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LUV: American Style
By R. Pikser Rennie Harris presents socially engaged dance theater, a rare occurrence these days, but all the more welcome for its very existence. In his creation of LUV: American Style, he has used younger dancers to express the problems and the capabilities of youth. To effect this, he uses not only hip-hop, the current expression of African dance forms, but films, projections, cartooning, and lighting design to make one, whole, and very intense experience. His theme is the dangers of life in America for African American youth, even as they negotiate the usual adolescent turmoil of growing up, emotional ups and downs, and sex. Upon entering the theater, the audience was greeted by a screen with a text giving figures on arrest and incarceration rates for African American youth and how these youth are more likely than whites to end up in the criminal system for minor infractions and then end up in the adult prison system. As the audience was getting settled, a police officer with a nightstick circulated, conversing with the odd audience member. Suddenly, he became aggressive with a man seated in the first row taking a video and put him out of the theater. This police officer then reappeared on stage and delivered a spoken word monolog in which he told us that he, too, used to dance and how he remembered all the old moves. Then we met the young folks.
The youngsters danced in groups. There were tensions and flirtations. One standout, who turns out to be a central figure in the story, is the eternal truant, always in trouble with the police officer, who tries to arrest him for truancy even on a Sunday. The truant’s friend, taller and more relaxed, has trouble getting a date, or even a phone number from the girl he likes. Then there is the school bully who, with his gang, is constantly beating up on the truant to get money from him. And behind, around, and during all of these events there is the group, but not just one group. Dr. Harris almost never has just one thing happening on stage. There are rounds. There is counterpoint. There is slow movement in between displays of virtuosity. The complexity is dazzling, and it all focuses around telling the story. Dr. Harris’ many awards and honorary degrees are well-merited.
After the bully beats him up and robs him, the truant goes to the police officer for help and is arrested. Then his tall friend is seized and arrested. Then everyone is arrested, and the scene moves to the jail with its tensions and dangers, where we meet the would-be videographer again, this time as a jailhouse mentor. In this story, everything all turns out well. There is even a final monologue that ties up the loose ends and that even explains how the bully is really only insecure and in need of love. Audience members who know the reality surrounding Black youth will be on the edges of their seats. The Amith Chandrashakar’s lighting design is bright when we should be happy or need to see some startling acrobatics, but switches to dramatic washes of the stage with gradations of one color at a time that corresponds to the changing moods of the story. Though the women are competent, some excellent, they work mostly in a group. It is the men who are showcased, and they live up to the demands placed upon them. Each one moves with a slightly different style, or has a particular movement style at which he excels, but all have breathtaking grace. They make you want to dance, too. The acrobatics are there, but are interwoven into the larger structure. One more plus is the outstanding comic timing of the man playing the eternal truant. This is not a show to see once, or even twice. It is something to return to again and again. LUV: American-Style is directed by Dr. Rennie Harris and features dancers Jenay Anolin, Davion Brown, Joshua Culbreath, Katia Cruz, Richard Evans, Brandyn S. Harris, Mai Le Ho Johnson, Rodney Mason, Joshua Polk, Andrew Ramsey, Neha Sharma, Samantha Shepherd, Shafeek Westbrook and Raphael Xavier. The company is managed and directed by Rodney Hill. Raphael Xavier also serves as artistic director and Crystal Frazier serves as assistant artistic director while Amith Chandrashakar is the technical supervisor, lighting designer and production manager. Rennie Harris RHAW 
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