Friday and Saturday, December 8–9, 2017, 8pm Sunday, December 10, 2017, 3pm Zellerbach Playhouse Camille A. Brown & Dancers BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play (2015)

Directed and Choreographed by Camille A. Brown in collaboration with the women of CABD Performers Beatrice Capote, Kendra ‘Vie Boheme’ Dennard, Catherine Foster, Mayte Natalio, and Camille A. Brown Scott Patterson, piano Robin Bramlett, electric bass Music Original compositions “Back in the Day,” “All Grownt Up,” and “Beautiful Memories” by Scott Patterson “Jump!,” “She Fast,” and “Tender” by Tracy Wormworth “Everything in its Right Place” by Radiohead – Rendition by Scott Patterson and Tracy Wormworth Handclap/Nursery Rhymes “Miss Mary Mack,” “Miss Susie Had a Steamboat,” and “Green Sally” Robert McIntyre, production stage manager Daniel Banks, Kamilah Forbes, and Talvin Wilks, dramaturgs Burke Wilmore, lighting design Sam Crawford, sound design Elizabeth C. Nelson, set design Zulema Griffin, Carolyn Meckha Cherry, Mayte Natalio, and Catherine Foster, costume design contributors Shaune Johnson and Marshall Davis, tap coaches

Cal Performances’ 2017–18 season is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

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PROGRAM NOTES

Camille A. Brown & Dancers word “play” immediately shot out. I started Recognized for its introspective approach to thinking about my childhood and the many cultural themes through visceral movement games I used to play—Double Dutch, Red Light/ and socio-political dialogues, Camille A. Brown Green Light, Marco Polo—and how it was hard & Dancers soars through history like a whirl - for me to find narratives within the media that wind. Known for high theatricality, gutsy moves, showcased black girls being just that: girls. and virtuosic musicality, the company’s work This instantly resonated and became personal. explores a range of themes with an eye on the Who was I before the world defined me? What past and present. Making a personal claim on are the unspoken languages within black-girl his tory, Camille A. Brown leads her dancers culture that are multidimensional and have through excavations of ancestral stories, both been appropriated and compart mental ized by timeless and traditional, as well as immediate others? What are the dimensions of black-girl contemporary issues. The work is strongly joy that cannot be boxed into a smile or a character-based, expressing each choreographic grimace, but demonstrated in a head tilt, lip topic by building from little moments to model smack, hand gesture, and more? a filmic sensibility. Theater, poetry, visual art, BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play showcases and and music of all genres merge to inject each per - elevates the rhythms and gestures of childhood formance with energy and urgency. For more play, highlights the musical complexity and information, visit www.camilleabrown.org. composition, and claims them as art. It shows the power of sisterhood and the fact that, as we Choreographer’s Note mature, black girls still play. It is remembering, BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play celebrates the conjuring, honoring, and healing. It is a black unspoken rhythm and language that black girls girl’s story through her gaze. This work is a gift have through Double Dutch, social dances, and to myself and black girls everywhere. hand-clapping games that are contemporary If our audiences see parts of themselves and ancestral. As I began to create the work, in our work—their struggles and their joys— I realized that I was exhausted by stereotypes regardless of their color, gender, or socio - and tropes because, as a black female director, economic background, then I know we have I battle with them daily. done our job. Kyra Gaunt’s book, The Games Black Girls Let’s play! Play, inspired the concept for the work. The —Camille A. Brown

The creation and presentation of BLACK GIRL: dation for Dance; and a 2014 New York City Center Linguistic Play is supported by the New England Cho reography Fellowship. Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project with lead funding provided by the Doris Duke Charitable BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play was commissioned Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, by DANCE Cleve land through a 2014 Joyce Award with additional support from the Com munity Con - from the Joyce Founda tion, the Clarice Smith Per - nections Fund of the MetLife Founda tion and the forming Arts Center at the University of Maryland, National Endowment for the Arts. Major support Juniata Pre sents, and Juniata College. It was de - for this new work also comes from the MAP Fund, veloped, in part, during a residency at Baryshnikov primarily supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Arts Cen ter, New York, awarded through the Foundation with additional funds from the Andrew Princess Grace Founda tion–USA Works in Progress W. Mellon Foundation; Engaging Dance Audiences, resi dency program; a creative residency at The Yard, administered by Dance/USA and made possible the Flynn Center, and the Wesleyan Center for the with generous funding from the Doris Duke Chari - Arts; a technical resi dency at Juniata College in table Foun dation; a Jerome Foundation 50th Anni - Hunting ton, PA; a resi den cy at New York City ver sary Grant; New York State Council on the Arts Cen ter; and a residency at Newcomb Dance Pro - with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and gram, Tulane University De part ment of Theatre the New York State Legislature; Hark ness Foun - and Dance.

