{"id":19578,"date":"2024-02-26T12:31:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T18:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/?p=19578"},"modified":"2024-02-26T12:45:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T18:45:13","slug":"elijah-gibsons-dance-of-america-installation-celebrates-legacies-of-black-pioneers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/26\/elijah-gibsons-dance-of-america-installation-celebrates-legacies-of-black-pioneers\/","title":{"rendered":"Elijah Gibson’s ‘Dance of America’ Installation Celebrates Legacies Of Black Pioneers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Elijah Alhadji Gibson<\/a>, assistant program director and lecturer in the Dance Science<\/a> program, will present a multidisciplinary immersive event titled \u201cDance of America: A Celebration of Black Dance in the United States,\u201d Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Black Box Theater in the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The free event, hosted by the Dance Science program in the Texas A&M School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts<\/a>, will feature an installation of about 60 artists with archived video footage and an interactive timeline, Gibson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In honor of Black History Month, Gibson said he is excited to showcase and celebrate Black dance history in the United States through the telling of monumental dance pioneers and companies, dance eras and movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe work the Black artists were producing was a form of cultural affirmation and expression that developed from being in an oppressed state,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cIt is socioeconomical, political, activism, educational and entertainment, all wrapped up into an experience. The hope is that each person who visits the installation will take advantage of the information made available to them and walk away with a newfound appreciation for the artists who were the blueprint for many of our favorite dance genres and forms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants will be able to view images of each individual artist \u2014 from modern-day to dancers of the past \u2014 and a QR code will link to more in-depth information, Gibson said. Genres include ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop, musical theatre, house, tap, vogue and contemporary dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featured artists include Chuck Davis, Dianne Walker, Will Robinson, Gregory Hines, Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Ronald K. Brown and Joan Myers Brown. The hope is that participants will acquire knowledge about these dancers that may have otherwise been overlooked, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe goal is for visitors to learn about the legacies that have been overshadowed by the fact that these artists were not allowed in spaces that would have given them the recognition for their labor and their contributions,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cWithout the contribution of these artists, dance would not have had the trajectory it has had. For future generations to truly embody dance in the fullness of all its complexities, we must establish the connections from the past to where we are now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two movements \u2014 the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Migration \u2014 helped to influence Black dance at a time when access to certain spaces and resources weren\u2019t allowed, Gibson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Migration created \u201ca space for Black intellectuals, igniting a cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, literature, politics and fashion,\u201d he said. The Harlem Renaissance designated the area as a \u201csafe space for Black artists to thrive,\u201d Gibson said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlso known as the New Negro Movement, it inspired cultural expressions across urban areas in other parts of the country,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cIt is so rich in history. If these movements had not happened and if these dancers had not sought and fought for liberation through cultural expression, I wouldn\u2019t be able to do what I am doing now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibson recalled at age 11 meeting tap dancer Arthur Duncan at a tap festival in San Diego, which promoted the 1989 release of the movie “Tap.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArthur\u2019s style and quick feet resonated with me the most out of all the tap dancers I had encountered,\u201d Gibson recalled. \u201cBetty White gave Arthur his first job when he was featured on \u2018The Betty White Show\u2019 that aired in the 1950s. The network encouraged her to take him off because of the color of his skin, and she declined.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibson also worked with choreographer Donald McKayle, who \u201cwas one of the first Black men to direct and choreograph major Broadway musicals,\u201d he said. McKayle, who died in 2018, was known for creating socially conscious work in the 1950s, Gibson said, including his play \u201cGames.\u201d Gibson was cast as the character Jinx in a restaged version of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing in the space with Donald is one of my most cherished memories as a dancer,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cMuch to my surprise, I came in contact with him almost 15 years later at a dance festival in Palm Springs, and I was shocked when he remembered me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a young dancer, Gibson said most of the spaces he trained in \u201chad only white teachers,\u201d and he was \u201calways one of few Black students, if not the only one.\u201d He revered instruction from Black dance educators, including Frank Hatchett, one of his favorite jazz teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI began taking classes from Frank when I was about 10 years old, and he was part of my dance training into my professional dance career,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cThroughout my time as a student and professional dancer, I was fortunate to have been in spaces with many of the artists people will see featured in the installation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibson hopes students who attend \u201cDance of America\u201d will continue the legacy of dance by passing it on to others. He said he\u2019s eager to hear feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more we can keep dance history alive and relevant, and how it\u2019s cross-referenced the political climate of the time, the better chance we have of establishing dance as a cultural significance in this country,\u201d he said. \u201cI am a dancer at heart. I think it is important for us to share our experiences, because only then can we begin to understand each other. And if we don\u2019t continue to cultivate these exchanges, then we are never really going to understand who we are as a people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top photo of Elijah Alhadji Gibson courtesy of Gibson.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elijah Alhadji Gibson, assistant program director and lecturer in the Dance Science program, will present a multidisciplinary immersive event titled \u201cDance of America: A Celebration of Black Dance in the United States,\u201d Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":19592,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[145,58],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nElijah Gibson's 'Dance of America' Installation Celebrates Legacies Of Black Pioneers - Texas A&M University College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The free event will feature an installation of about 60 artists with archived video footage and an interactive timeline.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/26\/elijah-gibsons-dance-of-america-installation-celebrates-legacies-of-black-pioneers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Elijah Gibson's 'Dance of America' Installation Celebrates Legacies Of Black Pioneers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The free event will feature an installation of about 60 artists with archived video footage and an interactive timeline.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/26\/elijah-gibsons-dance-of-america-installation-celebrates-legacies-of-black-pioneers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Texas A&M University College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tamupvfa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-26T18:31:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-26T18:45:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elijah.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"789\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"476\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"robclark\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@tamupvfa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@tamupvfa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"robclark\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/26\/elijah-gibsons-dance-of-america-installation-celebrates-legacies-of-black-pioneers\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/26\/elijah-gibsons-dance-of-america-installation-celebrates-legacies-of-black-pioneers\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"robclark\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/#\/schema\/person\/9f6f92d18d5bc0deccbeb90ae781afb8\"},\"headline\":\"Elijah Gibson’s ‘Dance of America’ Installation Celebrates Legacies Of Black Pioneers\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-26T18:31:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-26T18:45:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/26\/elijah-gibsons-dance-of-america-installation-celebrates-legacies-of-black-pioneers\/\"},\"wordCount\":936,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Dance\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/26\/elijah-gibsons-dance-of-america-installation-celebrates-legacies-of-black-pioneers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/26\/elijah-gibsons-dance-of-america-installation-celebrates-legacies-of-black-pioneers\/\",\"name\":\"Elijah Gibson's 'Dance of America' Installation Celebrates Legacies Of Black Pioneers - 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