Decade in the making
By Casey Gillis on Feb. 14, 2008
Dance Theatre of Lynchburg’s annual “Leaps and Bounds” performance is scheduled for this weekend - almost 10 years to the day that the downtown school first opened.
“It couldn’t have happened any better,” says founder and artistic director Keith Lee. “It’s so perfect.”
Dance Theatre opened on Feb. 15, 1998, and the annual performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
It will feature three pieces, all choreographed by Lee.
“It’s an upbeat show,” he says. “There’s nothing really heavy or dramatic.”
The first is “Trilogy” and is made of two Dance Theatre staples: “Oh Mary Don’t You Weep” and “Landmark.”
“Oh Mary Don’t You Weep” is “a standard piece,” Lee says. “It’s almost like an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement. It’s really upbeat. It’s a really gospel kind of piece.”
And “Landmark” is always used as a closer.
“It’s a stand-in-the-aisles, clap-your-hands kind of piece,” he says.
Lee recently added a third part, called “Precious Lord,” that bridges the gap between the two.
“It brings the two pieces together and makes the trilogy happen. It really works beautifully,” he says. “It does build. We bring the ‘Mary’ cast out at the halfway point of the (second) piece, and they dance together. It’s very theatrical.”
All three parts of “Trilogy” are set to the music of Aretha Franklin and her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin.
The second piece that will be featured in “Leaps and Bounds” is “House of Blue,” which features a live jazz trio, and the third is called “Bustin’ into Hollywood,” which is set to the music of Chaka and Rufus Khan and Eddie Kendricks, who was once a member of The Temptations.
“It’s all very Hollywood-ish,” Lee says. “(The dancers) are strutting around. It’s just meant to be fun.”
“I’ve really always liked Eddie Kendricks and his music,” Lee adds. “I said, ‘We’ve really just got to jam with this.’”
IF YOU’RE GOING
WHAT: Dance Theatre of Lynchburg’s annual ‘Leaps and Bounds’ performance
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Dance Theatre, 722 Commerce St.
TICKETS: $10 for adults and $7.50 for students
INFO: (434) 846-6272
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