Opposite: Beatrice Capote in BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play. Photo by Christopher Duggan.  ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Camille A. Brown (per - Social Dance in 25 Moves, was chosen as one of former) is a prolific cho - the most notable talks of 2016 by TED Curator reographer making a Chris Anderson, and has more than 15 million personal claim on his - views on Facebook. tory through the lens of Brown is the choreographer for the current a modern black female Broadway revival of Once on This Island, which perspective. She leads opened on Broadway on December 3. her dancers through www.camilleabrown.org ex cavations of ancestral stories, both timeless and traditional, that Beatrice Capote (performer) began her dance connect history with contemporary culture. training at Amaryllis Dance Academy, and con - Brown is a 2017 Ford Foundation Art of Change tinued at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Fel low, four-time Princess Grace Award winner Center, where she was chosen to perform (2016 Statue Award, 2016 Choreographic Men - “Wade in the Water” from Alvin Ailey’s Revela - torship Co-Commission Award, 2013 Works in tions. She was also featured in the book Attitude. Progress Residency Award, 2006 Choreography Capote has performed with companies and Award), 2016 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award re - choreogra phers including INSPIRIT, a dance cipient, 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, com pany; Maverick Dance Experience; the 2015 USA Jay Franke & David Herro Fellow, Wells Perfor mance Project; Areytos Perfor - 2015 TED Fellow, and 2015 Doris Duke Artist mance Works; Earl Mosley; Matthew Rushing; Award recipient, and she was nominated for the Antonio Brown; and Kyle Abraham/Abra - 2015 Lucille Lortel Outstanding Choreogra pher ham.In.Motion. She has received a grant from Award (for Fortress of Solitude). Her com pany, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Camille A. Brown & Dancers, received a 2014 has choreographed and performed her solo “Bessie” Award for Outstanding Produc tion for work in venues including the WestFest Dance the work Mr. TOL E. RAncE and most recently Festival, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance was nominated for a 2016 “Bessie” Award for (BAAD), and Pregones Theatre. Capote is a Outstanding Production for BLACK GIRL: graduate of the University of North Carolina Linguistic Play. School of the Arts and Montclair State Univer - Brown’s work has been commissioned by the sity. Currently, she is on the faculty at the Alvin Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Phila - Ailey School, Joffrey Ballet School, and Mont - danco!, Complexions, and Urban Bush Wo - clair State University. She originally worked men, among others. Her theater credits include with the company in 2008 and rejoined in 2014. Broadway’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Fortress of Solitude, Stagger Lee, Cabin in the Sky, Jon - Kendra ‘Vie Boheme’ Dennard (performer) athan Larson’s tick, tick...BOOM! starring Lin was born in Motown, developed her skills in Manuel Miranda, and the musical BELLA: An Pittsburgh, and refined them in Minneapolis. American Tall Tale, among others. Recently, She is a former dance artist with TU Dance in Brown premiered her new work, ink, the final Saint Paul, Minnesota; a founding member of installation of the company’s dance-theater the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble; trilogy about culture, race, and identity. and a soul, funk, and jazz vocalist and cho - Initiatives: The Gathering; BLACK GIRL reographer of her own solo dance work. Den - SPECTRUM (BGS). Publication: Cover of Dance nard is also a Vinyasa yoga instructor. She was Teacher magazine (August 2015). Program: Co- trained at Point Park University’s Con servatory directed (with Moncell Durden) Social Dances: of Performing Arts (Pittsburgh, PA) and the Jazz to Hip-Hop at Jacob’s Pillow in 2015. Public Ailey School (NYC). Over the course of her Speaker: 2015 TED Conference, 2016 TEDx - career, she has performed the works of Kyle BeaconStreet, 2016 TEDxEsteeLauder Compa - Abraham, Camille A. Brown, Dwight Rhoden, nies. Brown’s TED-Ed talk, A Visual History of Gregory Dolbashian, Uri Sands, Dar rell Grand

