“fabulous…an ingenious idea…striking,” – New York Times
South Carolina Ballet is gearing up to bring back their one of a kind ballet- “Off the Wall and Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green.” Praised by the New York Times as “fabulous…an ingenious idea…striking,” this production vividly brings Jonathan Green’s Gullah-inspired paintings to life with captivating choreography and innovative sets. Don’t miss this exceptional event that merges visual art and dance in a breathtaking celebration of Gullah culture.
Off the Wall and Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green first performed in 2005 after Starrett and Green met at the SC Art’s Commission’s Awards ceremony. The two mutually admired each other’s work and worked together to collaborate and make Green’s paintings come to life with dance.
Green received his professional art training at the Art Institute of Chicago and has created more than 1,700 works that capture South Carolina’s Gullah culture. Internationally known for his vibrantly colorful art depicting Gullah life in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Green has said “I wanted to go back to my roots…the older people were dying, and I began to see [the Gullahs] differently. I saw them as a people with a strong link, probably the strongest link with Africa of any of the black American people. Because slaves had been torn forcibly away from Africa and were often denied access to their own history, the cultural traditions that they succeeded in passing on to future generations acquired special significance. The importance of nature, family, community, and especially spirituality, are the threads which the Gullah culture contribute to the tapestry of our modern-day lives. It is this harmonious union of cultural traditions and deep spirituality which William Starrett translates into the art of ballet in Off the Wall and Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green.
Starrett has created vignettes from 22 of Green’s paintings and explores the themes of family, faith, hope and love. He incorporates Green’s rich, vibrant colors onto the stage through eye-popping backdrops and scrims, over 150 hand sewn costumes, an array of music that combines traditional work songs, gospel music, Motown, classical and jazz, as well as a live choir. The choreography brings it all together as the company’s dancers depict the cultural heritage of the
Gullah and Geechee communities depicted in Green’s paintings. The production features singer, Regina Skeeter in the Role of Bessie Mae.