DANCE UMBRELLA will present a special evening with the
New-York/Alabama-based company Wideman/Davis Dance!

The Bends of Life…Surviving, Sewing, Standing follows the triumphs and struggles of the men and women of Gees Bend, Alabama. “The Bends of Life” follows two characters from slavery to sharecropping, receiving the right to vote after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech in Gees Bend, and the creation of functional quilts by southern black women being sold as art. The piece is a testament to human courage and beauty in the face of adversity. It represents not just the women of Gees Bend but their quilting sisters across the country. Artistic Directors of WDD Thaddeus Davis and Tanya Wideman-Davis will be joined by Atlanta actor Ronald McCall to present excerpts of the work. The evening will include an open discussion on how the work was created and how the Civil Rights Movement of Alabama affected the women of Gees Bend and their quilts, as well as the tradition and history behind African American female quilters.

This presentation of Wideman/Davis Dance is one of a series of programs designed by the National Performance Network (NPN). NPN is an independent organization begun by Dance Theatre Workshop and is comprised of arts organizations in 42 cities and 27 states. NPN is made possible through major funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For further information, visit the NPN website at www.npnweb.org or write: National Performance Network, 831 Elysian Fields Ave, Box 305, New Orleans, LA 70117. Additional support for this presentation has been provided by the City of Austin and private contributions.

Advance tickets online are $7 for adults and $4 for children, students, and seniors, prices are $8 and $5, if purchased at the door.

To purchase tickets online click here

Or you can purchase them at the door. For more information call 512-450-0456.

Wideman/Davis Dance will be in residence throughout the week working on the development of the piece and taking this informal presentation to local community groups and institutions. Dance Umbrella will present the full production of The Bends of Life…. Surviving, Sewing, Standing in 2007-2008.

Seating is limited and advance tickets are suggested.

For more information contact Dance Umbrella at 450-0456.