DANCE

Bronx-based quartet Universes returns to DiverseWorks with their latest work, Ameriville, a bilingual, multimedia exploration that takes a look at what it means to be an American in the post 9/11 world with heart, impassioned dance and incandescent harmonies.

Universes is a National / International ensemble Company of multi-disciplined writers and performers who fuse Poetry, Theater, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Politics, Down Home Blues and Spanish Boleros to create moving, challenging and entertaining theatrical works.The Bronx-based quartet of Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz, Gamal Abdel Chasten and Ninja have created their own brand of high-energy performance, rooted in hip-hop but drawing on a global multitude of lyrical and musical influences and performance styles.

Ameriville follows in the groundbreaking footsteps of Universes' Slanguage, which the New York Times called "a work of heart and soul that distills the essence of the city." Ameriville is a cross-disciplinary, bi-lingual, multimedia exploration of what it means to be an American in the post-9/11 world of terror-level codes, the 'misinformation superhighway,' and media-fed xenophobia.

Universes' unique brand of fushion theater gives new insight and urgency to the national re-examination of values, purpose, and ideals in the wake of 9/11 and in the midst of the so-called "war on terror." Inspired by the panic induced by the 1939 Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast, Ameriville maneuvers through contemporary issues including censorship, patriotism, the Katrina disaster, and the narrowing divide between church and state to expose "a disrobed Lady Liberty as she lies in the arms of mass media and technology, no longer sure of her own beliefs."

Plus, we will be doing a Q & A after the performances. Learn how Ameriville was created and how Universes has redefined Hip-Hop Theater for over a decade.

This project is made possible in party support from the NPN Performance Residency Program, National Performance Network (NPN) Community Fund, and Target.

For more information or to reserve tickets, go to www.diverseworks.org  or call 713-223-8346. Thursdays are PAY WHAT YOU WANT PRICES ($10 recommended) and Fridays & Saturdays are $20 General/ $10 Members & Students

Video of Ameriville at the Humana Festival (1 min, 7 sec)
http://vimeo.com/5646640

Video of Universes talking about their new work, Ameriville.(2 min,49 sec)
http://vimeo.com/5587279

Thanks to our sponsors: KUHF (88.7 FM), Saint Arnold Brewing Company, and Whole Foods.