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Boston's Anna Myer and Dancers Present its New Hip-Hop Opera, In The Paint!
Free Concert at Harlem Stage, July 21st

Posted June 29, 2014

Boston's ANNA MYER AND DANCERS will bring to New York the world premiere of their newest work "In the Paint," a mixed genre performance utilizing modern and hip-hop dance, storytelling, rap, trumpet and saxophone, all to tell the remarkable and true stories of young people who turned away from violence. The free event will be performed in-the-round in order to totally engage the audience, and will take place Monday July 21 at 8 PM at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse, a former water-pumping station that is now a registered landmark.

"In the Paint" is the latest work in The Hoop Suite Project, performed on stages and basketball courts turned into theaters-in-the-round. Audiences from all walks of life are given the opportunity to experience work that emanates from urban black and Latino cultures. The collaborators find that it is often on the court that harsh truths about fear, resistance, and loss, as well as the beauty of life, surface in self-discovery. The true stories tell of people who reconnected physically, emotionally and spiritually to parts of themselves that had been overtaken by violence and feelings of abandonment. It has allowed them to heal from adversity by connecting to their heritage, hopes and dreams.

Co-director Jay Paris regards basketball courts as "the central artery" for meeting - places of sanctuary and unity where players can blow off steam, test themselves, and express emotions. Ms. Myer added: "It's not just making art, but growing community."

The Hoop Suite Project is co-directed by Ms. Myer and Jay Paris. Onaje X. Offley Woodbine, Ph.D. is Philosophical Director, and the work features stories of Onaje Woodbine, Adam Hayes and Derrick Harper.