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How Night Came To Be |
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| When the world was young, there was no night, no darkness. There were no night creatures, no night breezes, no moon, no stars. The daughter of Imanja, the sea goddess, longed to know humans and the world of light. With her mother's blessing, she left the underwater world of shadows... and so our story begins... Based on a Brazilian legend, with roots in both African and South American mythology, “How Night Came to Be” is a theater production with a rich mix of cultural influences (Brazilian culture has its roots in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia). This student production utilized blacklight effects to bring the night to life. In the story, a princess from the dark ocean falls in love with a prince up on the land, where it is always day and they have never known night. At first enchanted with the light, over time she grows weary from the lack of darkness, night or rest. The prince asks her: “What is this night?” Why do we need darkness, shadow and night? In this play, darkness and light are both felt and seen, as dancers golden costumes shimmer in the bright day, as blacklight creatures glow in the dark ocean and dark night, and as the prince’s faithful servants undertake a dangerous journey to bring the first darkness to the earth. The production was directed by Magical Rain Theaterworks. Students in Lou Vidmar’s art class created the props and costumes, including ocean creatures, night creatures, and a giant octopus, shark and jellyfish. Mr. Silverio Cerda, a professional dancer, choreographed and worked with students on a festive dance scene that "remixed" several dance styles (Cumbia, Native, Traditional, Hip Hop). Mr. Robert de los Santos, visual artist and drummer, trained students in African drumming to add live music to the production. The production was performed twice at Covert High School and was toured
to Lake Michigan College as part of their Martin Luther King, Jr. Diversity
Week Celebration and to an audience in Benton Harbor from the Benton Harbor
High School and the Brookview Montessori School.
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