It is impossible to write a review of The Lula Washington Dance Theatre’s 45th anniversary performance at the Ford Theatre without immediately acknowledging the fact that they have accomplished what so many others could not. The company is alive and well at 45 and looking forward to the future. To be a flourishing dance company in Los Angeles for forty-five years, under the guidance and leadership of a couple enjoying a marriage that has lasted for 55 years, is a tremendous accomplishment in and unto itself! Lula Washington Dance Theatre (LWDT) is a testimony to perseverance, resilience, commitment, and profound love of family and community. Erwin Washington, the dream keeper, family patriarch, steadfast supporter and the business genius who seems to be able to pull funding from the sky, Lula Washington, the visionary, choreographer and artistic director, and Tamica Washington-Miller, Associate Director, noted choreographer, dancer, artist, and author, are an unstoppable team focused on bringing art that has a message to the world!
Lula Washington Dance Theatre – Photo by Elizabeth Asher for the LA Philharmonic.
LWDT paid homage to the historic works of American dance icons with performances of Songs of the Disinherited by Donald McKayle, Mourners Bench by Tally Beatty, and Deep Song and Satyric Festival Song by Martha Graham. Each piece was so different but so much the same, in communicating suffering, anguish, and joy. This was an opportunity for LWDT dancers to display their technical prowess, stamina, musicality, and versatility and they did not disappoint. Their arabesques moved through the air with boundless energy celebrating life, a difficult life, but still moving upward and onward. “Songs of the Disinherited” featured a relatively small cast of men and women who managed to fill the entire stage. “Songs” is a staple in the LWDT repertoire and brand new costumes were provided by Mr. McKayle’s wife, Lea Vivante McKayle. Talley Beatty’s “Mourners Bench,” an excerpt from “Southern Landscapes” and the Martha Graham solos “Deep Song” and “Satyric Festival Song” were breath taking. Michael Tomlin III did a good job recreating the historic solo done on a bench. It was created in 1947 and “represented the anguish and loss for former slaves, now free men, killed during the Reconstruction Era at the beginning of the rise of the Klu Klux Klan”(outandaboutnycmag.com). There were times when challenges arose maintaining balance on the narrow bench but, his commitment to portraying the profound grief and anguish never wavered. He is a gifted and passionate artist that was perfectly for this piece. Ongelle Johnson (Deep Song) and Kozue Kasahara (Satyric Festival Song) captured the angular strength needed to bring the Graham solos to life. Kozue found the humor and Ongelle found the angst. It is interesting to note that Ongelle also performed the solo “Angelitos Negros” from “Songs of The Disinherited”. She was the last woman Mr. McKayle selected to perform this solo and actually she set this work on prior to his passing. She is a truly beautiful dancer blessed with long, expressive limbs and flexibility that is otherworldly. Her interpretation of the McKayle solo is reminiscent of those I’ve seen perform it in the past, most notably Tamica Washington-Miller and Michelle Simmons.
Lula Washington Dance Theatre – Photo by Elizabeth Asher for the LA Philharmonic.
Tamica Washington-Miller’s “And We Can Fly”, inspired by the African American folk tale “The People Could Fly” by Virginia Hamilton. It explores African American spirituality, the Ring Shout, and other forgotten African American healing technologies that have been forgotten, with original music composed by Marcus L. Miller. This second-generation power couple, Tamica Washington Miller and Marcus L. Miller, have created a tour de force with Tamica providing choreography, writing, narration, and joining the company as a dancer from time to time and Marcus creating original music and interesting sound design performed by the Marcus Miller Ensemble. Their eldest son, Nelan-Ay Miller provided animation that was projected on the pillars that frame the stage as well as percussion and their younger son, Veritus conducted a group of talented musicians featuring James Forbes III on organ and percussion. The piece is a blend and mix of cultural purpose with a contemporary flair that the company is known for. The women who portray the Sisters, Love (red), Hope (green), and Faith (purple), are exquisite and unique. Sister Love seems to have endless energy, while Sister Faith can sustain a relevé for what feels like forever, and Sister Hope has extensions that reach to the sky. Tamica has given them intricate movements that are done individually and then intertwine with one another in a way that demonstrates the forever sisterhood these women share. Her choreography brings out the best in her cast and movements, gestures, steps, poses, lifts, turns, all have a reason for being and tell the story well. All of the dancers consistently demonstrate a commitment to the choreography that moves far beyond just executing steps and I attribute that to Tamica’s clear artistic vision. I can only imagine her rehearsals peppered with constant dialogue pulling the utmost from her young dancers. They demonstrate a command of dance vocabulary in multiple dance genres but Tamica has done a masterful job bringing out the artist in each of them. When she joins the dancers on stage, with those long arms and legs and those powerful hands with the fingers that seem to express longing, struggle, and reaching, the piece rises to yet another level.
