schools in the Crenshaw area where I experienced gang violence first-hand. Thank goodness we are now living in a time where people are rising up to be part of the solution, not believing there is nothing that can be done. Many issues leading to the violence are also addressed such as teen pregnancy, bullying, poverty, drugs and the power of a church to affect change within its congregation.

Freeze Frame's central character is David, portrayed by Matthew Johnson who expertly dances his way through an examination of his life, both where he has been and where he is going. Along the way, we meet his religious parents, fellow gang members, his basketball team, girlfriend and several cops, all of whom sing and dance their way through problems common to those entwined with gang violence. The supporting characters are featured as they sing about their own lives, each performer more spectacular than the last.

Notable is the younger ensemble in the cast, featured in several numbers but most impressively in a number about bullying at school. The tallest young girl is in tears, sharing that someone called her too tall and too ugly. Of course she is neither. The camaraderie evident within the group was truly inspiring, seeing the next generation working to support each other rather than tearing each other down or just ignoring the problem.

Freeze Frame is the next installment of The Wallis' Arts & Ideas: Community Connections series, which aims to spark dialogue about societal issues, cultural issues and ideas through stimulating conversations and thought-provoking performances. There are four performances: Friday & Saturday, Feb 5 & 6 at 8PM, Saturday, Feb 6 at 3PM, and Sunday, Feb 7 at 12PM. Tickets for these performances are available for purchase as singles starting at $39 or as a subscription series beginning at $117. For more information, visit TheWallis.org or call 310.746.4000.

I do hope Debbie Allen will make arrangements to take the show into schools and universities to start conversations with the next generation of movers and shakers. A national tour is also in order, as gang violence is not just limited to the streets of South Central Los Angeles and positive change is a force that needs to be unleashed everywhere. Audiences will be moved by the dance, the amazing voices and the indescribable true story of how art, dance, music and hope are able to transform lives.

For more information about Debbie Allen and the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, please visit: www.debbieallendanceacademy.com.

For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org

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