Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Presents Martha Redbone and Step Afrika!

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will begin its 2016-2017 World Music & Dance Series in Oct. with two special one-night-only performances. Martha Redbone's "Bone Hill: The Concert" will kick off the season on Oct. 8, followed by Step Afrika!'s "The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence" on Oct. 29. Tickets start at $19 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in person at the Ordway ticket office.

In Martha Redbone's "Bone Hill: The Concert," 12 musical cast members become the characters from four generations of a family living high atop the Appalachian Mountains. Inspired by Martha Redbone's own life and the lives of the women from whom she is descended, the stories of the Bone family are told in a communal narrative style interspersed with dramatic scenes. The performance is driven by the music, which ranges from traditional Cherokee chants and lullabies to bluegrass, gospel, R&B and funk.

Founded in 1994, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the art of stepping and ranks as one of the top ten African American dance companies in the United States. In their new production, "The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence," the company celebrates the African-American artist and his series of paintings, "The Migration of the Negro," which chronicled the mass movement of African Americans from the South to the North in the 1920s. Using stepping, South African gumboot and traditional West African dance, Step Afrika! brings Lawrence's iconic paintings to life. This new piece was co-commissioned by the Ordway.

"Like many of the shows this season, these performances will explore what it means to be an American," said DaynA Martinez, artistic director of World Music & Dance. "Martha Redbone and Step Afrika! dive into the history of their roots in these performances, whether the stories are as personal as the Bone family or as large-scale as The Great Migration. But, they also explore universal ideas of family and identity that connect us all. They are excellent artists, and I am very happy that they will be kicking off our new season of world music and dance."

The Ordway's World Music & Dance Series is sponsored by Target. For tickets and more information, visit www.ordway.org.

ABOUT THE ORDWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Ordway is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading nonprofit performing arts centers and Saint Paul's most elegant and inviting performance space. The Ordway's Music Theater and Concert Hall attract diverse audiences with an array of productions showcasing the finest in American musical theater, world music, dance and vocal performance. Education and community engagement are integral to the Ordway's mission, with major initiatives including the annual Flint Hills International Children's Festival and Ordway Education programs that serve more than 50,000 students annually. Together with Minnesota Opera, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and The Schubert Club, the Ordway is a member of the Arts Partnership and serves as the principal venue for their performances. For more information, visit www.ordway.org.

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