Lula Washington Dance Theatre – Photo by Elizabeth Asher for the LA Philharmonic.
The evening ended with the premiere of The Master Plan, choreographed by Washington, as a tribute to the late saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, with live musical accompaniment guided by Marcus L. Miller, (musical artist and drummer, LWDT Music Director) and special guests including Dwight Trible. The performance was a Washington/Miller family affair featuring dance and spoken word, and live music curated by Tamica’s husband, Marcus L. Miller, including celebrated jazz saxophonist, Kamasi Washington, his father, Ricky Washington conducted by Veritus Miller, grandson of Lula and Erwin, and son of Tamica and Marcus. Nelan-Ay Miller, eldest grandson of Lula and Erwin and oldest son of Tamica and Marcus provides percussion. From the very beginning, the choreography has a spiritual quality due to the manner in which the dancers open their arms wide and lift their chests to the heavens. When they jump it is as if they are suspended in air perpetually reaching for a higher place. The dancers continually move throughout the space whirling, twirling, spinning, without and then with large pieces of colorful fabrics. It is a dance of comings and goings. The dancers execute the movement with a controlled abandon that mirrors what is happening in the music. There are periods when the movement and music feel like organized chaos then the dancers spread their arms wide as if to embrace one another and the entire audience. Lula stated in an interview, “This dance wants viewers to see the power of dance and music as a connection to a higher consciousness that promotes peace, love, respect and happiness. The Master Plan is based on my concept of peace, love and happiness for everybody. Anytime you have individuals being chased down the street, kids who are afraid to go school, kids being taken away from their parents, parents being taken from their car–all that craziness. That’s not America. So, I want to say, let’s open our arms to everybody. Let’s include everybody in this big circle. My piece is about finding and restoring that missing balance and peace…Open your eyes so you can see, see, see love.”
Lula Washington Dance Theatre – Photo by Elizabeth Asher for the LA Philharmonic.
As the evening ended, Congresswoman Maxine Waters came to the podium and congratulated the company. Lula and Tamica called company members past and present, friends, and supporters to the stage for a photo op. She shared information about their most recent challenge, a water main break a week ago that caused extensive damage to their archive room, and their need for donations to offset the resulting expenses. Tamica states in the PBS Artbound documentary, Open Your Eyes: Lula Washington Dance Theatre, “So it was their [Lula & Erwin] hard work, it was their vision, commitment to each other that I think has made it so they could do the impossible.” This celebration was the manifestation of the impossible and it was a glorious evening.
Please note: As I began doing my research to write this review I found so much interesting information about LWDT. The links below provided the most informative interviews and articles. I highly recommend them because the story of this company is truly inspiring.
Donations can be made to Lula Washington Dance Theatre using this link – https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=vZI90BOz4UMKdVcJtXmjENJJfwrMd96-03AaKD-hHJTw1RkFf_FmbAADs03BxYweCvLqgydeiUQgJ4Il
To learn more about the Lula Washington Dance Theatre, please visit their website.
To learn more about The Ford Theatre, please visit their website.
Written by Leah Bass-Baylis for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Lula Washington Dance Theatre – Photo by Elizabeth Asher for the LA Philharmonic.