 PLAYBILL ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Moultrie, and Sidra Bell. This is her first season Tribune-Review for his virtuosic singing style. with Camille A. Brown & Dancers. His music is a rich and emotive blend of clas - sical, soul, and rock. The recording Scott Pat - Catherine Foster (performer) is from Washing - terson Piano Music (available at at cdbaby.-com / ton, DC. Training: DC Youth Ensemble, Balti - cd/ scott patterson) features Patterson’s award- more School for the Arts, Alvin Ailey American winning compositions for Camille A. Brown’s Dance Center. Awards: National Arts Recogni - Mr. TOL E. RAncE, winner of a 2014 “Bessie” tion (second place) and a recipient of the Astaire award, and BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play. More Award for Best Broadway Female Ensemble. information about Patterson can be found at She has worked with and performed the works Afro House (afrohouse.org), a music-driven of noted choreographers, companies, and re - performance art house that uses images, move - cording artists including Kevin “Iega” Jeff, Hin - ment, and sound to tell stories. ton Battle, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Fred Ben- ja min Dance Company, Forces of Nature, Alicia Robin Bramlett (performer) is a recording artist Keys, The Roots, Jazmine Sullivan, Angelique and bassist who is primarily self-taught. Her Kidjo, and Lauryn Hill. Film/TV: TEDX, Black debut CD and 2013 release, This is My Life, is Girls Rock (BET), Good Morning America. an instrumental autobiography that combines Broad way/Tour: FELA! (original cast) pro duced her musical experiences throughout her career by Jay Z and Will Smith. Foster is an experi - while staying true to her first loves, jazz and enced personal trainer and group fitness in - neo-soul. Other than two covers (Teena Marie’s structor (Equinox, Zumba Certified, Pre Natal, “Square Biz” and Slave’s “Steal Your Heart”), Kettlebell, Pilates). A dance educator for more Bramlett wrote and produced the entire project. than 10 years, she teaches regularly in after- She is also touring with the all-female jazz school programs in New York City and at the ensemble Jazz In Pink, which is led by key - Alvin Ailey School. Foster thanks her ancestors boardist Gail Jhonson. In addition, Bramlett has and loved ones for her success and their gui - performed and/or recorded with Karen Briggs, dance! She has worked with Camille A. Brown Althea Rene, Eric Darius, Jeanette Har ris, & Dancers since its inception. Jessy J, Brian Culbertson, Dave Koz, Chris ette Michelle, Shanice Wilson, Miki Howard, Pete Mayte Natalio (performer) is a native New Escovedo, After 7, Jon B., and Malcolm Jamal York er and has had a versatile career that has Warner, to name just a few. spanned all genres of theater. Natalio received her BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase and is Robert McIntyre (production stage manager) is a proud co-founder of the immersive events originally from Scranton (PA) and works all company Minute Zero. She has toured ex ten - over the northeast region, freelancing in theater sively with the Parsons Dance Company and and dance. McIntyre holds a BS in business Camille A. Brown & Dancers. Natalio has per - management and technical theater from East formed in musical theater productions at the Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, from Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, the Tony Award- which he graduated in 2012. He has had the winning Dallas Theater Center, Pregones Puerto oppor tunity to intern at Williamstown Theatre Rican Traveling Theater, and New York City Fest ival and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, where Center Encores, among others. She has also he has served as the production co ordinator performed with Kanye West and French pop for their Inside/Out Series. McIntyre has been star Mylene Farmer. Natalio was in the original the stage manager for Stephen Petronio Dance cast of the immersive production Queen of the Company, TAKE Dance, Gallim Dance, En - Night and Third Rail’s The Grand Paradise. compass New Opera Theatre, Keely Garfield Dance, and Damage Dance. Recently, he lit the Scott Patterson (performer), a pianist and student company and Dance for PD® at Mark composer, has been praised by the Pittsburgh Morris Dance Group.

 ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Burke Wilmore (lighting designer) grew up in Dance Theater. He designed Stephen Petronio’s Sun Valley, Idaho, and now lives in Greenpoint, Tragic Love for Ballet de Lorraine and has de - Brooklyn. He is a member of United Scenic Ar - signed more than two dozen works for Keigwin tists Local 829 and an honors graduate of + Com pany. He frequently collaborates with Wes leyan University. Wilmore has designed or Broad way star André de Shields, for whom he a dap ted seven works for BODYTRAFFIC, in - lit the Louis Armstrong musical Ambassador cluding Arthur Pita’s new Death Defying Dances. Satch, and designed scenery and lighting for He has also lit the work of Camille A. Brown de Shields’ production of Ain’t Misbehavin’. Wil - & Dancers (BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, Mr. more designed scenery and lighting for Apollo TOL E. RAncE, City of Rain, Good & Grown). Club Harlem, directed by Maurice Hines, and Wilmore was the resident designer for Battle - the recurring hit Ellington at Christmas, both at works (2001–10) and to date has lit five of Ro - the Apollo Theater. bert Battle’s works for Alvin Ailey American

