Monday, March 01, 1999
'A Mighty Spirit' fills theater with joy
BY CECELIA D. JOHNSON
Enquirer Contributor
It was indeed A Mighty Spirit that filled the Procter and Gamble Hall of the Aronoff Center on Sunday evening. That spirit inspired song, dance, instrument and spoken word in a joyful celebration of the fine arts from a multicultural perspective.
For nearly three hours, the audience was enlightened, entertained and inspired by national and local talents in a diverse expression of praise to the higher power that fuels the presented artistry.
Presented by Cincinnati's Baroque Vocal Ensemble, “A Mighty Spirit” flowed seamlessly with few breaks in continuity, thanks to the smooth narration provided by Jerome Manigan.
An impressive array of performances included dance selections by the community-based youth troupe JOY Zingers, who did an interpretation of the creation; a maturely choreographed selection by the ballet division of the School for Creative and Performing Arts entitled “Voyages;” and two selections by the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company that were praise dances to the music of gospel rebel Kirk Franklin.
Musical performances were just as varied, beginning with the impassioned tenor of gospel singer Larnelle intoning “A Mighty Spirit” to fill the theater. The unique flavor of Calvin Stokes' jazz harp was a welcome addition, especially his take on “God Bless the Child.”
The choral selections offered a contrast of the mature voices of the Baroque Vocal Ensemble performing Lena McLin's “Let the People Sing,” the youthful exuberance of the Cincinnati Boychoir singing “Children, Go Where I Send Thee,”and the a cappella offering by the Kentucky State Concert Choir of “I Wanna Be Ready.” The singing trio of Close performed “Home” from the Broadway play The Wiz.
The artistic highlight of the evening was a dramatization by actor Avery Brooks, who commanded (and received) rapt attention. It was as if the audience held its collective breath as so not to miss a single nuance as Mr. Brooks caressed each word, alternating between urgency, gentleness, indignation and affirmation.
Using oratory skills that would make a cleric turn in his collar, Mr. Brooks evoked a call and response as he recited a litany of African-American heroes and sheroes, from Douglass to Wheatley, Attucks to Malcolm, Robeson to Ellington (Ralph and Duke), as the audience roared in confirmation.
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