Several themes that emerged during the Democratic National Convention — freedom, joy, and hope — are also strongly represented in a new production by The New Renaissance LLC at the Southern Theater, “Ancestors Rising: Ascension.”
Review: Joe Davis’ ‘Ancestors Rising: Ascension’ seeks freedom with a beat
The Afro-futuristic multimedia production keeps its hopeful message lighthearted.
For the Minnesota Star Tribune
August 23, 2024 at 9:54PM
With theater, dance, live music, rap and elaborate costumes fusing African and Western fashion, the production is framed around the concept of Afro-futurism, with the central characters journeying through time and space as they seek self-realization.
Poet and performer Joe Davis, who recently released his third book of poetry, “Unearthing Us,” and holds a master’s in Theology of the Arts from Luther Seminary, leads the production as not only the main character but several supporting characters as well. Jah Davis, Joe Davis’ alter ego, encounters Jah Supreme and Lil’ Juicy, who appear as videos on a projected screen and are also portrayed by Davis.
In one dramatic moment, Davis fights with Juicy in a highly stylized dance-fight choreographed by Cecil Neal. The live version of Davis fights with the on-screen version of Juicy in a fight that starts out with the two characters throwing blows at each other and becomes increasingly more dance-like as time goes on. Eventually, the two characters seem to be dancing rather than fighting at all in highly gestural choreography.
Davis begins the journey with Oracle, played by Fazayah Rose Augusta. Augusta begins the show dressed in a diaphanous off-white gown, her face shielded by veils topped with a point hat. Her main movements come from her fingers, which dance intricately, and her many rings glittering in the stage lights.
In a dialogue between Oracle and Davis, the characters reveal they’ve time-traveled many times together, and Davis becomes jealous that Oracle is overly interested in a different version of himself existing on a different timeline. His jealousy disrupts time somehow, and the two become separated.
What follows is Davis’ journey to find Oracle and get to the highest timeline, “where me and my people are finally free,” he says. Along the way, he encounters a series of characters that challenge his character, as he pushes through to find actualization.
It’s a fairly simplistic plot, yet Davis brings his charismatic presence and vulnerability to his role(s), and Augusta adds a dose of humor. Meanwhile, a terrific live band led by bassist/band director Nii Mensah, and some impressive rapping, singing and a tad bit of breaking by the ensemble members help keep the show entertaining.
‘Ancestors Rising: Ascension’
When: 7 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 4 p.m. Sun.
Where: The Southern Theater, 1420 S. Washington Av., Mpls.
Tickets: $10-$35, southerntheater.org
The 10-foot-tall work, inspired by sculptures by two other Native American artists, emerged from a Minneapolis studio with a radical mission: “There’s a lot of healing happening here.”
