Tag Archives: Katherine Dunham

TRAJAL HARRELL — PORCA MISERIA

Much missed in town since his Twenty Looks or Paris Is Burning at the Judson Church brought down the house at Redcat several years ago, Trajal Harrell presents PORCA MISERIA, a new trio of dance works focussed on the social environments of three female icons—Medea, Maggie (from Tennessee WilliamsCat on a Hot Tin Roof), and a legend of American dance: The Deathbed of Katherine Dunham.

MAGGIE THE CAT recently premiered at the Manchester International Festival, and all three sections will play at art and dance spaces over the next two years. Manchester photographs courtesy and © Tristram Kenton.

STORMY WEATHER

The magnitude of talent on display in STORMY WEATHER (1943, directed by Andrew L. Stone) is such that it might be possible to overlook—for the 78-minute running time of the film—the cringe-making hoops Hollywood put black stars through during its so-called “Golden Age.” (See Spike Lee’s explosive satire Bamboozled, from 2000.)

Ostensibly a breezy, fictionalized biopic of dancing great Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (starring Bojangles himself), the film features signature performances by Lena Horne and the Nicholas Brothers. (Fred Astaire called their “Jumpin’ Jive” number the greatest thing he had ever seen). Fats WallerCab Calloway and his orchestra, Katherine Dunham and her troupe, and Ada Brown are also on the bill.

STORMY WEATHER, Tuesday, September 12, at 1 pm.

BING THEATER, LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.

lacma.org/event/stormy-weather

Black and white photographs, from top:

Lena Horne and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson; Horne singing the title song; Robinson, Horne, and Cab Calloway.

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