On a bright and crisp Wednesday morning, Yu Ming students walked several blocks to the Oakland Museum of California for a special performance by the Savage Jazz Dance Company in honor of Black History Month. All of the dancers were students — some of them not so much older than our own — from the Oakland School for the Arts (OSA). OSA is a charter school for 6-12th grade students interested in creative and performing arts, located in downtown Oakland’s historic Fox Theater.
Reggie Savage, director of the company and chair of OSA’s dance department, introduced the performers to the audience by stressing the importance of education. All of the dancers maintain a 3.0 grade point average or higher. “They don’t have mortgages or car payments — all they have is their GPA!”
The first few performances were danced by the high school students, who were impressively skilled, energetic, and well rehearsed. One number, “Lights on the Bayou,” was a spiritual-themed tribute to Hurricane Katrina, choreographed by a former student. Another piece was accompanied by music composed by Wayne Shorter for Miles Davis.
The second half of the show came from the similarly talented middle school students. Each performance was captivating, and many mesmerized Yu Ming faces were observed in the audience….
The closing number, called “Pied Piper,” was danced by the entire company and set to the music of jazz saxophonist Chico Freeman.
Following the performance, the dancers sat down to take questions from the audience about what inspired them, how they had become so skilled, and how their dance was connected to Black History Month.
- Contributed by Yu Ming parent Randolph Belle (dad to Daria in the Panda class)
- Special thanks to Yu Ming parent Mimi Tsang, mom to Otis in the Monkey class, for organizing this field trip!
Help Support Yu Ming Charter School
