PLAY it for ME! Cabaret To Benefit ME Dance

On March 10th, Terry and I went to a fundraiser for ME Dance at The Sovereign Dance Academy (8060 Via Dellagio Way #210 Orlando, FL).  This was the first”PLAY it for ME” Fundraising Event.

This Live Cabaret was hosted by Jeremy Collins of J Productions and Jayne Trinette. It featured live music, singing, and plenty of dancing. I dressed up in a suit and tie, but the suit came off as I started sketching. I sketched what was essentially the performers “Green Room” where they rested prior to performing.

There was a short video where Marshal Ellis talked about the goals of his new dance company.  The performer in the African garb with the drums was Veryl Jones. He and many other performers came from the Lion King show down at Disney. He didn’t speak a word when he got on stage, instead he blew a whistle to communicate. His drumming was fast paced and primal. He started walking towards me and I was afraid he wanted me to join him on stage. He coaxed a woman seated behind me onto the stage. He would play an intricate beat and wait for her response. Several other audience members were called up to make an impromptu band.

My favorite dance performance was a piece called “Young Love”, which was a last minute write in on the program. The male and female dancers, from ME Dance,performed an intricate duet celebrating youth and love. She leaped into his arms and he caught her gracefully. ME Dance also presented a sneak peak to a World Premiere work that will be performed in upcoming production of Heroes (May 3-5, 2013)