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MLK DAY EVENTS
| Dj
Spooky’s Rebirth of a Nation A Performance Work by Paul D. Miller, aka Dj Spooky Friday, January 14, 8 pm Power Center |
Lerone
Bennett, Jr. Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Hale Auditorium January 17, 1:30pm |
MLK DAY
CHILDREN & YOUTH PROGRAM MUSICAL PERFORMANCES & WORKSHOPS & PIZZA |
 D.W.
Griffith’s monumental 1915 movie Birth of a Nation is considered
both a technical masterpiece of filmmaking and a highly controversial
work due to its racist content (it was used as a recruitment film for
the Ku Klux Klan). Based on Thomas Dixon’s anti-Black play The Clansman,
the storyline exalts a white “law-and-order” United States and
is set during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. Now, more
than a century later, Paul Miller, best known under the moniker of “DJ
Spooky That Subliminal Kid” makes his UMS debut with a compelling
remix of the silent classic, combining footage from Griffith’s film
with other video imagery projected on three giant screens, including performance
footage of dance master Bill T. Jones, and a pulsating live audio mix.
DJ Spooky’s uninhibited style and intellectual approach have landed
him on the cutting edge of the hip-hop and avant-garde music world. He
has written novels and articles for major papers, has exhibited his visual
art at the Whitney Biennial and the Andy Warhol Museum, and is one of
the most popular and influential DJs on the New York circuit. |
 Lerone
Bennett Jr., executive editor of Ebony magazine for nearly 40 years, will
deliver the MLK Day lecture at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business
at the University of Michigan at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 17 in Hale Auditorium.
Bennett's talk, "Diversity in the Business Community," is free to the public. A writer and social historian, Bennett has deftly explored the history of race relations in the United States as well as the current environment in which African Americans strive for equality. His award-winning book, "Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America, 1619-1962," is a comprehensive examination of the history of African Americans in the United States and gave Bennett a reputation as a first-rate popular historian. Bennett graduated from Morehouse College in 1949 and joined Ebony in 1954 as an associate editor, following stints at Jet magazine and the Atlanta Daily World. He also has served as an adviser and consultant to several national organizations and commissions, including the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. For more information about |
Co-sponsors: School of Education Registration: For more information: Henry
Meares at |
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 Ronald
K. Brown’s 1984 solo work, Evidence, was inspired by the death of
a favorite uncle. A year later, when Brown was 19, a company of dancers
performed under the same name as a reflection of the evidence of people’s
lives. Over the past 20 years, Brown has created a movement language that
is all his own — modern dance influenced by the fast-paced rhythmic
movements of Africa. The two programs presented in this Martin Luther
King, Jr. Weekend residency showcase five different works created over
the past six years, including Grace, a work he choreographed for teh Alvin
Ailey American Dance Theater in 1999. Brown's 2003 work, Come Ye, is a
tribute to the legendary “high priestess of soul” Nine Simone,
who died last year. Inspired by her music and her legacy, the work utilizes
Brown’s signature style of kinetic storytelling through a fusion
of African, modern ballet, and social dance styles to summon warriors,
angels, and activists dedicated to the pursuit of liberation and peace
amidst the struggles of human conflict. Brown’s choreography “has
zoomed to the forefront of modern dance by virtue of its exquisitely sculpted
movement and a compelling sense that dance springs from a deep well of
spiritual urgency.” (Washington Post)Program Sunday, January 16, 6pm Monday, January 17, 8pm |
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