Tonight, Moving in the Spirit dance school will host a public screening of “Five Stories,” a 40-minute documentary tracing the first Black dance studios in Atlanta.
The short film was created by Shoccara Marcus and Tamara Irving, two Atlanta-born Black women dancers-turned-filmmakers. It chronicles the origins and struggles of five trailblazers of Black dance in Atlanta: Valjeanne Grigsby, Barbara Sullivan, Billie Gaither, Norma Bell Mitchell and Spelman College’s Children Dance Program.
The story documents their individual efforts to provide creative environments for Black youth to train and develop as performers. Along with narration from Marcus, it is told visually with vintage photos, newspaper tear sheets, archival footage and home movies, with lush orchestral musical for audio background.
The film indicates that segregation prevented Black youth from studying and training at dance schools led by white dance instructors. In interviews the dance schools’ alumni and its instructors’ children share how they developed notable talent, taught various styles of dance and provided representation.
“The dance studios were the only safe spaces for Black dancers to learn from our ‘dancestors’ to get every style in. The students, daughters and sons are the ones now educating and giving back,” Irving said.
Grigsby began teaching ballet, jazz, modern and African dance to children from local elementary schools in her home in 1957. In the late 1960s, Spelman College professor Mozel Spriggs formed the Children’s Dance Program, which offered open classes to community youth at the Atlanta University Center women’s school.
Credit: Spelman College
Credit: Spelman College
Rae Ransom Coleman, dance director at Westlake High School, trained and taught at Spelman’s now-defunct Children’s Dance Program in the 1980s. She said being trained by dancers from the Atlanta Hawks and Alvin Ailey Dance Company inspired her to join dance teams for the Hawks and New Jersey Nets as an adult.
“It removed any doubt I had in myself, so it made me believe I could achieve it,” Coleman, 43, said.
Eshe Light, Gaither’s daughter and dancer for hip-hop group Arrested Development, shares memories in the documentary of her mother organizing Gaither School of Dance at East Point First United Mallalieu Methodist Church. She would later operate from a brick-and-mortar location near Greenbriar Mall, where she incorporated breakdance in the 1980s and trained a young CeeLo Green in tap and jazz.
Norma’s Academy for Fine Arts was founded by Mitchell on Campbellton Road in 1972. Her goal was to expose kids to all areas of the performing arts. A biology professor at Morris Brown College, Mitchell self-funded the school
Djana Bell, Michell’s daughter, took over as artistic director following her mother’s death in 1985. Norma’s is the longest-running Black-owned dance studio in Atlanta.
Sullivan created Atlanta Dance Theatre in the Butler Street YMCA’s recreational area before relocating to Auburn Avenue.
Credit: Dance Stories ATL
Credit: Dance Stories ATL
Bell, Marcus’ childhood dance teacher, says Mitchell was passionate about her students learning physical technique and having an extensive dance vocabulary. She used dance terminology in class whenever she led demonstrations or wanted the students to make certain moves and steps.
“She wanted them to have a great foundation as dancers, so she would never say ‘Bend your knees.’ Instead, she would say ‘Plie,’” Bell said.
Atlanta-born choreographer Travis Payne was a student at Norma’s Academy who went on to work with late entertainer Michael Jackson’s final tour. Bell says Mitchell’s support gave Payne the confidence to pursue his dream of becoming an award-winning professional dancer.
“She often took him home from rehearsal and paid his way into competitions because she knew he would become a force to be reckoned with,” Bell said.
“Five Stories” originated when Marcus and Irving were dancers in a production of “Black Nativity” in 2017. Offstage they regularly heard oral histories from their mentors and instructors about Atlanta’s Black dance history. Four years later, the ladies used Facebook posts to gather content for their idea.
“We would talk about our dance parents, or our pioneers, and ask who their teachers were. We would sit at the feet of our dance teachers, hear stories about so many names that we couldn’t find on Google or at the library, and decided we would tell this story,” Marcus said.
In January 2022, Irving, a former dance teacher at North Atlanta High School, and Marcus, received a grant from Arts and Entertainment Atlanta to fund their project. They formed Dance Stories ATL, a production company that specializes in telling stories that recognize Black dance history in Atlanta.
The pair took seven months to make “Five Stories.” As they conducted interviews and research, Irving says she and Marcus noticed the interviewees knew the same people, regardless of where they trained. “Atlanta is extremely connected,” Irving said.
In July 2022, Irving says she and Marcus premiered “Five Stories” to an intimate audience at Underground Atlanta.
Marcus called the evening a beautiful dance family reunion.
“We got to meet more of our elders that know more of the history. Some of the people hadn’t seen each other in years. People were in tears, asking questions, and even asked to join our team,” she said.
Since the initial screening, “Five Stories” has added workshops and lesson plans for educators, addressing identity, tradition, empowerment, community, resilience and social justice in dance. Dance Stories ATL also plans to create a digital timeline of Black dance studios and their history in Atlanta.
While additional screenings of the documentary are not currently planned, Marcus notes that they hope to schedule future public showings. She says she hopes aspiring dancers will appreciate the groundwork Black dance pioneers created for them after viewing “Five Stories.”
“This is our love letter back to the community that’s going to live beyond us and educate the next generation of dance,” Marcus said.
7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4. 1458 LaFrance Street NE, Atlanta. 404-624-5295. https://movinginthespirit.org
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