The curtain opens to a dozen performers sitting on large black boxes arranged irregularly at the back of the stage.
Dressed in casual street clothes, they appear relaxed but absorbed in their own thoughts.
Suddenly one man rises and walks toward the audience.
The faces of the group turn to him as he speaks. "What is Africa to me," he says looking out over the audience.
The words are from the poem, "Heritage," by Countee Cullen, foremost lyrical poet of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s.
SF State's Department of Black Studies presented a choreopoem adaptation of the work last weekend at McKenna Theatre.
"Heritage" is an elaborate and energetic combination of music, dance and drama.
Thirty-seven performers dash through 11 fast-paced scenes -- a dizzying journey from a bustling African village to a gospel choir jamboree.
"Heritage" was conceived and directed by Phillip McGee, director of the School of Ethnic Studies, Raye Richardson, Black Studies professor and Albirda Rose, associate professor of dance.
The poem was first performed last year to celebrate the l5th anniversary of the Black Studies department.
Cullen's poem expresses the dilemma of a people deprived of knowledge of their roots and who long for the gods and culture of their ancestors, said Richardson.
"We chose this poem to adapt because we were searching for some thing exciting and purposeful -- an instrument so that students learn not only history, but positive values," she said.
The production skillfully brings the poem to life.
The scene, "Father, Son and Holy Ghost," is particularly effective.
The dancer then begins to sing with the choir and is soon indistinguishable from them.
In another scene, several dancers, all in white, perform a Haitian ritual dance called "Yanvalou".
"The dancers rhythmically move in unison until one of them falls to the ground, trembling and seemingly out of control.
The dancer is enacting possession by a spirit, said Rose.
The scene emphasized the difference in the religions of the black slaves and the slave owners.
Although possession is perceived as bad by Christians, it is considered a positive experience by those who believe in the Voudoun religion, which is commonly practiced in Haiti, Rose said.
Voudoun is a blend of different religions but primarily originated in Africa.
"War" an engrossing scene in which 12 dancers in army camouflage outfits march on stage to the song "War is Coming," written by the band named War.
Their gestures eerily imitate the sharp, mechanical movements of soldiers.
Rose said she used the song in her dance classes for a dance about opposition to nuclear war.
But the song takes on another meaning in song takes on another meaning in the choreopoem.
It seems to suggest that "'if we want to do something, we have to be of one mind" she said.
Both Rose and Richardson said they believed Cullen's poem is particularly relevant now because of the current anti-apartheid demonstrations.
"It has significant value for consciousness raising," said Rose.
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