Ronald K. Brown’s EVIDENCE, A Dance Company returns to New Orleans for two special performances November 4 & 5
“No major choreographer has worked harder to bring spiritual awareness to the human heart than Ronald K. Brown. His dances concern our struggle to find love and connection, where compassion alone can ease the grueling physical journey of life.”
The Washington Post
The NOCCA Foundation and The New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) proudly present the return of audience favorite Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE, A Dance Company (EVIDENCE) at NOCCA on November 4th and 5th at 7:30 p.m. NOBA’s curation of vibrant, culturally significant, captivating and awe-inspiring dance offerings represent the best and brightest of what the dance world has to offer today.
New Orleans favorite EVIDENCE returns to New Orleans with a new program of dynamic works. For over 30 years, EVIDENCE has deeply moved audiences worldwide with masterfully created dances that are “richly expressive and endlessly kinetic” (The New York Times) performed by superbly articulate dancers. “No major choreographer has worked harder to bring spiritual awareness to the human heart than Ronald K. Brown. His dances concern our struggle to find love and connection, where compassion alone can ease the grueling physical journey of life” (The Washington Post). Following their sold-out performances in 2017, the company returns to New Orleans with a program of works including Brown’s latest dance, the “Equality of Night and Day,” called “a quietly stunning work of art” (The Boston Globe) that features an original score by acclaimed jazz pioneer Jason Moran, set to spoken word by Angela Davis. In the wildly popular “Grace,” originally choreographed in 1999 for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and now considered a masterpiece in the Ailey repertory, Brown sets his signature style to the music of Duke Ellington, Roy Davis Jr., Fela Kuti, Jimmy McPhail and Jennifer Holliday. “Breathtaking and life-sustaining and hopeful” boasts The Boston Globe.
TICKET INFORMATION
Single tickets for Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE are $55 and are now available for purchase by visiting www.nobadance.com or by calling the box office at 504.522.0996. Discounted tickets up to 25% off are available through subscription packages to NOBA’s Main Stage Season.
ABOUT EVIDENCE, A DANCE COMPANY
The mission of EVIDENCE is to promote understanding of the human experience in the African Diaspora through dance and storytelling and to provide sensory connections to history and tradition through music, movement and spoken word, leading deeper into issues of spirituality, community responsibility and liberation.
Based in Brooklyn, New York, EVIDENCE, A Dance Company focuses on the seamless integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. Through work, EVIDENCE provides a unique view of human struggles, tragedies and triumphs. Brown uses movement as a way to reinforce the importance of community in African American culture and to acquaint audiences with the beauty of traditional African forms and rhythms. He is an advocate for the growth of the African American dance community and is instrumental in encouraging young dancers to choreograph and to develop careers in dance.
EVIDENCE now tours to some 25 communities in the United States and abroad. The company has traveled to Cuba, Brazil, England, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa and Canada to perform, teach master classes and conduct lecture/demonstrations for individuals of all ages. EVIDENCE brings arts education and cultural connections to local communities that have historically lacked these experiences. Annually the company reaches an audience of more than 25,000.
ABOUT RONALD K. BROWN
RONALD K. BROWN (Founder/Artistic Director), raised in Brooklyn, NY, founded EVIDENCE, A Dance Company in 1985. He has worked with Mary Anthony Dance Theater, Jennifer Muller/The Works as well as other choreographers and artists. Brown has set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire, Ko-Thi Dance Company, Philadanco, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, Ballet Hispánico, TU Dance and Malpaso Dance Company.
He has collaborated with such artists as Composer/Designer Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya, the late Writer Craig G. Harris, Director Ernie McClintock’s Jazz Actors Theater, Choreographers Patricia Hoffbauer and Rokiya Kone, and Composers Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, Meshell Ndegeocello, Robert Een, Oliver Lake, Bernadette Speech, David Simons and Don Meissner.
Brown is the recipient of the 2020 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award. His other awards and recognitions include the AUDELCO Award for his choreography in Regina Taylor’s award-winning play Crowns, two Black Theater Alliance Awards, and a Fred & Adele Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography in the Tony® Award winning Broadway and national touring production of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, adapted by Suzan Lori Parks, arranged by Diedre Murray and directed by Diane Paulus.
Brown was named Def Dance Jam Workshop 2000 Mentor of the Year and has received the Doris Duke Artist Award, NYC City Center Fellowship, Scripps/ADF Award, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, United States Artists Fellowship, a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award, Dance Magazine Award and The Ailey Apex Award.
Brown is Co-Artistic Director of RestorationART Youth Arts Academy Pre-Professional Training Program / Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble and a member of Stage Directors & Choreographers Society.
ABOUT NOCCA & the NOCCA FOUNDATION
The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) is a tuition-free arts conservatory for middle and high school students. The NOCCA Foundation is NOCCA’s nonprofit partner. The Foundation oversees a range of programs that benefit NOCCA students, their teachers, and the community. For more information, please visit NOCCA.com and NOCCAFoundation.org.
ABOUT NEW ORLEANS BALLET ASSOCIATION
NOBA is the Central Gulf region’s premier presenting and service organization dedicated solely to the art of dance. NOBA’s dynamic Main Stage season annually features a diverse array of internationally acclaimed companies and artists. Each year NOBA provides concerts, classes, workshops and lectures to more than 33,000 area dance enthusiasts of all ages. In addition, NOBA’s nationally recognized, award-winning education programs provide accessible, inclusive, quality arts programs with over 5,500 tuition-free dance classes and workshops annually at up to 20 sites throughout the Greater New Orleans area.