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nonprofit By Susan M. Bynam Photography by Amitava Sarkar
New York Has alviN aileY...
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York, founded by a young African-American male in 1958, elicits chills with their unexpected performances.
HoustoN Has urbaN souls!
Urban Souls Dance Company (“USDC”) in Houston, a nonprofit, performing arts organization founded by a young African-American male in 2005, is another.
Urban SoUlS Dance company Where Social art SpeakS loUD anD clear
THEATER PERFORMANCES OFTEN ELICIT ROUTINE EXPECTATIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE: MUFFLED VOICES AND CONVERSATIONS NEAR AND FAR ARE SUDDENLY SILENCED BY THE DIMMING OF HOUSE LIGHTS. AND, WHEN THE CURTAIN RISES, PERFORMANCE SCENES TEND TO CUSTOMARILY MOVE FORWARD ACCORDING TO THE PLAYBILL IN HAND. YET, EVERY NOW AND THEN, AUDIENCES ARE BLESSED BY PERFORMING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE THE EXTRAORDINARY GIFT OF EXPLORING THE PLAYBILL STORY ON STAGE, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY MESMERIZING AUDIENCES WITH HIGHLY RARE, PASSIONATE WORKS CHOREOGRAPHED BY WONDROUS, CREATIVE VISIONARIES – WORKS THAT ARE SO SOCIALLY AND VISUALLY APPEALING THAT WITH EVERY CURTAIN CALL THE AUDIENCE SHOULD REALLY EXPECT...THE TOTALLY UNEXPECTED. Urban Souls’ mission is to passionately tell real life stories and convey thoughts concerning societal issues, while wowing audiences with a wide spectrum of multicultural works that are fully capable of influencing all ethnicities. Harrison Guy (“Harry”), the 34-year-old creative genius and founding artistic director of Urban Souls, understands the connectivity of inspiration and resilience through the art of dance (kudos to his grandmother Vivian Guy for instilling strength and determination at an early age elevating his gift of creative movement to greater heights). A native of La Marque, Texas, Harry studied dance at Prairie View A&M University, where he later served as an artist in residence and adjunct professor. Harry also received full dance scholarships to Energy Source Dance in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center. Harry has worked with a host of notable dance choreographers (Troy Powell, Milton Myers and Tracy Inman, to name a few) and with the Dallas Black Dance Company, ODC Dance Company (San Francisco), Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (Chicago) and The Ailey School’s Summer Sizzler, which has largely contributed to his craft of captivating audiences throughout the world with his inimitable works of passion and beauty. Harry debuted his brainchild, Urban Souls Dance Company, at the Dance Houston Festival in 2004, performing his signature solo, “Makes Me Wanna Holla” – which takes an in-depth examination of the heart of an incarcerated man. Per Harry, “I always knew I wanted to start a dance company; the Dance Houston Festival was the ideal platform to introduce the Urban Souls brand. We have since evolved to a solid company of 14 strong, extremely talented dancers. We’re not just dancing to enter-
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tain, but to educate everyone. ‘Scarlet Situation’ examines the HIV epidemic in the African-American community; ‘Across the Waters,’ heralded as one of our most notable works, chronicles genocide in Rwanda. Community outreach is also vital to USDC. Recently, we partnered with The Imani School of Houston and TSU-WALIPP Preparatory Academy, where we engaged students in communication through dance. It is my hope that we can continue to be the voice of societal issues and stories told and untold through the art of dance.” And, behind this resilient nonprofit is general business manager Walter Hull (also one of the core USDC dancers) and an impressive, 15-member board of directors led by board president Carolyn Codwell. Hull recalls, “When Harry and I met, we were both teaching dance in our respective communities. I transitioned from Louisiana to Houston to become a part of his amazing artistic vision of bringing social art to the masses. USDC continues to be a major blessing in my life.” Per Codwell, “USDC is dance for everyone; I am hopeful that in just a few short years, USDC will become an international touring company.”
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Houston, don’t miss the USDC’s next performance, “Playlist” on Saturday, June 18, 2011, 8pm, at the Morris Cultural Arts Center at Houston Baptist University! For tickets and more information about USDC, visit www.urbansouls.org.