PlayhouseSquare and Oberlin College Present WHY I HAD TO DANCE

The PlayhouseSquare Community Engagement & Education Department and Oberlin College Department of Theater & Dance are set to present the premiere of the choreopoem "Why I Had to Dance," written by Ntozake Shange and choreographed and directed by Dianne McIntyre, in February. These two respected institutions have been collaborating for nearly a year to make this one-of-a-kind premiere a reality.

"PlayhouseSquare and Oberlin College are perfectly suited for this collaboration," said David S. Goodman, vice chair of The PlayhouseSquare Board of Trustees Community Engagement & Education Committee and an alumnus of Oberlin College. "The combination of Oberlin's excellence in the performing arts with PlayhouseSquare's world-class performance facilities is formidable, and the two institutions share a passion for arts education."

The "Why I Had to Dance" project actually started in 2007 when barrier-breaking poet, playwright and novelist Ntozake Shange gave dance artist Dianne McIntyre a task – to develop her poem into a compelling dance-theater work. McIntyre spent some time working on the piece at PlayhouseSquare in 2010 and it was seen in previews in May of that year.

"This is a 'dream' process. The kind you hear and read about writers and choreographers having support to do with a creative team and envying them," explained McIntyre. "The Launch program at PlayhouseSquare is the only initiative I know of in this region of the country that could have given me the chance to try out some ideas of putting Ntozake Shange's poem into action. Not only was I given ideal rehearsal space, theater space, time and a budget for a creative team and performers for a brief period, I also got direct feedback from the audience discussions. The audience comments have guided the shape of the piece for this premiere."

She went on to say, "In late 2010 when I mentioned the project to Oberlin's president, he immediately expressed interest and then offered to help produce the work. Oberlin's support with masterfully styled costumes and a theatrically dynamic set, rehearsal space, crew, and designers joined with PlayhouseSquare's support to bring together every ingredient necessary to create a platform for a potentially memorable work. This unique journey is a lesson in how institutions can collaborate to bring a firm foundation to the visions of eager artists. I am honored to be in the middle of this whole festive happening and to bring Ms. Shange's inimitable work to the Northeast Ohio public."

Described by Shange as an a-historical version of her discovery of the different eras of black dance, "Why I Had to Dance" explores the connectivity of black dance from generation to generation and from region to region.

"Why I Had to Dance" premieres at Oberlin College February 9-11 and then moves to PlayhouseSquare for performances February 17 and 18. All five performances begin at 8 p.m. Each evening opens with "Unexpected Journeys," another new piece choreographed by Dianne McIntyre with Oberlin student collaborators. "Unexpected Journeys" is directed by Oberlin Associate Professor Caroline Jackson Smith.

Tickets for the February 9-11 performances at Oberlin College are $4-$8 in advance and can be purchased online at oberlin.edu, by calling 440-775-8169 or at the Central Ticket Service box office in the lobby of the Hall Auditorium on the Oberlin College campus (Monday – Friday, 12-5 p.m.).

Tickets for the February 17 and 18 performances at PlayhouseSquare are $10 and can be purchased online at playhousesquare.org, by calling 216-241-6000 or at The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office (1519 Euclid Ave.).

Ntozake Shange is best known for her Obie award winning play for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf. This seminal work had a major impact internationally on theater, women's studies, American literature and African American culture. In December 2011, Shange published a new book of essays and creative works called lost in language: or how i found my way to the arts. This volume contains the poem "Why I Had to Dance."

Dianne McIntyre, awarding-winning choreographer, has frequently collaborated with Ms. Shange. A Cleveland resident, she creates work for concert dance, theater and film. Her credits include more than 30 plays for regional theater, on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in London; Miss Evers' Boys, for which she received an Emmy nomination, and other teleVision Productions; and the film Beloved, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Disney.

The creative team also includes Dennis Dugan (lighting design), Chris Flaherty (costume design), Michael Grube (set design) and Jim Swonger (sound design). The dancers for "Why I Had to Dance" are Percy Foster, Nikki Kelly, Francine Saunders and Kenya Woods of Cleveland; Lawrence Lemon of Columbus, OH; and Brittany Monachino of Rochester, NY. Bill Ransom of Cleveland is the drummer.

"Why I Had to Dance" is made possible in part by the LAUNCH artist residency program of PlayhouseSquare, designed to promote invention and innovation in performance and to foster new relationships between Northeast Ohio artists and the public. As a not-for-profit organization, PlayhouseSquare relies on charitable giving to present the LAUNCH program and similar experiences to the community. "Our donors and sponsors make it possible for us to provide this opportunity for local artists to focus on the development of a specific project and, when appropriate, to enable members of our community to engage with the project," explained Colleen Porter, vice president of community engagement and education at PlayhouseSquare.

Artists selected for the LAUNCH program receive rent-free use of space in the Idea Center at PlayhouseSquare, production subsidy and media relations and marketing support. Interested Northeast Ohio performance artists may download the LAUNCH application at playhousesquare.org/launch.

PlayhouseSquare understands its vital role as an educator in our community, and is committed to providing arts learning opportunities of the highest quality to enrich the lives of students, families, teachers and adults. PlayhouseSquare's Community Engagement & Education Department is unique in the performing arts industry for the variety of programs it offers, the partnerships it initiates and the access it provides students, educators and aspiring artists to performing arts professionals. Since its inception in 1998, the Community Engagement & Education Department has offered thousands of events, workshops, classes and more, most with minimal or no fees, to people of all ages from all areas of Northeast Ohio. The generous support of individual and corporate donors and foundations makes it all possible.

Ranked consistently among the nation's top liberal arts schools, Oberlin College is committed to rigorous academics, artistic and musical excellence, and social justice. Founded in 1833, Oberlin was the first institution of higher education in America to adopt a policy to admit students of color (1835) and the first college to award bachelor's degrees to women (1841) in a coeducational program. Oberlin's distinct history of challenging intellectual and social conventions shapes the student experience today, which fosters strong bonds among a diverse community of bright and talented students from around the world.