Presented at the University of California, Irvine, February 2005.
About 1992 I had heard a soundtrack from the movie Dingo, that starred and had a soundtrack by Miles Davis. The plot involved a jazz musician who visited the outback, befriended a young musician, and then meeting the musician years later in life when Miles was musically blocked.
The soundtrack gave me a wonderful idea for a story about how the spirit of jazz and African culture has been raided and stripped by our dominant American culture.
The piece was 30 minutes long, and detailed the capture of the Spirit, its assimilation into American society (jazz), its fight against the corruption of the American capitalist systems, and its eventual triumph and escape. The piece was a remarkable experience, for me, the performers, and the audience.
I would never have had the courage to attempt this piece without the firm encouragement of UCI Professor and Choreographer, Donald McKayle.
