Hip-Hop Dance Duo 'The Wondertwins' to Perform at Eastern
Willimantic, CT (09/17/2019) — Boston-based hip-hop dance sensation The Wonderntwins will perform "Black" at Eastern Connecticut State University on Sept. 25. The evening of art and activism will kick off with a reception at 4:30 p.m. in Eastern's Fine Arts Instrctional Center Lobby followed by the performance at 5:30 p.m. in the Prosenium Theatre.
The event is free and open to the public, and presented by Eastern's Performing Arts Department and the University of Saint Joseph's Autorino Center for the Arts.
"Black" is the newest piece from hip-hop dance duo The Wondertwins, Billy and Bobby McClain. The identical twins who grew up in Massachusetts started their dance careers performing for family members at the tender age of 6 years old and have been performing ever since. By age 10, they were asked to join Boston's first professional street dance crew, The Funk Affects. During their seven years with the dance company, they opened for some of the most well-known names in hip-hop, including KRS One, Run DMC and LL Cool J.
After parting ways with The Funk Affects, the McClain brothers formed "Wondertwins." Since then, they have toured the globe, showcasing their distinctive style. The former Alvin Ailey Theatre executive director, Judith Jamison, has described their approach to dance as "absolutely beautiful, strong, powerful and electric…made for Broadway."
"Black" explores the traumatizing effects of police violence toward the black community by incorporating dance with historical and contemporary audio and video clips. A post-show dialogue, facilitated by Everyday Democracy and the Connecticut Collaborative on Poverty, Criminal Justice and Race will follow the performance.
This presentation is made possible in partnership with the University Of Saint Joseph's Autorino Center For The Arts, Eastern's Office of Equity & Diversity and the Windham/Willimantic Branch of the NAACP. For more information, contact the Box Office at (860) 465-5123 or theatreboxoffice@easternct.edu, or visit easternct.edu/performingarts/theatre.
Written by Sheila RuJoub
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving 5,200 students annually at its Willimantic campus and satellite locations. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 29 other states and 20 other countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 30 public universities in the North Region by U.S. News and World Report in its 2019 Best College ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review nine years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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