Lipscomb’s resident dance company, Foundation Dance Theatre (FDT), will perform Elevate: Still I Rise March 8-10 at 7:30 p.m. each night in Shamblin Theatre.
Lipscomb professors Kari Smith and Leigh Anne Ervin are directing the spring concert.
“The ‘Still I Rise’ subtitle is based on one of our cornerstone pieces in the show, which is Maya Angelou reading her poem,” Smith said, adding, “and we set a beautiful piano piece underneath the spoken word poem. This piece interprets the poem, and how she was able to rise above no matter what obstacles came her way.”
The dances for this concert are choreographed to tell a story related to the theme, and styles including jazz, classical ballet, modern, tap, musical theater and hip hop are performed. The program includes “Try Everything” from the Zootopia soundtrack, as well as “My Shot” from the hit Broadway musical Hamilton.
This year, the theatre department changed the Elevate concert from two productions each year to just one production in the spring semester. Ervin said that she thinks this allows time for the pieces to come together more fully.
“With the concert this [spring] semester, we’ve been cultivating a few pieces since September,” Ervin said. “It’s been nice to have time for those pieces to breathe a bit.”
Not only have the dancers and choreographers had more time to prepare, but Ervin said she believes the ‘Still I Rise’ aspect of the show has become a relevant message for Lipscomb’s campus as well as the country.
“I think Angelou’s timeless poem embodies not only the vision for our concert, but also a hopeful vision for your country,” Ervin said.
“Though we’re still fighting the racial, social and political prejudices Angelou discusses, the heartbeat of this country is in those words, ‘Still I Rise.’ Throughout the concert, we see pieces that involve the same struggles, determination, joy, frustrations and beauty found in Angelou’s poem.”
Photo courtesy of Sarah Johnson