Coming to the Center for the Arts this March, is a full-length multidisciplinary work showcasing the Lindy Hop, a swing dance style born in 1930s Harlem that has since exploded into a vibrant, international community. Created and directed by critically-acclaimed Caleb Teicher, SW!NG OUT includes an ensemble of spectacular Lindy Hop champions, including , a native of Richmond, Virginia.
Recently Barnes has been featured in the public eye, most notably as a 2021 鈥淏reak Out Star鈥 according to . This is only one of the many awards and recognitions she鈥檚 received, another of which includes 2021 Bessie Award for 鈥Outstanding Performer: Sustained Achievement.鈥 Recently featured on NPR鈥檚 , Barnes expands on her family history, roots in dance, and activism regarding Black lives. Barnes has not only been featured in writing all over the United States, but she鈥檚 made television debuts as well, including her most recent appearance on the . The Center for the Arts is excited for such an inspirational woman like LaTasha Barnes to visit our stage alongside the full company of SW!NG OUT.
As an , SW!NG OUT company members will engage with local swing dance groups, area students, and community members to share the history of swing and Lindy Hop鈥攁nd get dancing too!
On March 15, members of the听SW!NG OUT company will join at the Josephine Butler Parks Center in Washington, D.C. for an evening of live music and energetic dance. During the day on March 16 company members will conduct an in-person dance lesson at Hunters Woods Elementary School. Then that evening Teicher will be a featured as part of an Artists-In-Conversation event for the , diving into conversation surrounding the making of SW!NG OUT and Mason鈥檚 Artist-in-Residence program. The following evening on March 17, SW!NG OUT and the Hylton Performing Arts Center鈥檚 team together for a interested in swing.
After a wonderful collection of community activities, SW!NG OUT finishes its time with its highly anticipated performance at the Center for the Arts on March 19. and don鈥檛 miss your chance to get swinging too! 听
Enjoy this sneak peek of the SW!NG OUT company performing at the Joyce Theater in New York City last fall.
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