Destiny Arts Premiere of 'Dreaming Awake' March 27, 2009

One of the Bay Area's most lauded and transformational youth arts programs, Destiny Arts Center in Oakland, celebrates its 20th anniversary with the world premiere of a movement/theater work created by the young artists of the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company in collaboration with Artistic Directors Sarah Crowell and Simon Hanukai entitled Dreaming Awake: excerpts from a lucid mind. The evening-length work features hip-hop dance and music, theater, spoken word, modern dance, aerial dance, video backdrop art, rap and a cast of 40 talented youth ages 6 to 18. It tells the story of a young woman who sees the often-disturbing truth beneath the surface of contemporary life and uses her vision to affect empowerment and change. A revealing take on youths' vision of the state of the world and what can be done about it. The Saturday evening, March 28, performance will feature a gala reception preceding the performance to benefit Destiny.

Artistic Director Sarah Crowell says, "Dreaming Awake begins with a story about a young woman who has powerful dreams where she is able to see below the surface of things - to essentially witness and experience the hidden truth. She sees and hears the spirits of the ancestors of the Ohlone people who were buried in sacred burial grounds under Emeryville's Bay Street Shopping Mall. She can see the truth behind the lies of the big car companies who suppressed the production and distribution of the electric car. She can see the greed of mega-companies as they participate in a system that is financially and environmentally unsustainable. She can see the injustices of the health care system through the eyes of sick people who need help but can't get it. She can see the truth about her own power as a young woman, even as it is masked in the misogyny of popular cultural all around her. However, she has spirit helpers who help restore her visions and give her the tools to make the changes she wants to see in her world."

$12-$20.

Official Website: http://www.destinyarts.org