The immersive dance performance “Hoptown” that premieres May 19 and 20 at the Alhambra Theatre might be one of the most deeply local performances we’ve seen on a Hopkinsville stage in some time. And it might also be one of the hardest to describe — especially if, like me, you’ve never been to an immersive dance.
So, first things first.
I asked MK Abadoo, who created “Hoptown,” what makes immersive dance different from other performances.
“You [the spectators] really are kind of dropped into the experience of it instead of just watching it in front of you,” she said. “There are moments when the dance happens in the aisles. It really is an experience of feeling immersed and surrounded by the choreography and by the movement.”
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Abadoo is the artistic director of MKArts in Virginia. More importantly, for the purposes of this show, she is the daughter of Hopkinsville native Regina Bowden, a 1975 graduate of Hopkinsville High School.
Bowden’s stories of Hopkinsville and her connections to other Black women and members of her family inspired the performance.
Abadoo describes the dance as a “journey designed to mirror the path of 2017’s total solar eclipse [alongside] generations-long confidences as a guide for Black girls blooming in any place or time.”
Although many members of the family are now living in Maryland, North Carolina and Texas, they all return to Hopkinsville for a family reunion every three years. Abadoo said she considers Hopkinsville their ancestral home.
Six years ago, Bowden began telling her daughter stories she hadn’t heard up until then. The stories were tender and sometimes difficult. They were about Hopkinsville people experiencing difficult times and joy.
“It was striking to me how similar the stories were to bell hooks’ stories,” Abadoo said.
In particular, Bowden described a loving relationship with her grandparents, Clarence and Jeraline Boyd, who had a farm. It reminded Abadoo of the elders in hooks’ memoir, “Bone Black.”
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“It’s definitely something different, but it’s a very satisfying performance to watch and be a part of,” said Margaret Prim, executive director of the Pennyroyal Arts Council. “I can tell you after being in the room with this happening several times [during rehearsals], it’s very powerful.”
The arts council is a co-commissioner of “Hoptown.”
Tickets are $30 for adults, $24 for seniors and military, and $15 for students. They can be purchased online. Both shows begin at 7 p.m., and the theater will open at 6 p.m.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
