choreographers. There were two new works: Moan (World premiere) by Matthew Rushing, and Wake Up (New York Premiere) by Rennie Harris, plus Ronald K. Brown’s Gatekeepers (1999), and the restaging of George
Faison’s iconic work Suite Otis (1971). The evening opened with one of the most sincere renditions of Faison's Suite Otis ever! Brown's Gatekeepers, so daringly sparse, yet so contextually full that the audience must take time to think, followed. Moan, a fine example of Rushing finding his voice in dance theatre, then Harris' fantastic Wake Up, in the usual Harris-style, telling a story; opening the eyes about Africans and/or African descended people through his special blend of Hip Hop, closed the second half. We must say thank goodness for repertory companies sometimes, especially those that are able to, in just one evening, present such a broad range of works with marked difference. The dancers, most especially Lindsey Holmes and Tommie Waheed Evans, danced so beautifully on Friday evening. Kudos to the rest of the dancers and congratulations to Founder and Executive Director Joan Myers Brown for continuing such a steadfast journey!