When February rolls around, thoughts of Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras rise. But February is also Black History Month, and one local collaboration is putting an artistic spin on the celebration.
Mid City Dance Project, Inc. and the Manship Theatre have come together to produce an interpretive dance experience titled “The Fading Line: A Commemoration of the 1953 Baton Rouge Bus Boycott.”
The 40-member performance, including both adults and children, tells the story of the first bus boycott in the nation during the Civil Rights Movement.
The show’s creator and project director Renee Chatelain said the first public performance was in 2005, but Manship Theatre is bringing the event back for its 10th anniversary.
“We just retell the story because I feel like this preceded Brown v. Board of Education,” Chatelain said. “This preceded Selma — all of the things we’ve studied — and no one really tells the story.”
Chatelain also said most of the show’s performers have relatives who participated in the boycott, which makes it even more of a legacy piece.
This year’s performance is slightly different than in past years and will hopefully add another dynamic to the show. It still encompasses video, dance and oral histories, but this year, Chatelain is working with New Venture Theatre’s artistic director, Greg Williams Jr., to add monologues to provide more depth and bring the story forward — similar to The Laramie Project.
“It’s kind of amazing that 50, well 60 years later now, it’s still an open wound in a lot of ways,” Chatelain said. “People are more vocal about it. It’s not so much of the Jim Crow South, but in some ways it is, so it’s important to tell the story.”
The performers have only been performing for a couple of weeks, but they’re picking up on the dance routine. Chatelain considers dance her language and said she felt it was important to let it speak.
“A lot of people think about dance in a way like, here’s some pretty movement or some abstract movement,” Chatelain said. “Dance can really tell a story and be compelling and express emotions as well as factual events.”
The storytelling process is intensified by the attention and detail of both the costume and music selections. Each costume looks as if it’s from the era and some are vintage. Chatelain has turned away certain costumes made of material not popular during the time.
The music selection for the show’s bus scene is a piece by ’50s blues musician Little Walter, released the same year as the boycott. This scene sets the stage for a typical bus ride through the city — with the white section in the front.
The production’s full performances will be held in March at the Manship Theatre, but the crew will bring a portion of its show to the West Baton Rouge Museum on Feb. 28 as part of its Black History Month celebration. Those in attendance will be treated to the performance’s narrative, videos and oral histories.
“In the West Baton Rouge Museum, they do a really great job of Black History Month,” Chatelain said. “We’ve performed there before, this particular piece, and we’re excited to do it again.”
Jeannie Luckett, the museum’s education curator, said she’s excited to finally bring the performance back to the museum after several years, and it’s entirely free.
“[Free admission] allows audiences of all ages and means to enjoy the performance,” Luckett said. “Not only can they enjoy the art aspect of it, but the beautiful and powerful message of our history, where we came from and the progress we’ve made.”
Both Luckett and Chatelain said the story is important to be aware of and understand how it’s shaped the history of Baton Rouge, while it’s a decent and entertaining way to spend the afternoon.
“The performance honors the brave citizens of the time who stepped out there not knowing what the result might be,” Chatelain said. “Not knowing if they would be endangered or not because of what had happened historically, and they still took a stand on it.”
The show’s full performance will be held at the Manship Theatre March 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m.
You can reach Greta Jines on Twitter @TheGretaJines.
Performers rehearse an interpretive dance routine Sunday, Feb. 20, 2015, that will be shown in the upcoming production of "The Fading Line: A Commemoration of the 1953 Baton Rouge Bus Boycott."
