Institute unites different art forms

The African American Arts Institute has all the components of a good musical. Singers, dancers and musicians from three troupes unite under this title and create performances unlike any other.\nComposed of the African American Dance Company, the African American Choral Ensemble and IU Soul Revue, the institute's slogan is "promoting and preserving African American Culture through performance." And with about 10 performances per semester for each group, that promotion and preservation requires a lot of work. \nEach troupe focuses on a different type of performance. The Dance Company concentrates on different forms of choreography, while the Choral Ensemble focuses on vocal music. The IU Soul Revue's performances, on the other hand, are an amalgamation of singing, instrumental music and dancing.\nTwo of the groups will show off their efforts this weekend. The IU Soul Revue will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Commons Mall in Columbus, Ind., and the Dance Company will perform at 1 p.m. Sunday at the IU Art Museum. The Choral Ensemble is preparing for the group's trip to the east coast during spring break. The ensemble will sing at venues in New York and Philidelphia. \n"We try to send a group on tour each year," said Teresa Neighbors, assistant to the institute's director. "We alternate each year because obviously it's too expensive to send every group every year. We try to send the Choral Ensemble once every four years so members get at least one chance to go on a trip."\nEach of the performing groups is a class just like any other, except these students are graded on effort and performance in front of an audience instead of on paper. They attend rehearsal instead of class and must audition before they can register.\n"They audition, and if they're accepted, they enroll in it as a course," Neighbors said.\nFor Dance Company students, the course, which meets for three hours twice a week, involves learning the dances as well as collaborating with a small group on a project to choreograph a few short pieces. Otherwise, Professor and Director Iris Rosa does most of the major choreography. \n"It's a little bit of everything," Neighbors said. "It's all original choreography and it's based on a fusion of dance styles, which includes African and Latin American dance forms, modern, jazz and contemporary. Some of the pieces are choreographed by students, some are choreographed by the director."\nSunday's performance is the last of the Art Museum's series of Arts Connections, which ties together different aspects of the arts.\n"Following their performance Dr. (Charles) Sykes, who is the director of the Institute here, will give a brief discussion on related art," Neighbors said.\nThis weekend, the Dance Company will learn from a source other than Rosa, who also teaches black dance history and a folkoric ensemble. Internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer April Berry will visit Bloomington to teach some workshops and prepare the troupe for its spring concert.\n"The dance company receives instruction and exposure about all forms of dance," Rosa said. "I personally am involved in all dance forms from ballet to ethnic -- tap, jazz, modern, hip-hop etc. Our pieces reflect experiences of the African Diaspora -- U.S., Caribbean and South America. You may see in one piece an array of dance styles."\nBut Arts Institute students don't just learn; they teach as well. Part of the Soul Revue's trip to Columbus this weekend will include a day of workshops Friday at Columbus East High School.\nThe Soul Revue class -- which meets twice a week for two hours, while the vocalists meet for an extra two hours once a week -- is made up of 18 musicians who perform R&B and soul music from the last half century.\n"We're mainly doing styles from the late '60s on up to the present, so you'll hear Earth Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan, James Brown, Kool & the Gang and D'Angelo (among others)," Professor and Director Tyron Cooper said.\nThe Soul Revue not only imitates the vocal sound of popular bands; they do the whole show.\n"They have a full band. They have horns, a full seven-piece rhythm section, guitars, everything," Neighbors said. "The performers in Revue do dance while they're singing, just like you'd see on MTV or with any popular music."\nWhile the group does some choreography, the main focus is the music.\n"Every piece is not choreographed; however, there is a focus, there is a goal to every piece," Cooper said. "Everybody does move, and everybody does move at the same time. I don't want choreography to get in the way of the actual music."\nThe African American Dance Company will perform at 1 p.m. Sunday at the IU Art Museum. Admission is free. The IU Soul Revue will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Commons Mall in Columbus, Ind. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors and can be obtained at the Commons ticket office or by calling 376-2535. For more information about the African American Arts Institute, e-mail aaai@indiana.edu, visit www.indiana.edu/~aaai or call 855-9501.