Reference and Resource Guide BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play Social Dances depositing and transporting flavors from soup Camille A. Brown’s BLACK GIRL: Linguistic pot to soup pot, family to family, generation to Play draws from dance, music, and hand-game generation, and providing nourishment for the traditions of West and Sub-Saharan African soul and for the struggle. When dancing and cultures as filtered through generations of the drumming were progressively banned during African-American experience. The result is a the 18th century, black people used their crea - depiction of the complexities in carving out a tivity and inventiveness to employ their bodies positive identity as a black female in today’s as a beatbox for song and dance. In the Amer - urban America. The core of this multimedia icas, this music helped them connect with their work is a unique blend of body percussion, homeland and keep cultural traditions alive. It rhythmic play, gesture, and self-expression that was termed “patting Juba.” creates its own lexicon. Juba contained features that persist in Afri - The etymology of Brown’s linguistic play can can-American dances, notably improvisation, be traced from pattin’ Juba, buck and wing, shuffle steps, supple body movements, and social dances, and other percussive corollaries sharp rhythms. Skill and dexterity ruled the day of the African drum found on this side of the in performing and developing artisans in this Atlantic, all the way to jumping Double Dutch, new genre. “Patting Juba” means slapping the and dan cing The Dougie. Brown uses the rhyth - hands, legs, and body to produce complex, rapid mic play of this African-American dance verna - rhythms. The dance has survived the planta - cular as the black woman’s domain to evoke tions and social dance circles and made its way childhood memories of self-discovery. onto the platforms of dance halls and palaces. These movement elements served as the pho - Hambone, Hambone, Where You Been? nemes of a dance vocabulary that per sists more Around the World and Back Again than two centuries later. Let’s use the hambone lyric as a metaphor for By 1845 William Henry Lane, a free black what happened culturally to song-and-dance man born in Rhode Island, had become most forms developed in African-American enclaves prolific in Juba and gained unimaginable na - during the antebellum era. The hambone sal - tional and international recognition as a master vaged from the big house meal made its way of the form. Often billed as “Master Juba,” he to cabins and quarters of enslaved Africans, danced an amalgam of the jig, Juba, clog, buck,

 PLAYBILL PROGRAM NOTES long dog scratch, and wing dances, taking this Twist, and The Monkey, paralleled the social African-American dance “around the world and political turmoil the United States was ex - and back again.” periencing. The wobbly legs of buck dancing, the flighty Have you ever attended a family cookout/ limbs of the wing step, and the staccato quick wedding/pool party/social event with multiple feet of the jig served as the morphemes for pop - generations present? Grandpop and Nana, ular social dances throughout the 20th cen tury. Aunt Denise and cousin Deion, you, your Metal scraps were nailed to shoe bottoms and cous ins were just chillin’, and a really good song morphed into the theatrical tap dance form we played on the Victrola/radio/8-track player/ know today. One can draw a through-line from boom box/MP3 player? In an instant everyone Juba to the Charleston and Black Bottom of is up on the dance floor, checking out each the 1920s to the Funky Chicken of the 1960s, other’s moves. It is a battle of old-school vs new- the Kid ’n Play of the 1980s, and to the Bop and school terpsichorean feats/feet, and the conver - DLow Shuffle of the 21st century. The verna - sations go something like: “Look, those kids cular of these early social dances began to spread aren’t doing anything new. Back in the day we from dirt floors to dance halls and be yond. In called that move the (…)” and, “Oh wow, look fact, a long-limbed street dancer-turned-chorus at Nana and Grandpop trying to do the (…), girl named Josephine Baker exported the dances I wonder where they learned that?” As the to France and all around Europe, achieving saying goes, sooner or later, everything old is great notoriety. new again. These days a quick tutorial on the foot pat - Social Dancing Through the Decades terns of the Funky Chicken or the ankle align - The Great Migration helped transport these ment of the Mashed Potato can be found on social dances out of the South and into North - YouTube. The video-sharing website now sup - east and Midwestern cities as blacks headed ple ments and supplants the social forums that to industrial centers in search of jobs and new African Americans traditionally used to create beginnings. Each region developed idiosyncra - and learn dances. Anyone can view, teach, and tic constructs of popular dances of the day. try any dance from any decade with just a few New York City was the cauldron of creativity clicks of a mouse. Watch “Soul Bro ther #1,” and Harlem was its flame. The Savoy Ballroom James Brown, break down the hippest dances in Harlem billed itself as the “Home of Happy of the 1970s. And if you think Michael Jackson Feet.” It was there that a new migration oc - invented the moonwalk, YouTube shows you all curred; whites headed uptown to be entertained the entertainers who did that slick back wards and dance to the big band orchestras of Chick glide decades before the King of Pop. Webb and Benny Goodman side by side with African Americans. Dancers extraordinaire Looking Back, Jumping Ahead, Norma Miller, Frankie Manning, and “Shorty and Stepping Forward George” Snowden incorporated the syncopa - In addition to popular dance, another form of tion of tap and the improvisation of jazz into linguistic play influenced the rhythmical educa - the Lindy Hop and jitterbug steps that devel - tion of the urban black girl. Two friends, a long oped in tandem with the explosion of artistic clothesline, telephone cable, or jump rope were expression of the Harlem Renaissance. all that was needed for the fun pastime of Social dance during the Civil Rights and Double Dutch. You have to pound the pavement Black Power movements started to prominently for hours, and in many cases years, to earn reflect the times. Dances with African names— your stripes on the playground or city sidewalks. like the Watusi and the Boogaloo—mirrored Listen to the click-clack of the ropes, absorb and proclaimed the African pride and heritage the rhythm into your body, time the loop and of American blacks. The frenetic and frenzied swoop, and jump in! Rope jumpers sprinkle dances of the 1960s, including The Jerk, The hand games, chants, and acrobatics into the

