Black Cultural Center hosts
annual coffee house show
By Jamie Teibel
Staff
Writer
"Expressions of the Heart," the annual
coffeehouse show was sponsored by the Black Cultural Center and hosted
by the Jahari Dance Troupe and the New Directional Players was held
Thursday night.
It was a brief performance, starting at 7 p.m.
and lasting an hour. The two groups shared their acting and dancing
talents with a small but encouraging crowd.
Excerpts from three plays were viewed. The first
was "Othello" by William Shakespeare. Mike Adams and Tibeca
Rodriguez played the roles of Othello and his wife. The actors were
obviously not professionals, but the lines were delivered with confidence
and ease.
The second excerpt was "Dutchman" by
Leroi Jones. It was an amusing portrayal of a young boy and girl who
discuss seeing a ghost and eventually have their first kiss. The actors,
Matt Dull and Priscilla Holiday, performed the roles in a cute, childlike
manner.
The third and final excerpt was from "Joe
Turner’s Come and Gone" by August Wilson. The plot and point
were confusing. It took a minute to realize that the black actress,
Crystal Durril, was playing a white woman and the white actor, Carl
Burnett, was playing a black man. After this realization was made, things
were slightly clearer, but the plot was still confusing. There should
have been someone to explain it afterward.
The Jahari Dance Troupe performed to "Don’t
Cry" by Brownstone and "Summer Rain" by Carl Thomas.
Both of the dances were elegant and smooth. The women exuded sex appeal
with their moves and clothing. Wearing black slacks, suspenders and
ties when dancing to "Don’t Cry" and tropical printed
sarongs, baby blue halter tops, matching head bands and jewels in their
bellybuttons during "Summer Rain" were perfect accents to
the flawless moves of the dancers.
Things like "Go, Girl!" were shouted
periodically throughout the dance performances, letting the women hear
the support of their friends and family in the audience.
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