Over one hundred audience members crowded the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble’s studio Saturday night for “Suite Bill,” a tribute to the great Bill Withers.
Recently named as one of the “Top 25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine, the company seemed to be in high spirits. The audience was invigorated as well and didn’t hold back on the praise following the show.
One man asked if he could buy a video of the performance. Another woman expressed her pride in the dancers, one hand pressed to her heart. She confessed to thinking the show would be an actual Bill Withers concert, but that the dance moved her in ways she wouldn’t have imagined.
The show was part of a larger theme at the August Wilson Center that celebrates “Affrilachia,” or African American artists who settled in the Appalachian region of the U.S. Singer-Songwriter, Bill Withers, was one of them.
To begin the evening, video footage from “Still Bill,” a Showtime documentary, was projected onto the back wall. Through the short clip, we learned that Withers was working on 747 airplanes, fixing toilets, when he got his big break. On the same day one of his old employers offered him his job back, Johnny Carson offered him a spot on his live show. Withers chose the latter, of course.
Seven pieces, each choreographed by the dancers, were framed by the live spoken word of performance artist, Vanessa German. The company used some of the timeless songs in Withers’ collection, like “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean on Me” and “Lovely Day.”
In the opening piece, “Grandma’s Hands,” German spoke of Withers’ asthma and stutter as a child, and how his own grandmother paid him special attention. What would have happened, she wondered, if his grandma had been on crack?
Seven female dancers brought the song to life, clapping the rhythm as if in church on a Sunday, and bringing a sense of inspiration to the start of the show.
The classic piece “Lean on Me,” had a joyous and communal feel. Audience members swayed and sung aloud in their seats as the dancers soared through the space, using partnering work and lifts to bring out the sense of community the song asserts.
To close the show, Artistic Director Greer Reed gave us a taste of what’s to come for the company. This March, the center will present “Dynamic Women of Dance,” an evening choreographed by national and local female artists.
Of Camille A. Brown’s piece, “A New Second Line,” Reed said, “The dancers want to do it all the time. I hear them running the piece on their lunch break.”
The five or so minute sneak peek revealed an explosive work, choreographed to the sounds of jazz New Orleans, that left the audience wanting more. Be sure not to miss the March 9th and 10th show. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
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