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http://www.thepost.mindspring.com Cljarlotte ^osit THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1998 10B Arts & Entertainment Students, pros create modern dance By Jeri Young THE CHARLOTTE POST Garinger High company performs Friday and Saturday Janet Anmte-Cole?s face is seri ous as she glides effortless across the stage-bending, twisting and leaping to the music of British composer Carl Orff. She hides behind a graffiti -cov ered table, only her leaving arms visible. Beside her, six other young dancers, arms extended, move gracefully in and out of the stagdscurtcdn. The small troupe could be any modem dance company prepar ing to perform before thousands in New York or Chicago. Oscars can wait; goal is quality By Shannon King THE ASSOCIATED PRESS OKLAHOMA CITY - For Tommy Wallace, an Academy Award isrit everything. Sure, the aspiring black Muskogee filmmaker would love to one day direct a big-bud- get Hollywood movie and gar ner critical acclaim, buthds not consumed with the idea. Making movies means more to Wallace than just earning a statuette. Thais why he and other aspiring black filmmakers and actors are still focused on achieving their dreams despite the lack of black nominees at Monday nights Oscar ceremo ny. “I dorit look to the Academy for motivation. If I never get an Oscar, its not worth crying about. To get your film in the theater, have it make money and be respected is all the accomplishment I need,” Wallace said. Wallace, the young indepen dent filmmaker, is workingona film, on gang violence. With the release last year of critically acclaimed films such as “Amistadf’and “Evds Bayou,” some academy critics believe there should have been more black norrdnations. Instead, filmmaker Spike Lee was the only black ofrwie rwm- inated, for his documentary feature “4 Little Girls.” “As a blcwk producer and film- rtmker in the south, I would love to see nurre recognition from the Academy, but thafs rwt the real challenge. We don’t have enough black producers, writers and directors that are truly telling our stories,” said Oscar Bay, the co-owner of Darkwood Pictures in Muskogee. Bay and his wife, Shiron, established the company in 1995 and recently finished work on their first motion pic ture, “Night Bace.” Bay said he welcomes the day when more people of color are nominated for Oscars, but the quality of black films is more important to him than auxirds. But the Garinger Modem Dance Conqxtny doesrit perfiyrm for money, fame or huge audi ences. Their stage is on the cam pus of Garinger High School The students, ages 14 to 18, labor six hours a day to give the best per- fbrmance they can at this week ends N.C. Spring Dance Festived. Theyear-oldconqxmy is hosting the festival, a first in the Charlotte-Meckleidfurg Schools. That doesritbother the dancers, though. “We know we have to be the best we cem be,” Armue-ColeJS, said ‘We have to prove that what we doisartandthatithastoUveon.” The group also hopes Ike com- panywUlchangeGarir^er’srepu- tation. ‘People think so itumy bad things about Garinger,” Travis Cunningham, 14, said. “They think the students are all in gangs. Its not like that. This is a good school Wdre glad that wdre the ones who get to show haw much we can do ifwdre given a tkance.” GMDC will be joined on stage by several local artists and dance companies. Garinger dance teacher DoneU Stines b^an the compcmy. She hopes this weekends perfor mances wiU introduce Charlotte to the becady of modem dance, which dif^rs greatly from ballet in its structure and presentation. “I think this will be a treat,”she said "The choreography is very different thorn what people will See DANCE on page 11B PHOTO/KELLY OWEN Garinger High dance students at rehearsai for this weekends performance in the schooi’s auditorium. The students wiil be joined by professionals for first ever festival. A hip hop ‘Ride’ PHOTO/JERRY JACK Malik Yoba, center, with Snoop Doggy Dogg, left, and Fredro Starr in Miliicent Shelton’s “Ride.” Black woman wrote, directs road movie By John Minter THE CHARLOTTE POST Put a bunch of NY. teenagers on a rickety bus for a trip to Florida and you are bound to hoax a wild adventure. Thais what the rruokers of “House Party” and ‘Boomerang” figure widi the release Friday of “Bide.” The film, stars Malik Yoba and Melissa DeSousa (“Sugar HUT’ and “Menace H Sodety”), with support from Cedric the Entertaina-, John Witherspoon and Snocp Doggy Dog. Its written and directed by Miliicent Shelton, whds rrmk- ing her Mature directing ddrut. The story - a hip hop road comedy - is based on Sheltoris real-life experience when she put together a hip hop rrmsic videosomeyearsbouk.Shehad to take the young crew from Harlem to Florida, "Ihiredmy assistant tobethe supervisor of the bus and promised her it was gixng to be easy,” Shelton said, “..but when the bus pulled up in Harlem it was hanging togeth er by a string. At one point I ended up telling the guy who ujos the leader of the all the kids, a guy kind of like MaBk Ycbainthefilm,‘getthisbusto Flcrida by tmy means neces- saryl!” Moviegoers ccm get a glittpse ofUmt trip in “Bide.” ‘T scav the potentixd to turn this premise into a Hip Hop road moxiie with heart,” solid Shelton, a Princeton University gnubiate. Shelton was a proobwtion assistant on S[nke Leds “Do The Bight Thing” and ‘The Cosby Show.” She directed the 1989 “Expression” vUleo for rap group Sodt-N-Pcpa while at the New York University’s graduate