One of the four 2014 Joyce Awards will go to Camille A. Brown, a clarinetist turned award-winning choreographer and New York-based dance maker, and DANCECleveland, a Knight Arts grantee. 

That’s nothing to pooh pooh. The award is given annually, DANCECleveland officials say, by the Joyce Foundation in Chicago to recognize artists of color who collaborate with non-profit institutions, such as DANCECleveland. The $50,000 grants aim to strengthen cross-cultural understanding by bringing diverse audiences together.

Pam Young, executive director for DANCECleveland said this: “We are thrilled the Joyce Foundation selected our proposed project with Camille for this prestigious and generous award,” adding that the organization is “looking forward to supporting Camille as she creates a new work that we will present as part of our 60th anniversary season in 2015.”

Sixty years of presenting the best of dance and dance creators is something extraordinary in its own way, and DANCECleveland has done it. The organization makes a special effort to collaborate with Akron area dance groups and facilities, including the dance studios at The University of Akron and the large stage of E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall yearly. Widely recognized and highly regarded companies spend as much as a week in our area, using the time to create new works for themselves but also to hold master classes for area dancers – as well as perform for Akron audiences.

That kind of collaboration no doubt played into DANCECleveland winning this award with Camille A, Brown.

Camille A. Brown, choreographer. Photo from www.camilleabrown.org

For the Joyce Award, we are told that Brown will create a powerful dance and music composition with the working title “Black Girl.” As explained, the piece will depict the complexities of carving out a positive identity for African American females in urban American culture. The multimedia creation will use literary works, including writer Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” as inspiration.

Brown and her dancers, officials say, will interview communities of African American women, both young and old, in Cleveland and other parts of the country. Their struggles and triumphs will be incorporated as spoken text during the performance. Combining history and musicology with the fantastical approach of imagery, this work, officials say, will shed light on feminism, patriarchy, stereotypes and beauty.

Camille A. Brown. Photo from www.camilleabrown.org

Brown, a prolific choreographer who has achieved multiple accolades and awards for her daring works, is the artistic director of her own New York City-based company, Camille A. Brown & Dancers. Dance companies that have commissioned her work include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco, Urban Bush Women and Complexions, among others. Brown has done creative work for recent Broadway shows.