Sharing Our Legacy Dance Theatre Performs for Realizing the Dream 2019


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Photos by Charlee Lyu
By Ashley Cunigan
CCBP Student Program Assistant

Sharing Our Legacy Dance Theatre (SOL) is a performing group of undergraduate and graduate students that uses interdisciplinary art to bring powerful stories from the past to audiences of all ages. These students from the University of Delaware traveled to Tuscaloosa to perform and hold student workshops at Hillcrest High School Sept. 13 and 14. This event was part of the Realizing the Dream series, which also includes a concert, a legacy banquet and a lecture series.

Hillcrest High School students involved in band, choir, theatre or art were welcomed to the event. Tina Turley, executive producer of Theatre Tuscaloosa, greeted the audience, and in opening remarks asserted that the “arts are transformative and bring quality of life to our community.” The SOL Dance Theatre was able to educate students on racial history through a story told about Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first African-American woman newspaper editor in North America.

“We want to focus on the stories of people who we haven’t heard of and showcase them through performance,” said Rachel Mariah DeLauder, SOL dancer. The story of Mary Ann Shadd Cary, who was born in 1823 in Wilmington, Delaware, was told through choreography that depicted her transformation in becoming a strong woman advocating for equal rights.

Dominic Yeager, director of Arts Management and associate professor in The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance, expressed his gratitude to the performers. “The arts promote joy, peace, and unity,” said Yeager. “This is what we teach and mentor in our program.” Yeager also encouraged high school seniors to apply to UA and audition for the program.

Students at Hillcrest High School expressed their thoughts about the performance with the dancers in an interactive workshop. Dr. Lynnette Young Overby, artistic director for SOL, discussed how members conducted research about Cary’s life and how she has made an impact on African-American history. The SOL continues to collaborate with guest choreographers, composers and educational organizations to further enhance their productions.

The Realizing the Dream Committee is comprised of Stillman College, Shelton State Community College, the Tuscaloosa Southern Christian Leadership Conference and The University of Alabama.