Introducing Red, White, (Black) and Blue

For Colored Girls... created the blueprint to the choreopoem.  When Winter Come, Confessions in Living Color(ed) and Goliath expanded the foundation.  Now, its time to introduce the next stage of expansion, Red, White, (Black) and Blue. 

This yet-to-be released work addresses key events within African American culture. Rooted in factual events, the plot extends from slavery through present day.  Each scene represents a significant period  within African American history: slavery, post-slavery, the Great Migration, civil rights & segregation, war on drugs, criminal justice, incarceration, broken families, public policy and reparations.

Originally, choreopoems involved the writer blending poetry with dance and diverting from specific plot elements, i.e. the development of traditional characters and westernized story telling. Red, White, (Black) and Blue differs from the original choreopoem.  Its components include poetry and dance to balance each other, traditional elements of storytelling, a well-defined plot and well-defined characters. 

The goal of these components is to serve the greater good of the work.  Consider for instance, the characters as "literary tools."  Their purpose is to deliver to audience the importance, the significance and the urgency of each  scene using poetic monologue, dialogue  and soliloquy. 

The creativity does not end there.  This piece weaves also original music and original mural artistry into the performance canvas to achieve an emotional response from its audience.  Original music is not an anomaly to theatrical productions, hence the musical.  However, original mural artistry in lieu of traditional stage sets is unique. 

Although Red, White, (Black) and Blue deviates from Shange's original blueprint, it still pays homage to its originality.  And keeping in step with more recent choreopoem works, its seeks to expand the choreopoem's artistic foundation.  However, expansion cannot take place without the ever-important theater patrons.  Patrons cannot patronize the choreopoem without the knowledge of its existence.  So, please educate yourselves and become apart of this artistic movement.

The Movement of the Choreopoem: Creating and Continuing Tradition

Mirroring life, art is ever-changing.  And with each new art form or movement there is a person or group of people that work towards cultivation.

The choreopoem, an artistic platform introduced in Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls…" in 1975, established the groundwork for other and equally thought-provoking pieces of art.  It interweaves poetry and dance (hence the "choreo" in choreopoem) to accomplish a dramatic form of expression.  This type of work is best suited for the theatrical realm and possesses an innate stage presence.

However, unlike a play or a musical, the choreopoem does not always include characters cited by name, specific plot elements or conventional westernized storytelling. The choreopoem is unique by many accounts.  The scope of creativity is wide and deep, allowing artists to emerge into the theatrical world free from the confines of the traditional theater.

Northern Kentucky University's (NKU) Department of Theater and Dance adapted Frank X Walker's book of poetry, When Winter Come, into a choreopoem.  The adaptation includes dramatic monologue and dialogue to bring the audience into York's (the main character) world as a slave.  The piece includes a wonderfully dynamic display of his relationship with his wife and the impact the institution of slavery has on it.  Their relationship imprints the mind.  York is a slave - a piece of property.  Slavery limits his love.  How can property feel love?  Of course, this is only one of the elements embedded within this work.  Watch it in its entirety on YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKCSY3VQVuE

Monica Prince created and directed the choreopoem Confessions in Living Color(ed) at the University Oregon.  The work addresses issues related to "self-identity… especially  for people of color."  Prince, too, plays homage to Shange's work but, states in an article that she sought to encompass "more perspectives than that of black women."  The Knox Student does an excellent job of addressing this work in greater detail.  http://www.theknoxstudent.com/newsroom/article/finding-identity-through-choreopoems/

The choreopoem, Goliath, written by Takeo Riveria, introduces its audience to David, a young man as the main character.   He enlists in the armed forces in an attempt to satisfy his father.  One article refers to the central message of the piece as "…simple but profound: war is a perversion of humanity."  Along with its profound nature, the central message is very important to the current social and political climates.  Consider the outbreaks of numerous civil wars over the last twenty years.  Yet, war is still a measure countries resort to for "resolution."  The Show Showdown blog gives the outside world a perfect view into this work.  http://showshowdown.blogspot.com/2011/06/goliath-choreopoem.html?m=1

When Winter Come, Confessions in Living Color(ed) and Goliath are three current examples of the choreopoem and its growth.  All three contain two common threads: the artistic platform introduced by Shange and powerful messages about the human condition.  The choreopoem has the capacity to deliver messages related to slavery, self image and war.  Its capacity is limitless.  However, as the public becomes educated about its existence and its reach, as a contemporary art form, its momentum will become limitless too.