At school, a young African-American learns to strut, dance the Harlem shake, spin a basketball on his finger, grab his crotch and overcome a bully.
Welcome to the “Booker T. Malcolm Luther Parks Academy of Absolute Blackness!” This school for street cred is the main setting for an Inlet Dance Theatre production called “The Black Card Project,” a trenchant take on African-American identity.
The show premiered in Akron in 2018. A version revised with input from professionals and students alike will be staged on Thursday, Jan. 16, at Firestone Community Learning Center for Akron and Cleveland public students, then at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, for the general public at the Akron Civic Theatre.
The show has been supported by about $40,000 in Knight Arts Challenge grants. The money backs not just the production but movement workshops and discussions about identity with Akron and Cleveland public schoolers.
In his 30 years, Moore-Dunson has defied group identity. He was a rare African-American on soccer teams at Firestone High and the University of Akron. In a recent interview, he recalled, “All I heard was, ‘You should be playing football, boy. Stop that white stuff!’”
In his teens, Moore-Dunson also dated several white girls. One brought him to her family’s Thanksgiving dinner, but the hostess wouldn’t let him inside. Last year, he married another white woman.
Among many awards, Moore-Dunson won a 2019 Cleveland Arts Prize. He spent most of the $10,000 prize on a Kia Sportage, his first new car.
“Black Card” mixes the styles of a minstrel show, an old-school Saturday morning cartoon and a 90’s black sitcom. “We’re trying to talk about the narrowing of the black experience,” Moore-Dunson said. “We thought the best structure would be narrowing in itself.”
The show’s Artie is a sheltered home-schooler sent to the academy by his mother. His lessons range from slavery to thuggery. He sheds his bowtie and suspenders for a hip-hop T-shirt and overalls.
But he gradually rebels, partly by inviting a white girl from the audience to dance with him and sip from a common cup.
As Moore-Dunson sees it, people often play up to the stereotypes imposed on them. In one discussion of the show, a biracial student said, “Every week, someone’s telling me I’m not white enough or black enough.” Her classmates lowered their heads in guilt.
Moore-Dunson said, “The show is meant to trigger topics so that family conversations can happen.” He wants youths to broaden their sense of possibilities, with social and economic benefits.
The production features original music by Akron’s Chris Cole and a recorded solo by Akron’s Jaron LeGrair. It also includes recorded segments of spirituals, pop hits, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” and more.
Tickets for the 17th’s performance cost $10 for students, $15 for seniors, $20 for the general public and $35 for VIPs, who may attend a reception afterwards. The tickets can be bought through Ticketmaster at tinyurl.com/TBCP2020.
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