Cincinnati Evidence

February & April 2013
Number of Whoop Dee Doo artists
brought to Cincinnati: 5
Length of stay: 8 days & 12 days
Youth groups: 1
Community groups: 1
Open to community: yes
Live shows: 8
Show length: 12 minutes

Frigerator Follies
University of Cincinnati, DAAP
Cincinnati, OH
Spring Semester 2013
Youth Group: Lighthouse Youth

http://daap.uc.edu
http://www.lys.org
http://www.embajadoresperuanos.com/

For the spring semester at the UC DAAP Program, twelve students have been working alongside members of Whoop Dee Doo, a non-profit community arts organization that travels nationally to create variety shows, workshops, installations and other projects with youth groups and community members.

In PHASE ONE of this project, these students researched, sourced materials, and co-designed a large-scale live action landscape installation and set design for the performance in the UC Lecture Hall.

In PHASE TWO, the students thoroughly researched their community, presenting images and information on over 75 performers and performance groups from the Cincinnati community. We contacted and discussed the project with dozens of Cincinnati performers, and landed on our perfect match: Los Embajadores Peruanos. These Peruvian folkloric dancers were willing to take on a full collaboration, allowing twenty artists to re-construct their entire appearance and performance.

PHASE THREE involved pairing up with amazing high school students from the Lighthouse Youth Program including Ziala Danner, Jayvon Lackey, Mykeesia McCoy and Courtney Jackson. These students took on creative roles to collaborate with Whoop Dee Doo, UC students, and Los Embajadores Peruanos and made important and meaningful decisions for the outcome of the project. They practiced the important roles of stage direction, set and costume design, and the functions of moving sets and props.

Lastly, PHASE FOUR focused on our collaboration with Los Embajadores Peruanos. We learned about the history and culture of their costuming and dance, more specifically about the TUNTUNA, a dance from the Aymara Culture with strong African roots. The dancers generously worked with us to create a new performance.

All of these elements were thoughtfully tied into the theme of the installation. Our Lighthouse Youth students worked alongside college artists to sketch, design and create their final pieces.

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