Saturday, November 16, 2013

Tryouts, Tellabration, and Trophies



     Folks were eager to tryout to be onstage with Corey the Talented Blind Guy and LaQuita Marie for a Kwanzaa production at the Attucks Theatre.  Auditions, held on Saturday, November 9 and Wednesday, November 13, 2013 proved to be a fun challenge.  There was a special birthday girl that we treated to lunch where she and her sisters mastered chopsticks after auditions.
               "Mom, I think I'll audition to dance and sing, since I don't know how to do African acting." was another young person's commentary on the idea of auditioning for a new show. 
    Sure it's an original script to explain the Kwanzaa holiday, but I can't do "African acting" myself.

    As the boss of Atumpan, I tried to keep the judges comfortable with snacks, light conversation and the balance of cakes and fruit amongst the chips and salsa which all seemed to do the trick.   
     They hung in there for two days, judging and scoring, leaving us with a fantabulous cast for the 2013 Kwanzaa at the Attucks Theatre: 

ACTORS:
Mike M. - Kirk
Mesha B .- Janet's daughter (Dancer #3) in the opening scene, dancer, and ensemble singer
Sharon S. - JoDiCi
Alicia P. - Janet
Meredith P. - News Reporter
Sheba M. - Janet's friend (Dancer #2) in opening scene & Mother Africa

DANCERS AND/OR SINGERS:
Nikel R. - Dancer and ensemble singer
Lila R. - Dancer and Singer
Destiny H. - Dancer and ensemble singer
Harlym N. - Dancer and ensemble singer

DANCERS: 
Kideste W., Senait B., Tequila T.,  Maisha S.,  Anaiya E.,  Yanni E., Reezan N., Sequoia S.,  Aliyah P., Amber J., Brooklynn S., Christiana S.

                         OKAY, ON TO TELLABRATION! 


   Yep, the National Storytelling Network has declared the Saturday before Thanksgiving a day of stories.  We eagerly join the fun by hosting ours with Via Goode who has really good stories and really great props.  Did I mention I love her because she's normal?  Normal being superbly talented with great delivery and interesting content for all ages, but no fake smile or fluff conversation.  Exceptional, yet quite normal.
     Speaking of exceptional, Lynn Ruehlmann is just about the best when you blend a former actress with tales from her travels abroad, or folktales, or historical tales that sometimes include intriguing perks like sign language and shadow puppetry.  The lady is quite amazing.
     It all goes down at the Children's Museum in Portsmouth, VA, 221 High St. on Saturday, November 23, 2013 with performances from 11:30am - 3:30pm.


     And finally, the wonderful announcement for Atumpan African Dance is their first trophy!  One of our dance moms invited us to participate in a talent/step show at a local Boys and  Girls Club where the theme was Stomping Out Suicide.  There was standing room only to raise awareness and support for suicide prevention.  Not only did we see some of Hampton Roads finest step teams, we also had one of our most enthusiastic audiences yet.
     The folks there contributed funds to the cause and they contributed the loudest cheers for us ever. Wow!

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