Traveling Land & Heart Through Music & Dance

by Rodney Veal, Artistic Director of Soul Rhythms

A local Turkish dancer is ready to take the stage
during Family Night at Ruskin School.

In planning the process and culminating performance of Soul Rhythms, I struggled with finding a common theme that would both unite the players on the stage as well as infuse the experience for audience members, bringing clarity to our vision phrase: traveling land and heart through music and dance.

I already knew that we would be embarking on a expanded journey with even more artistic partners and community partners than ever before. Artists from too many diverse backgrounds to name. I wondered: how did all of these people—truly from every corner of the globe—become part of this grand adventure? How did this happen in little old Dayton, Ohio? Then a “light bulb” moment it hit me: in the same way that they migrated from these distant lands to live and thrive, they migrated to this place and moment in time for a reason.

Fourth graders at Edison School learn
African-American stepping.

The common bond that they—and subsequently we—all share as beings on this planet is our push to seek out happiness and joy, and the physical, spiritual, and creative migrations we take to make it happen. The history of civilization on grand and minor scales is all about this pursuit on some level.

We embark upon this migration with little more than faith that the final destination will provide the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams. Reaching that destination is a cause for celebration, and this of course is what this performance is all about. The theme of migration is poignant in these uncertain times, burgeoning with possibility and a dynamic starting point for the Soul Rhythms collaboration!