Feathers at the Flame.

MARLIES YEARBY'S MOVIN' SPIRITS DANCE THEATER TRIBECA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER DECEMBER 7-17, 1995 REVIEWED BY JULINDA LEWIS

With text by visionary writer Laurie Carlos, music by composer-performer Tiye Giraud, slides and a multi-textured set designed by visual artist Niki Davis, and choreography by Marlies Yearby, Feathers At the Flame effectively blurs the boundaries of arts disciplines, using elements that are at once abstract and true to life. At some point during the evening the hour-long performance even succeeded in quieting the nervous giggles of a group of teenagers who later offered surprisingly profound interpretations during the post-performance discussion.

Feathers at the Flame is a work in progress that explores the perceptions and boundaries of African American-Native American bloodlines. Because one of the performers is Chinese-American, there was even some tentative exploration of Asian cultural blendings. The major images and symbols include blood, raspberries, colors, foods, sacred circles, and a recurring refrain of "he said, she said."

Davis's photo collages and slides of painted hands and faces emphasize and blend African and Native American features, designs, colors, textures, and skin. Images inspired by big-eyed, thick-lipped vintage toys and stereotypical Indian chiefs are presented as a means of reclamation and transformation--emphasizing kujichagulia, the second principle of Kwanzaa that stands for self-determination, or refusing to be defined or spoken for by others. Large circles of wood, feathers, and tie-dyed fabric inspired by dream catchers and mandalas hang from the ceiling. A rainbow-colored stick representing the tree of life stands in a corner amid a collection of percussion instruments, including a mouth bow that, at one point, the instrumentalist known as Cooper-Moore picks up and begins to play enthusiastically. The dancers roam in this protected environment, whirl deep and long and low, then roll, spring up, and start again with movements strong and purposeful. A college step-team routine emphasizes African and Native American cultural influences. Wendy S. Brown stands out among the dreadlocked majority draped in African fabric. With her hair relaxed and wearing contemporary garb, she remains off to one side, neither ostracized nor excluded, aware of but not following the crowd, literally dancing to a different drummer.

In one particularly moving section that bears editing or revision, the dancers face the audience in a line and share personal stories their grandparents told them about their mixed bloodlines, the origins of their Native American features, hair, and skin tones--and succotash and grits. They interrupt each other for clarification, noting similarities. But they all talk at once, and we cannot follow any single story, and the scene is over all too soon.

Performers included company members Brown, Olase Freeman, and Brian Liem, and guest artists Giraud, Valerie Adefokun, Cooper-Moore, and Teri Cousar Shockley.