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Romare Bearden, born 100 years ago this Sept. 2, inspired artists in many disciplines, including dance. On Thursday an excerpt from “On the Block,” a ballet based on the stories evoked in Bearden’s six-panel collage, “The Block,” will be performed by dancers from the Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theater at the Oberia D. Dempsey Multi-Service Center in Harlem. The evening has a few aims, including introducing Bearden and his work to a new generation. The 15-minute excerpt will be performed, followed by a question-and-answer period with the choreographer Walter Rutledge and three dancers in the show. There will also be a film showing Bearden at work and a wine reception at Maysles Cinema, all part of a fundraiser for ArtCrawl Harlem, a visual arts trolley tour promoting the Harlem art scene.
‘It’s only been performed four times in its life,” Mr. Rutledge said of the ballet. “Basically, it’s an unknown piece. It tells five different stories, almost simultaneously. We want to bring back an interest in Bearden and an interest in story ballet, which no one does anymore because it’s hard and expensive.”While the 80-minute ballet has been tweaked and perfected since it was first performed in 2005, “The Block,” is one of Bearden’s most famous works: it shows Lenox Avenue between 133rd and 134th streets in a mural-sized tableau depicting scenes of urban life drawn from reality and imagination: people walking down the street, couples peering from windows.“The Beardens had a real love for Harlem,” Mr. Rutledge said. The artist, who died in 1988 and his wife, Nanette Bearden, the founder and artistic director of the Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theater, who died in 1996, were longtime Harlem residents. After Ms. Bearden’s death her sister, Sheila Rohan, a dancer, took over the company, where Mr. Rutledge also serves as the associate artistic director.The other major centennial celebration of Bearden in Harlem is an exhibition of his work at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. “Romare Bearden: The Soul of Blackness – A Centennial Tribute” opens July 15 and is on view through Jan. 7, 2012.
By FELICIA R. LEE
The evening has a few aims, including introducing Bearden and his work to a new generation. The 15-minute excerpt will be performed, followed by a question-and-answer period with the choreographer Walter Rutledge and three dancers in the show. There will also be a film showing Bearden at work and a wine reception at Maysles Cinema, all part of a fundraiser for ArtCrawl Harlem, a visual arts trolley tour promoting the Harlem art scene.
‘It’s only been performed four times in its life,” Mr. Rutledge said of the ballet. “Basically, it’s an unknown piece. It tells five different stories, almost simultaneously. We want to bring back an interest in Bearden and an interest in story ballet, which no one does anymore because it’s hard and expensive.”While the 80-minute ballet has been tweaked and perfected since it was first performed in 2005, “The Block,” is one of Bearden’s most famous works: it shows Lenox Avenue between 133rd and 134th streets in a mural-sized tableau depicting scenes of urban life drawn from reality and imagination: people walking down the street, couples peering from windows.
“The Beardens had a real love for Harlem,” Mr. Rutledge said. The artist, who died in 1988 and his wife, Nanette Bearden, the founder and artistic director of the Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theater, who died in 1996, were longtime Harlem residents. After Ms. Bearden’s death her sister, Sheila Rohan, a dancer, took over the company, where Mr. Rutledge also serves as the associate artistic director.The other major centennial celebration of Bearden in Harlem is an exhibition of his work at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. “Romare Bearden: The Soul of Blackness – A Centennial Tribute” opens July 15 and is on view through Jan. 7, 2012.
By FELICIA R. LEE