Choreographer Camille Brown is in Miami to promote her new program. On Thursday, she hosted a demonstration and discussion at Miami Dade College North Campus.
Brown previewed an excerpt from her show “Black Girl: Linguistic Play,” which addresses the identity of a black woman in American culture. It uses the rhythmic play of double-dutch, stepping, tap, ring shout and other African-American social dances.
Brown, with her lifelong friend and company member Catherine Foster, demonstrated a dance game called the gigolo.
“Show me how you gigolo; say show me how you gigolo.” Brown and Foster stomp their feet and clap their hands. “My feet are high, my feet are low and this is how I gigolo!”
Their duet seems natural and playful. It seems as if they are dancing off of the other’s energy with no specified choreography involved. They smile, laugh and talk to each other.
At the end of the demonstration, Brown and Foster take questions from the audience. Both women accentuate that it’s OK to be yourself.
“It’s great to celebrate sisterhood, celebrate being a woman and celebrate being black,” Foster says.
The performance will be this Saturday (Feb.20) at 8 p.m. at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium.
