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Stage
An educational extravaganza
By JOHN FLEMING
Published August 3, 2006
"I always had a passion for dancing, for the arts," says Leonard Mardis, a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Army who also is a dancer, choreographer and founder of United Nations of Dance. A 28-member troupe of singers, dancers and actors, it will perform Mardis' A Passage Through Time this weekend in the Murray Studio Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall. The show covers African-American history by beginning in Africa and encompassing the poetry of Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes; historical material about Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.; music from spirituals to Motown to hip-hop; and a section inspired by Alvin Ailey. "It is a huge educational program. It is a very spiritual program. And it is a very diversified program with singing, dancing and acting," Mardis says. Mardis, 39, who has appeared in The Chocolate Nutcracker at Ruth Eckerd Hall, has been in the service for 21 years, including a year in Iraq, and his show opens with a tribute to veterans. He has performed and choreographed for the U.S. Army Soldiers Show and teaches at Judy's Dance Academy in Brandon. A Passage Through Time will be performed at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday. $20. (727) 791-7400; www.rutheckerdhall.com. - JOHN FLEMING, Times performing arts critic
[Last modified August 2, 2006, 09:43:20]
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