Try/Step/Trip Review – The Body Speaks

Cast of Try/Step/Grip - Photo by MarKing IV Photography
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A spoken-word, multi-character musical performed through the language of step dance, TRY/STEP/TRIP is an exciting and creative use of the body to tell the story. The show is the brainchild of Dahlak Brathwaite based on his own history. TRY/STEP/TRIP is the tale of a young black man in a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program – his experiences, his connections, and other people sharing parts of that story. The net result is a blurring of the lines between hip-hop and dramatic performance into a new and unique language of music, poetry, words, and dance.  Written and composed by Dahlak Brathwaite and directed by Roberta Uno, TRY/STEP/TRIP brings this groundbreaking perspective to the Wallace Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

The Hot Seat – Photo by MarKing IV Photography

Brathwaite turns his belief about the subjugation of Black people into an American ritual: that the criminal justice system now functions as a normalized rite of passage for too many Black men. Toran X. Moore’s choreography is stunning and the dancers move in intricate patterns and create music with their hands, feet, and bodies. Orchestrations and additional composition are by Teak Underdue.

Max Udell and Jasmine Gatewood – Photo by MarKing IV Photography

TRY/STEP/TRIP is a powerful piece which will turn your belief in gravity upside down and inside out. Performers are talented and energetic, a group who know how to communicate in a commanding and exhilarating new language. Kudos to the talented performers, including Jasmine T.R. Gatewood, Freddy Ramsey, Jr., Dante Rossi, Max Udell, and special guest Isaiah Lucas. This is an electrifying show which will wend its way right into your soul. Audience Alert: This show uses strong language and references struggles with addiction.

TRY/STEP/TRIP performs from February 2 to February 5, 2023, with performances at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday (when an American Sign Language interpreter will be provided). The Lovelace Studio Theater is located at the Wallace Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

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