"Testimony: An Evening of Afro-Modern Choreography"

by Deni Kasrel

dance

Members of Charles O. Anderson's company, dance theatre X, are fond of referring to rehearsals for his piece, Funky Suite: Body & Soul, as Jenny Craig time. Which is to say it's a sweat-inducing weight-whittling workout. The movement meshes postmodern, West African and hip-hop dance, ballet and vogueing. It's a lively mix that Anderson claims comes naturally. I started formal dance study and clubbing at the same time, so it all blended together, he says.

That new piece appears on a bill titled Testimony: An Evening of Afro-Modern Choreography, which also features works Anderson created for Montzh Performing Arts Company, plus a duet for Kariamu Welsh Asante and Miko Doi-Smith. But the big news is the premiere of Funky Suite, which draws on themes inspired by black gay culture, in particular the concept of reconciling one's race with one's sexuality.

One of the dramatic conflicts is that you somehow have to choose which are you first, gay or black, when there really isn't a choice, and how that plays out on a day-to-day basis, Anderson explains. That inherent drama is portrayed in the abstract; still, there's no mistaking the point here, because portions of the suite are performed to text by black gay activists Joseph Beam and Essex Hemphill. Anderson comes and goes, representing a griot, or African storyteller, who conjures different ideas that are physically manifested through dtX's all-male ensemble. Such a testosterone-laden cast is a rarity in these parts -- even Anderson admits when it comes to dancers (and perhaps otherwise), men are hard to keep.

"Testimony: An Evening of Afro-Modern Choreography," Fri.-Sat. Oct. 17-18, 8 p.m., $8-$10, Conwell Dance Theater, Broad St. at Montgomery Ave., 215-204-1122.