1/14/2024 0 Comments Frigid father eldest soulsWith Cage, they present a delightfully synchronized version of the fable of the grasshopper and the ant. Destiny Anderson and Alissa Paris use dance to create a swirl of barely controlled passion, both as Ghanaians pouring every ounce of life force into their dance, and as hip-hoppers, whose movements are a bit more constrained in space, but equally passionate. That heart is surrounded by immensely talented performers with a range of gifts. Her stirring performance is the beating heart of the show. In this production, Cage does not "play" Khephra she is Khephra. Cage need only jut out her jaw, or narrow her eyes, or raise her arms in exultation to express a depth of feeling that would take streams of words to describe. The show is animated by Cage's enigmatic delivery of words and movement. The 50-minute piece is suitable for all ages, with enough color, movement and humor to engage youngest to eldest. Khephra: A Holiday Hip Hop Story was conceived and written as well as acted by Sha Cage in this Open Eye Figure Theatre world premiere production. The play ends with a generous, life-affirming message that certainly embraces every good thing about the holiday season. She carries this spirit to her church, transforming Christmas into a blend of sacred beliefs and personal exuberance. Through words, movement, and her inner spirit, hip hop empowers Khephra to transform her struggles into a new-found joy. Khephra trudges through this darkness and rediscovers herself through a new means of expression: hip hop. At age 15, she has become a sullen teen-ager, rolling her eyes at her mother's common sense advice. She is victimized by neighborhood bullies who use her low status as "the other" to prop up their own. The bright colors she knew are replaced by grey, the warmth by frigid air, and she must learn to live with snow. Khephra is cut off from the life she knows. When her father dies, Khephra and mother immigrate to Minnesota with her mother. She greets the audience by asking us if we have ever known joy, and if so, what is joy? For Khephra, joy is the world into which she was born, in which she is an organic part of a harmonious whole. ![]() In Khephra: A Hip Hop Holiday Story she is a young girl in Ghana, at home with the sounds, colors, smells, tastes and rhythms of her land. ![]() Sha Cage fits right in to this season of miracles, with her miraculous ability to transform herself, in body and spirit, into so many souls, from Shakespeare's Prince Hal and Lady Capulet to a traumatized drone bombardier in Grounded. Review by Arthur Dorman | Season ScheduleĪlso see Arty's review of Coco's Diary: A Christmas Gift to Remember
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