film school. Since she hois done videos fiirthe likes of B.Kelly, Aaliyah, Heavy D, C e C e Penniston and Mary J.Blige. Shelton has always obeamed of directing feature films. The filnis producers, Beginald and Warringtom De Sousa Hudlin said “ISole” matched their mission to make upbeat, broadly appealing features fixan new African American voices, partiomlarly a young woman. “Wdve been oxmcemed that Aflioan Americom women voic es are not getting enough chances fitr cinematic expres sion,” said Beginald Hudlin. “When we met Miliicent we thought right away, ‘Herds a person who has fresh creative ideas and who deserves to be empowered to join the ranks of nuqordirectorsT’ A wide range of actors are brought h^ether to create the atmosphere for the bus trip. Yoba plays much-needed father figure, the Muslim activist Po/pa, He said he was See RIDE on page 11B Museum honors Fitzgerald Singer who died in 1996 given permanent exhibit Museum of American History By Carl Hartman THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON EU^ Fitzgerald, the counties “First Lady of Song,” was enshrined Thursday in a permanent exhibit at the NatUmal Museum of AmericcmHistcsy. Museum Director Spencer Crew recalled Fitzgeralds first great hit, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” She wrote the lyrics while on her first big job with drummer Chick “There are lots of singers who sing songs, but not many who make songs,.” Webb, who became her mentor when she was still in her teens. Fitzgerald (Sedin 1996at age 79. “More than anything else, what the exhibit serves to convey is a gtinpseofahighlyindividualper- fbrmance style and personal warmth that wasEllaFitsgeralds ability to sing and to reach across from the stage and to touch mil lions,” Crew saicL The exhibit shows samples from some250albums she nuide,nmny ofher awards and sheet music, as well as her trademark red two- piece suit and pill box hat. A 17- minute video, which the museum plans to produce for sale, helpis make her music come ative again. On Thursday, her son Bay Broom Jr., a prominent bassist in his own right, quoted painter Pablo Picasso as saying that some artists show the sun as a yellow pot, while others have the talent to transfbrmayellow spot into the “So it is with music,” Brown said. ‘There are lots of singers who singsongs,but rwt many who nuike songs _as well as thepecple listerdng to them _come alive like the^ve never been alive before.” The Fitzgerald exhibit is placed next to one on Duke Ellington, with whom she often ivorked. The ^ LM The ENSEMBLE, a high adHxil drama iroupe,wUlpre9ent**AJlinihe'nming,”by David Ives April 1-4 at the Children's Theatre Bladt Box Studio Theatre, 1017 E.Mor^teadSt.Theplayi8rec(Hmnended fijr 9th grade and up because of mature Students in ENSEIMBLE ^xnd nine months in weekend classes at the Childrais Theater andrecavedass cred it fiyrdteir work. Tickets are $6. 'For more infiirmationortoreserve seats call die Childrerfs Theatre box office at 333-S983. Life As Art Productions imU ini^’- view pro^sdonal odors and technicians on April 1 at the AfroAmerican Cultural Center in prqxutdion fyr die upconung season. Recent productions have been **C.O.T.Oj Chocolate on die Outside,” whidi will be Matured during this yearns Spoleto festival, and ^Nikk^s Gone.” Actors should be prepared fjr a cold read and monologues are wdcome. Call 596- 8590 to schedule appmntments. A taste of the Savoy, Harients historic jazz dub, will fkwor Friday Night Out, fit theMintMuseumofArtonFridayfixmiB- 9 pnu The event is a celebratum of the ediibitian‘RomareBeardeninBladimdr White: The Photomontage Pnyections of 1964,” on display through May 10 in the ASnfs Alexander Gallery. The T^jeriment will provide jazz music. Admis8ionis$5atdiedoorandinclude8 hors doawres, a cash bar and drawings fijr Romare Bearden prints and odier On Tuesday, Spike Lee's “4 Little Girls,” will he screened in the Mint Museunis Van Every Forum. A pond dis- cussion will follow with attorney Jcanes FergusonII,JadzieFishman,instructorof die Faith, History and Ourselves course fijr die Charlotte-Medtlenburg Schools, and the Rev. Larry Hill, pastor of Matthews-Murkland Presbyterian ChurduArsondamagedaportionoflRlIs church tuoyearsago. The 1964 bombing of die ^mnngham church in which fijur young black girls died was a major influence on Romare Beardenoi^ledtodieworksoncjisplayat die museum through May 10. Ihescreeninganddiscussionisfreeand cpen to the public. **Whd8 Going to Tell the Children?,” a mufocal drama depicting die lives and struggles of African Americans, wiU be presented March 28 at 7 pm. at the Community Outreach Center, 1222 OakkavnAve.Thecenierisrunby Pastors HoustonandBarbara Cameron. The play is written and directed by, Sheila Sherrod-Robinson. Tickets are $5 fjr adults and$3 for students andmay be purchased at die Community Outreach Center (»'Simmons ^h Ward Restaurant on Graham Street. For more information, call383-1272. Master printmaker Lou StovaU wUl be ^aturedin **TheArt of the Print” edub- it April 3-28 at the Noel Gallery in Thmsamerica Square, 401 N. Tryon St. StovaU has been creating die silkscreen prints of noted Amaican painters fir 30 years out of his Wcyrkshop, Inc. in Washington, D.C. In honor of the exhibit, artist Jacob Lawrencds ‘Forward Tbgedieri* painting wiU be on dUplt^ at die gallary. See A LIST on page 11B
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March 26, 1998, edition 1
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