Arlington School & Family Magazine March/April 2018 | Page 21

A Dunn Dance Treat
By Kenneth Perkins
“Peter and the Wolf” is a delightful classic, which explains why this children’s story about a young boy who manages
to capture a vicious wolf has been retold and retooled in an array of distinctive ways.
The students at Dunn Elementary recently got quite a thrill when they were treated to the “Peter and the Wolf” tale
delivered in music and dance - and by one of the area’s top dance ensembles.
Each year, the Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s cultural education arm called Encore! visits schools to perform and open
up a world many students might have never encountered. Dunn was the recipient this time, and it was an engagement
that gifted and talented lead teacher Anquinette Olowo-Ake had worked tirelessly on for a long time.
“I really wanted our students to experience this culturally.” Olowo-Ake said. “It’s not everyday you get to see the
Dallas Black Dance Theatre live like this. It’s a different kind of black history we’re seeing here.”
Encore! Artistic Director Nycole Ray was a personable presence with the students, introducing the play and its theme,
and singling out the various characters, such as the hunters, the grandfather, a duck that was eaten by the wolf, a cat
and a bird.
Students followed the story’s arcs well judging by their response, especially near the end when the hunters were about
to shoot the wolf only to be stopped by Peter who thought it would be a better idea to capture the wolf and drop him at
the zoo. A stylish victory parade followed.
After the production, Ray engaged the entire student body in a form of call and response dance choreographed right
on the spot.
Ray was teaching the students rhythm by having them clap their hands and beat and slap their hands across their chest.
At one point, they were leaning all the way to the floor. By the end of this lesson, they were, well, dancing.
“It’s all about rhythm, it’s all about being on the count and the beat,” Ray said to the students.
The event ended with the dancers performing to Michael Jackson’s “Do You Feel It?”
Ray said that DBDT Encore! has been around for nearly 20 years and often features promising students of its academy
performing a wide repertoire of modern, jazz, African, lyrical and spiritual works.
“We enjoy this, and there’s a purpose,” Ray said. “Some students are seeing dance for the very first time. We love
being that introduction.”
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