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| | Shows 1 & 2- The EVOLUTION OF GOSPEL at Tacoma School of the Arts |
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| Sales have ended for this event. Tickets may still be available at the door. |
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| Description |
 The Tacoma School of the Arts welcomes The Evolution of Gospel Music. This live musical drama is truly the most complete theatrical history of the gospel music genre that would carry a people to freedom and creative self-exploration. Witness the history, the journey, and the making of the music.
June is Black Music Month, and in recognition of the contributions of African-American musicians to the rich culture of our country and countries around the world, The Evolution of Gospel Music represents the 'root' from which diverse genres were birthed. From the shores of Africa, to the Golden Age of Gospel, and Hip-Hop Gospel, the piece provides a rich demonstration and insightful look into the forces which compelled innovative men and women to survive, leaving behind a trail of tears, joy, pain, hope, determination and inspiration, all of which established the legacy of the gospel music genre.
This series of stories woven together with memorable music, dance, spoken word, and gripping acts- creatively commemorates the men and women that contributed to this foundational music. Experience a look into the hearts and minds of those who nurtured the pain, joy, jubilation, and passion, which culminated into popular contemporary, and traditional music styles of today. The authentic and heartfelt should of the music continues to constantly refine the music, and stretch it beyond black America to the hearts of- well anyone who can feel it.
Experience the 'fire' of Lora Chiorah-Dye & Sukutai, professional Zimbabwean storytellers and master dance performers, as you journey from mother Africa, to the South- and then to freedom via slave work songs, Negro spirituals, and the melding of blues, jazz, rock, hip-hop, traditional and contemporary black gospel music. The play clearly ties historical influences of African dance, and music to the music in its present state. It opens up the imagination, of what the transition from Africa to the South was like, exploring the hidden messages, which helped the slaves, escape to freedom, and the work songs, which helped them, sustain their sanity.
In preservation of this foundational history, the story depicts the importance of the music, songs, the dances, and the culture it inspired which helped to orchestrate the survival of Black Americans. It acknowledges the lifetime contributions of influential community leaders such as Harriet Tubman- and her impact on the Negro Spiritual. Clever narration guides us through poignant moments in time, captured and woven together by a series of short acts, which peer into the lives of music pioneers such as the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Mahaila Jackson, Shirley Ceasar, and the great writer Thomas Dorsey among others. The writers of the play, Neal Jones and Darriel Menefee have an obvious knack for melding together significant moments in the history of the music, marked by social change, and personal triumphs. |
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