Commonwealth Times

Media Credit: Rachel Larue Dancers and drummers perform in the lobby of the Grace Street Theater after the For Africa benefit on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2007 in Richmond, Virginia. (ct/Rachel Larue) [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Rachel Larue Dancers and drummers perform in the lobby of the Grace Street Theater after the For Africa benefit on Saturday Nov, 2, 2007 (ct/Rachel Larue) [Click to enlarge]

Richmond has a lot to be proud of after the wonderful "For Africa" benefit performances this weekend at the Grace Street Theater.

With eight different performing groups, including the African American Repertory Theatre, Danica Priest and Friends and the John B. Cary Steppers, the evening was as artistically colorful as the traditional Ghanaian garb donned by the Ezibu Muntu African Dance Company.

Titled "For Africa: A Benefit Performance and Celebration for the Children of Ghana," the benefit ran from Thursday to Saturday, selling out the last two nights and raising more than $10,000. Proceeds will go entirely to Sovereign Global Mission and its efforts to improve the high infant mortality rate and poor education that plagues Ghanaian children.

According to the program notes, "one out of every four children dies in their first year of life from easily preventable illnesses such as malaria, malnutrition, diarrhea and AIDS."

The evening opened with a riveting performance by Ezibu Muntu and its accompanying quartet of blazingly fast drummers. The dancers didn't stop moving from the second they walked on stage, to when solos were being performed by dancer to dancer, and drummer to drummer.

Njeri Jackson and Jackie Parker followed with a spoken word duet addressing issues of time, space, dancing and generations.

Danica Priest and Friends then joined senior theater major Parker on stage for a lovely rendition of The Beatles' "Two of Us." Priest and Friends played two more, one original and one Stevie Ray Vaughan song titled "Life by the Drop."

Dance department chair James Frazier presented an awesome piece of four duets, good core work, subtly striking costumes, slick tunes and unpredictable, refreshing movements.

Preceding intermission was a dramatic PowerPoint presentation that humanized the cause by showing children's faces and documented efforts of construction going on in Ghana that was directly related to the money being raised.

The second half of the concert was equally intense with another expressive dance piece that featured more emotion than technicality. Choreographed by former dance department chair and producer of the benefit, Chris Burnside, the piece featured less dancing but was highly charged with expression. The contortions of dancer Lawanda Raines were quite moving.

Theatre VCU presented excerpts from "Smokey Joe's Café," which got the most laughs from the crowd. An all-male barbershop quartet lit up the stage with its beautiful harmonies and romantic antics.

Drama followed drama when the African American Repertory Theatre hit the stage with an excerpt from "Steel Magnolias." Showing sophistication and experience, the five-woman cast displayed fine acting while extracting more laughter from the crowd.

When the lights came back on, 53 children filled the stage with their charm and delightful soft-shoe dance moves. The troupe, known as the Richmond Ballet's Minds in Motion Team XXL, did a fine Cab Calloway number called "Jumpin' Jive."

The next song featured select members of the group, called the John B. Cary Steppers. The mighty mites showed what they were made of by stomping the stage fiercely with their traditional African step moves and getting great crowd response at the end.

To close out the show, stomping onstage to the sounds of the little steppers were the Ezibu Muntu dancers.

Following the show was a procession down Harrison Street to the Scott House, where the guests enjoyed food, drink and a silent auction featuring wonderful sculptures donated from all over Africa.

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Media Credit: Rachel Larue Dancers and drummers perform in the lobby of the Grace Street Theater after the For Africa benefit on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2007 in Richmond, Virginia. (ct/Rachel Larue) [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Rachel Larue Dancers and drummers perform in the lobby of the Grace Street Theater after the For Africa benefit on Saturday Nov, 2, 2007 (ct/Rachel Larue) [Click to enlarge]

Richmond has a lot to be proud of after the wonderful "For Africa" benefit performances this weekend at the Grace Street Theater.

With eight different performing groups, including the African American Repertory Theatre, Danica Priest and Friends and the John B. Cary Steppers, the evening was as artistically colorful as the traditional Ghanaian garb donned by the Ezibu Muntu African Dance Company.

Titled "For Africa: A Benefit Performance and Celebration for the Children of Ghana," the benefit ran from Thursday to Saturday, selling out the last two nights and raising more than $10,000. Proceeds will go entirely to Sovereign Global Mission and its efforts to improve the high infant mortality rate and poor education that plagues Ghanaian children.

According to the program notes, "one out of every four children dies in their first year of life from easily preventable illnesses such as malaria, malnutrition, diarrhea and AIDS."

The evening opened with a riveting performance by Ezibu Muntu and its accompanying quartet of blazingly fast drummers. The dancers didn't stop moving from the second they walked on stage, to when solos were being performed by dancer to dancer, and drummer to drummer.

Njeri Jackson and Jackie Parker followed with a spoken word duet addressing issues of time, space, dancing and generations.

Danica Priest and Friends then joined senior theater major Parker on stage for a lovely rendition of The Beatles' "Two of Us." Priest and Friends played two more, one original and one Stevie Ray Vaughan song titled "Life by the Drop."

Dance department chair James Frazier presented an awesome piece of four duets, good core work, subtly striking costumes, slick tunes and unpredictable, refreshing movements.

Preceding intermission was a dramatic PowerPoint presentation that humanized the cause by showing children's faces and documented efforts of construction going on in Ghana that was directly related to the money being raised.

The second half of the concert was equally intense with another expressive dance piece that featured more emotion than technicality. Choreographed by former dance department chair and producer of the benefit, Chris Burnside, the piece featured less dancing but was highly charged with expression. The contortions of dancer Lawanda Raines were quite moving.

Theatre VCU presented excerpts from "Smokey Joe's Café," which got the most laughs from the crowd. An all-male barbershop quartet lit up the stage with its beautiful harmonies and romantic antics.

Drama followed drama when the African American Repertory Theatre hit the stage with an excerpt from "Steel Magnolias." Showing sophistication and experience, the five-woman cast displayed fine acting while extracting more laughter from the crowd.

When the lights came back on, 53 children filled the stage with their charm and delightful soft-shoe dance moves. The troupe, known as the Richmond Ballet's Minds in Motion Team XXL, did a fine Cab Calloway number called "Jumpin' Jive."

The next song featured select members of the group, called the John B. Cary Steppers. The mighty mites showed what they were made of by stomping the stage fiercely with their traditional African step moves and getting great crowd response at the end.

To close out the show, stomping onstage to the sounds of the little steppers were the Ezibu Muntu dancers.

Following the show was a procession down Harrison Street to the Scott House, where the guests enjoyed food, drink and a silent auction featuring wonderful sculptures donated from all over Africa.

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