Black-owned businesses | Culture & Community | Dance | Hamden | Arts & Culture
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The stage was alive, a castle glowing in the background as lush, overgrown foliage and verdant hills surrounded it. To the sound of fast, rolling percussion, dozens of dancers rose from the ground and snapped into motion, their arms and legs in time with the music. They leapt, legs flying, and seemed superhuman. They spun, revealing a second group of dancers dressed in red, and then extended their arms as if to say hello. It seemed, in that moment, that nothing could stop them.
Welcome “The Kingdom of Kindness,” an original performance from Tia Russell Dance Studio that debuted June 28 at the John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). Set to an original score, script and choreography from Tia Russell Brockington, the recital embraced the different forms that kindness can take, from strength and peace to relationship building to being in community. It comes just months after the studio made the move to Hamden earlier this year.
“I constantly remind them [dancers, students] when they show up on stage smiling and bringing joy, they have the power to shift the atmosphere of those watching them,” said TRDS co-founder Russell Brockington, who launched the studio with her husband, James Brockington, in 2013.
“I also hope they learn to be leaders and not be unkind to others simply because everyone else is,” she continued. “Being kind is not corny. I hope they realize we need to spread more of it and take responsibility in doing so.”
Written to encompass the different ways that kindness can show up in the world, the performance included six original songs written by Brockington, costumes designed by TRDS, and enough numbers to nod to the dozens of classes that TRDS offers out of its Marne Street hub. True to the studio’s history of innovation, it came together in just three months.
Along the way, Russell Brockington folded several characters into her benevolent kingdom, including Bunny (11-year-old Amelia Joseph), Turtle (8-year-old Nina Moore), Rico the Raccoon (14-year-old Zena Baker), Beaux (11-year-old Londyn Brockington), Queen (16-year-old Aaliyah Jones), and Mortamar the dragon (Madison James, who is 17).
In the finished show, Beaux is a student who is learning the importance of kindness and the power of empathy. Throughout the story, the other characters—Turtle, Bunny, and Rico the Raccoon—guide her through lessons about friendship and teach her the values of kindness. The characters are in a kingdom ruled by the Queen, as Mortamar the dragon assumes the villain role. Russell Brockington said it was inspired in part by Londyn herself, who she is lucky enough to call her daughter.
“You were scared of them and they just wanted to be our friends?” Beaux says to her fellow characters between numbers. “Kindness is everywhere.”
At a tech rehearsal the Thursday before opening, creativity and dedication took flight as dancers between 18 months and over 18 years old took the stage, ready to blend ballet, tap, African, acro, lyrical, jazz and modern. Russell Brockington sat in front of the stage, continuing to instruct and direct as dancers came out for one number after another.
As Mortamar the Dragon invaded the stage with their accomplices, the dancers stepped out in red leotards and tap shoes. The sound of a Jay- Z mashup flooded the auditorium as the faces of the dancers changed to a fierce and intentional stare, and their feet struck against the stage floor, tapping with a smooth yet fiery stomp. At center stage, James appeared in a full-body bedazzled red costume. The dancers were strong and focused for each step, while still embodying a sort of glide in each movement they took.
Dancers were just getting started. “Go Ms. Kenya, yeah Ms. Kenya!” yelled young voices from the crowd at another point, as the adult class took the stage. Entering with masquerade masks and canes as props, the adult class danced in unison, a mysterious vibe accompanying them. The crowd—mostly fellow students, and some dedicated family members—cheered excitedly as they lifted each other in the air.
Much like the characters in “The Kingdom of Kindness,” the members of TRDS cheered each other on through each routine that hit the stage. Even sweeter, the dancers found inspiration and comfort in one another, as the younger dancers got to see some of their own instructors take the stage after them.
“Most of the teachers at some point were my students along my 25-plus year journey,” Russell Brockington said. “That is the culture that we cultivate here, so early on, we train them to be able to work with students and we put them where they best fit. Our students love it and they are always so excited to see their teachers dance on stage.”
Each dance was a new joy, uniquely portraying the beauty of the community at TRDS. Numbers drenched in ballet—which all students have to take as a foundation—showed dancers’ ability to be delicate and elegant, all of them gliding across the stage as if they were weightless. As a contrast, the same dancers came out moments later in tap shoes, moving rhythmically and with fire each time their shoe reached the stage.
With the use of smoke machines, projected fantasy backgrounds, and mood-changing stage lighting, the performance encompassed every type of the show set out to tackle. It depicted the learning process in friendships, coming of age lessons, and the power of approaching people with compassion even when it may seem difficult. Together, members of the studio were able to create a production full of love, respect, and variety that engaged the audience and highlighted their originality.
Or as Beaux says toward the end of the show, “We all just want to be loved properly.”
“Overall that is what makes TRDS unique,” Russell Brockington said. “Our productions are never predictable. We mix genres throughout the show so the audience never knows what to expect, with 63 different classes it keeps the show interesting.”
“By the end, everyone was able to understand the story line and take away the power of kindness to apply it in their everyday lives, not just the children,” she added. “Plus they have a soundtrack in which they can listen to for as long as they desire.”
The EP “Beaux Imagines: The Kingdom of Kindness” is now out on all streaming platforms. Watch clips from the performance here.