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milliseconds between the beat and devote vast BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play embodies all of amounts of time perfecting routines alone or these movement languages that have been with a partner. Black girls start sharpening their rooted in African-American culture and tra - corporeal coordination at an early age and be - dition. What influences have shaped your own gin to incorporate complex steps, patterns, and linguistic play? Let’s talk about it with Camille speed into the aerobic game-sport-dance as A. Brown & Dancers. they advance. Michelle Obama honed her skills —© 2015 by Camille A. Brown & Dancers on the streets of Chicago and demon strated her Text by Heather McCartney jumping prowess on national tele vision and in China. Double Dutch contests and competitions Special Thanks are now found worldwide and are featured on CABD would like to thank Rob Bailis, Robin ESPN2. Each December Harlem’s Apollo Thea - Pomerance, and the technical and adminis tra tive staff ter hosts an international show down (Japan has of Cal Performances for their hard work, dedication, and support. In addition, the company would also amazing contenders), and in 2008 New York like to thank the men of CABD—Timothy Edwards, City public schools began offer ing Double Dutch Juel D. Lane, and Willie “Tre” Smith III—for their as a varsity league activity—proving very pop - continuous support during the development, world ular with predomi nantly African-American high pre miere, and tour of BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play. schools. Movies like Doubletime and Jump In! You are appreciated! spotlight the focus and determination required for competition-level jumping, and the pride For more information on Camille A. Brown & (and bragging rights) that accompany the fun. Dancers, please visit www.camilleabrown.org. The animated and vibrant “step” dances CONTACT performed by sororities and fraternities are Pamela Green, agent superb examples of the body linguistics Camille PMG Arts Management A. Brown plays with in her work. The percus - [email protected] sive, stylized, and coordinated group dances (919) 813-6092 that feature chants and shouts bring together African song and dance traditions mixed with Michael Moore Agency ring shouts, Juba, military precision, Motown, Michael Moore, commercial agent [email protected] and modern Greek culture. By the 1970s, “step - (212) 221-0400 ping” gained popularity due to widespread demon strations on college campuses. Today, Indira Goodwine, managing director film also provides windows into the African- [email protected] American dance traditions found in the black Greek-lettered organizations established at his - Follow Us and Share Your Thoughts! torically black colleges and universities. Spike Facebook: Camille A. Brown (artist page) Lee’s School Daze and Sylvain White’s Stomp the Twitter: @CamilleABrown #CABDTheater Yard are two films that helped expand the in - #BlackGirlLP fluence and popularity of the form. Stepping is #BGLinguisticPlay no longer just a “Greek thing”; it has transcended #BlackGirlJoyOnTour race and can be found out side the African- American fraternal community. Berkeley RADICAL – JOINING GENERATIONS ese performances are part of the 2017/18 Berkeley RADICAL Joining Generations programming strand, which explores the work of four generations of African-American choreographers who have expanded the terrain of con- temporary dance, each speaking profoundly, deliberately, and uniquely to issues of identity. Joining Generations continues later this season with Donald Byrd’s Spectrum Dance eater in A Rap on Race (Feb 9–10) and the Alvin Ailey American Dance eater (Apr 10–15). For more information, please visit calperformances.org.

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