Camille A Brown & Dancers, Mr TOL E RAnce

“Mr. TOL E. RAncE had it all – heart, mind, soul, passion, full-out dancing and introspective solos…Add high production values and a gifted cast, who gave it their all, and you have one heck of a show.”  THE HERALD SUN

Inspired by Mel Watkins’ book, “On The Real Side: From Slavery to Chris Rock”, Spike Lee’s controversial movie, “Bamboozled”, and Dave Chappelle’s “dancing vs. shuffling” analogy,  this evening-length dance theater work celebrates African-American humor, examines “the mask” of survival and the “double consciousness” (W.E.B. DuBois) of the black performer throughout history and the stereotypical role dominating current popular Black culture.

Through comedy, animation, theater, soul-stirring live music by Scott Patterson and poignantly retrospective dance, Mr. TOL E. RAncE speaks to the issue of tolerance – how much Black performers had to tolerate – and addresses the forms of modern-day minstrelsy we tolerate today. It is not a history lesson. Blending and contrasting the contemporary with the historic, the goal of this personal work is to engage, provoke, and move the conversation of race forward in a timely dialogue about where we have been, where we are and where might go.

Centennial Hall, 7:30 pm. Tickets