FROM THE DESK of Executive Director of T. Lang Dance: Atlanta, GA - On Saturday, April 19th the High Museum of Art will present Spelman College Dance Performance and Choreography's newest course Performance Repertory directly after Oasis , the High’s signature program that has been designed to promote mental well-being. Atlanta choreographer and Artistic Director of T. Lang has intentionally crafted courses throughout her tenure that nurture local to global partnerships, enriching institutions, students and communities' understanding towards the rigorous creative intellectual depths of dance making with her alternative approaches to collaborative research methods. Throughout the spring semester, Lang, who is also an Associate Professor of Dance and inaugural chair at Spelman College’s Dance Performance & Choreography department, launched a new course with newly minted venue partnerships and performances. First, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra February's I Love Music - Valentine's Day Concert followed by Alliance Theater's new drama from Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright Zora Howard, BUST. The surrealistic meditative work for caring and protecting kin folk. The students reconfigured excerpts from T. Lang Dance repertory Thighs of Thunder for its rendition at ASO proscenium stage having the Orchestra play Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture for the 9 minutes choreographed section. Later, students reconfigured TLD's repertory in communication to BUST's content. This 20 minute migratory work traveled floor to floor in elevators while placing the audience in prominent to off distance viewing. Sounds of harrowing misunderstandings/ understanding sounds from police stops, depending on how your ear was tuned, were the backdrop along with Nas’ If I Ruled the world. As the semester comes to their culminating performances, the performance repertory course will dance for the last time reconfiguring TLD’s repertory in a 40-minute site activation at the High Museum of Art. Witness Spelman College dance majors take Atlanta on a movement at 2:00pm till 3:00pm on the 3rd floor after the Oasis program concludes. Oasis is one of the High Museum’s signature programs with faith, spiritual, contemplative lecture conversations centered on the works of art and the ways it invites deeper reflection into their contemplative practice. Spelman dance majors will be wearing TLD’s latest prototype and collaboration with GA Tech Power Lab’s biometric costume during this performance. The costume inspiration stems from research on seraphims and their intense love and radiance. Come and witness a movement to see how Spelman Dance has uniquely and covertly telling Atlanta ways for loving Blackness. Event Details: Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025 Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (following the Oasis program) Location: The High Museum of Art, 3rd Floor Admission: https://high.org/event/oasis-april/ (fb)

EBONY FASHION FAIR has been my guiding light when asked to create movement performance art for fashion! When I was a girl, my Mother, who celebrated her 50th anniversary as a member of Delta Sigma Theta, would always have me and my sister usher Mrs. Johnson's shows in Chicago! We would arrive EARLY to watch the production team set up, and the models come in bare face and FLY. The organized chaos thrilled me! I studied the director every year, watching her conduct the energy and gather everyone while under pressure - never breaking a sweat. Watching the models rehearse their strides.... ohh la la! Their glides and sunter AND STUNTS. AND the men.... whew!!!!! EBONY's presentations were spectacular. After the shows, my sister and I would race backstage and wait by the door to ask for the models autographs. Each one would sign and blow kisses to us, saying a delicate"thank you," not knowing or perhaps knowing how thankful we were to have witnessed this representation. THEN... we always make Mom, and our Godmother wait longer because we just had to see Mrs. Johnson leave with her swarm of security around her. Her high cheekbones were EVERYTHING in person. I am so thankful my Mother gave us these opportunities every year in our formative years to witness this genius... I had no idea how it would inform me in my career, yet I knew somehow it was Divinely ordered. Thank you to Mairig Fesshaye, house of @eukono for allowing me to do her movement direction for her Paris Fashion Week debut. We Made Art and you made my little girl dreams come true. ❤️ (fb)