The American Dance Festival presents Dancing in the Light, a one-hour modern dance television program showcasing 6 historic dance compositions by African American choreographers. All of the dances were originally recorded for the Emmy Award-winning series Free to Dance, a three-hour documentary that aired on PBS in 2001 as part of the Great Performances: Dance in America series. While Free to Dance uses select excerpts from the dances to inform its narrative within a historical context, Dancing in the Light features six dances in their entirety or in the case of one work, a complete section.

AWASSA ASTRIGE/OSTRICH (1932)
Choreography by Asadata Dafora
Performed by G. D. Harris, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

BARRELHOUSE BLUES - excerpt (1938)
Choreography by Katherine Dunham
Performed by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble

STRANGE FRUIT (1943)
Choreography by Pearl Primus
Performed by Dawn Marie Watson, Philadanco

MOURNER’S BENCH (1947)
Choreography by Talley Beatty
Performed by Jerome Stigler, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

RAINBOW ‘ROUND MY SHOULDER (1959)
Choreography by Donald McKayle
Performed by Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

D-MAN IN THE WATERS - Section 1 (1989)
Choreography by Bill T. Jones
Performed by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company

A Production of The American Dance Festival in association with Thirteen/WNET New York

Producer Jodee Nimerichter, Director And Writer Madison Davis Lacy, Editor Girish Bhargava, Consultants Matthew Diamond, Gary Halvorson, Host Taye Diggs, Camera Ed Fussell, Ronnie Smith, Tom Hurwitz, Sound Recordists Peter Miller, John Zecca, Lighting Designer Alan Adelman, Executive Producer Charles L. Reinhart.