Cleo Parker Robinson Dance presents a delightful trip around the world of dance, song and story
Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum is a musical and dance extravaganza that takes you around the world to celebrate the love, joy, light and rituals that have been practiced by the ancestors and passed down for generations. The show is a mix of dance, music, spoken word and seasonal celebrations from around the world from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, continuing a 32-year holiday tradition.
We first meet Granny, played by Margarita Taylor, on the magical Island of Karamazaam as she’s preparing for a visit from her young, wide-eyed and curious grandchildren. These are Nakia (Samiyah Lynnice) and Tisean (Melvin Sutton). Like most grandmothers, she’s looking forward to sharing her life and experiences with her grandkids, and the community, as she has for years during the winter holiday season.
But with this visit, Granny’s age is showing, and her grandkids can tell her memory of these wonderful times, special feelings and life lessons is fading. As they say, “her butterfly wings are growing dull.” These diminished memories mean that Nakia and Tisean could miss out on hearing about the traditions, wisdom, rituals and love for others that Granny intends to pass down and live on through her lineage.
We then meet Granny’s spiritual team, consisting of three spirits collectively known as The Angels of the Rainbow. These include Shakti, Granny’s Guardian Angel; Cantadora the Dreamweaver; and Griot the Storyteller. These three recognize the significance of Granny’s matriarchal role in the family and community and strike up a plan to bring those special memories back. The spirits aim to amplify her energy and keep the threads that connect us through storytelling alive. The Angels of the Rainbow know the best way to brighten this butterfly’s wings is through music and dance!
The action onstage is accompanied by a large projector screen that shows nature scenes and is flanked by two vibrant banners. This all provides a clean backdrop for the well-curated and boldly colored costumes and allows the music and dance to set the scene for each destination and cultural celebration.
When Granny revisits the Native American Winter Solstice, the animal costumes are simple, but their movements are lively, dramatic and punctuated by the beat. The dancers mimic animals in the wild and transport you to the Southwest. A trip across the Pacific to celebrate the Japanese New Year is made real as the performers move in unison to bring a whiskered, colorful, scaley and rather long dragon to life. In every story and destination, the stage is simple but the dance moves are big, with music that’s bold and high energy.
As Granny revisits her past, her memories and feelings return, and she connects with Nakia and Tisean through stories music and dance. As with all stories with deep roots, there are good and bad parts — and both must be told so that we can learn and do better.
During the Winter Solstice segment, Granny praised the strength and wisdom of Native Americans while recognizing the profound hardships that colonization had on these indigenous people. When celebrating the joy and emphasis on family and community of Kwanza, Granny acknowledges the resilience of African Americans. She talks about the chains and bondage that Black people in America were forced into and the pain it caused. This pain is reflected through a ballet performed by the very talented ensemble.
The celebration also highlights how great innovation and creativity bloomed from the pain, hardships and struggles. Tap dancing became a thing when Black slaves and poor Irish people gathered and held dance battles — where the different cultures collided to create a new and wholly American dance form. Nakia and Tisean tap dance to an original beat while Granny recalls her time in New York when tap dance was fresh and new in the north.
Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum presents a lot of learning opportunities about different cultures and what inspired their practiced holiday rituals. A beautiful ballet dance over gentle music tells the story of how bringing greenery into the home during winter originated in the Nordic land and is still practiced all over the world today.
After seeing Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum for the first time, I totally understand why this show has been featured as a holiday must-see for more than three decades in Denver. I thought it was amazing! It gave me all the feels and had so much soul and diversity to it. It celebrates the different traditions and rituals around the world that bring us all joy during this time of the year.
The performances wonderfully illustrate how we should do what brings us joy no matter our race, size or age. The message is to just dance to spur a memory, find connection and to tell a story. There’s still one more weekend to catch Granny, and I’d strongly recommend making it part of your own family’s annual holiday tradition.
Leave A Comment