On March 2nd, 2024 I had the pleasure of attending JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble’s The Stories We Tell showcased at the Highways Performance Space. The evening was an intimate display of Jazz Theater, using both dance and spoken word, highlighting the legacy and tradition of Jazz and its cultural thread to African American history and heritage.
Pat Taylor – Dancer, choreographer, Artistic Director of JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble – Photo Courtesy of the artist.
The performance began with a lively ensemble piece titled Home accompanied with music from Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Yacub Addy, and Odadaa. This expressive and uplifting piece was choreographed by artistic director Pat Taylor, Jahanna Blunt, and the Company. Performed by Keisha Clark-Booth, Justin Edmonson, Sarah Platte, Latrice Postell, Alex Rasmussen, Maddie Sharp, Chris Smith, Laura Ann Smyth, Aaron Stokes, and Jahanna Blunt. A memorable portion of this work was storyteller and dancer Johanna Blunt who used traditional West African movement to highlight the cultural significance and diaspora of West African dance and music and its ties to Jazz dance in modern society.
Second on the program was a story titled James Baldwin and Me told by Charles Reese. Reese is an actor, author and programmatic curator with 25 years of acclaimed work as an advocate and purveyor for the legacy of James Baldwin. His message honored the life of Baldwin while relating his life to the present.
JAZZANTIQUA – Jahanna Blunt – Photo by Nathan May.
Up next was a vulnerable and intimate solo performed by Aaron Stokes titled The Reflection. Danced to music by Daniel Caesar and choreographed by Justin Edmonson. Stokes performed with an integrity and stage presence that embodied the breath of the movement. Edmonson’s choreography followed the musical flow that Caesar provided beautifully.
Toes What Knows was a duet between a storyteller and dancer written and narrated by S. Pearl Sharp and danced by Laura Ann Smyth. The work was light in context but meaningful in nature. Alluding to ancestral ties and joy in daily routine, Laura Ann Smyth had an excellent way of performing with brightness in her expression and intention with her movement.
JAZZANTIQUA – Maddie Sharp – Photo by Nathan May.
Set to upbeat music by Geri Allen, The Gathering was a piece choreographed by Pat Taylor danced by Keisha Clark-Booth, Justin Edmonson, Sarah Platte, Latrice Postell, Alex Rasmussen, Maddie Sharp, Chris Smith, Laura Ann Smyth, and Aaron Stokes. The performance was delightful as the dancers swarmed the space with energy and fierce technical execution.
Take Flight, choreographed and danced by Tashara Gavin-Moorehead, set to music by Nina Simone and Herbie Hancock showcased the beauty of relations in dance. This piece made the somewhat small performance space seem grand in spatial proximity.
Pat Taylor then arrived on stage to tell us a story that encapsulated her mothers drive, community power, and the will to pave forward a world that honors those before us. The piece was titled Let the Circle be Unbroken and was danced by Keisha Clark-Booth, Justin Edmonson, Sarah Platte, Latrice Postell, Alex Rasmussen, Maddie Sharp, Chris Smith, Laura Ann Smyth, and Aaron Stokes.
JAZZANTIQUA – Chris Smith (dancer), Charles Reese (actor) – Photo by Nathan May.
Following this meaningful portion of the show was Cool Brother danced by Chris Smith to the music of Angie Stone and told by Charles Reese in his narration of a poem by Howard Simon. This piece was serious in nature but lighthearted in delivery. Charles Reese has a natural way of captivating the audience with his bright energy and intentional tone. Smith danced with exemplary skill that honored the traditional jazz style while bringing honest emotion to the forefront of the work.
Once again S. Pearl Sharp joined the stage to tell her personal story Papa’s Poem which brought emotions out of me that I was not expecting. Sharp has a way of speaking that draws you into the story like it is your own. Papa’s Poem spoke to her ancestors, the ones who helped her become who she was, honoring them in grace, humor, and love.
JAZZANTIQUA – Justin Edmonson – Photo by Nathan May.
The finale of this wonderful show was Hedzole Baba, choreographed and danced by the company: Keisha Clark-Booth, Justin Edmonson, Sarah Platte, Latrice Postell, Alex Rasmussen, Maddie Sharp, Chris Smith, Laura Ann Smyth, and Aaron Stokes. Set to the lively music of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Yacub Addy and Odada! This was a perfect way to end the show with its vibrancy and joy. The entire evening was beautifully crafted with lighting designer Leigh Allen and artistic director Pat Taylor. Taylor creates exceptional work that honors the history of Jazz that extends far past the ‘dance steps’ but into the hearts of the communities that fostered it. I hope to see more of Jazz Antiqua in the future as they create important and celebratory work.
For more information about JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble, please visit their website.
For more information about Highways Performance Space, please visit their website.
This article was edited on March 9, 2024 to correct the spelling of names.
Written by Rebecca Lee for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: JAZZANTIQUA – Laura Ann Smyth (dancer) S Pearl Sharp (poet) – Photo by Nathan May.
