}
art
Documenting his environment
From his early days in a street gang, Dan Williams wanted to be an art teacher. He made good on his dream and now uses his talent and experience to document the African-American culture.
Photos by Irene Lanier KANSAN
Dan Williams (above left) speaks with Marion Dyer, Otisfield, Maine graduate student (above right) about his photography.
Dan Williams is this semester's Langston Hughes visiting professor. He regularly teaches at Ohio University.
Ross Mackert, Lawrence senior (left), looks at Williams' photographs with James Stinson Tula, Oka-,ola, senior (right) in the art gallery of the Art and Design building.
By Kris Belden
Kansan staff writer
an Williams was involuntarily drafted into a Brooklyn, N.Y. street gang during his early teens. Dubbed "professor" by his fellow gang members, Williams was interested in the books and had big dreams. These dreams got him off the streets.
"I set goals for myself," he said. "By the
alone. I always wanted to be an art teacher and I became one."
Williams took these experiences and others from his youth in Brooklyn and incorporated them into his social documentary photography of African-American culture.
"You photograph your environment," he said.
"Your work comes from what is experienced."
Williams photographs different aspects of the African-American culture in the format of social commentary.
About 60 of his documentary photographs are on exhibit through Oct. 16 in the Art and Design building gallery.
Williams, 50, is this semester's Langston Hughes visiting professor in fine arts photography and African studies at KU. He regularly teaches at Ohio University.
Williams exhibits his work as part of his professorship. He also teaches two classes, one African studies film class about African-Americans in the media and one advanced photography class for the School of Fine Arts.
For several years, Williams has traveled throughout the United States photographing a tradition celebrating African-American emancipation, Juneteenth Day celebrations. News of the January 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation did not reach some of the states until the "teen" days in June. Works from this photographic project are exhibited.
Williams also exhibits work from three other projects: His Black Biker series; Black Motions, a commentary about race-oriented paraphernalia used to degrade African Americans; and works from his signage project, a series of works about signs in different city neighborhoods.
Williams said that he had not had the chance to work on any of his projects in Lawrence yet, but that
Story continued Page 6.
dance
KU dancers link everyday life to performance of 'Street Moves'
By Michelle Betts
Kansan features writer
ressed in colored T-shirts, black leggings and tennis shoes with winthes in the laces, dancers from the KU department of music and dance performed for Lawrence's Harvest of Arts festival Saturday.
The 17 dancers were the third event in the Harvest of Ars parade Saturday morning. The parade began at Seventh and Massachusetts Park
The dancers formed lines and moved down the street in a group; one dancer led the group as they performed a dance choreographed by the leader. As one舞 ended, a new group came from the group of dancers and started a new combination.
streets and ended at South Parl
Steve Keeton, Riverton sophomore, said the dancers had practiced for two weeks.
After the dancers finished their 12-block parade performance, they moved to the atrium of the Riverfront Plaza shopping mall. The dancers performed a dance called "Street Moves," which was choreographed for a group of KU舞 students in 1984.
The different dances included combinations in classical ballet, jazz and modern dance.
"We performed as part of an improvisation class," he said. "We've been practicing our dances in class."
Joan Stone, instructor in dance at KU, choreographed the dance. She described it as a environmental dance experimenting with the concept of movement in day-to-day life.
"Dance must have some link to everyday life," she said.
"Dancers become distant and isolated in periods when
The dance began as the dancers walked into the atrium from outside. They walked quickly around the atrium,
From the shoppers eating or walking through the mall came comments such as "What is this?" and "What is going on?"
stopping after a few steps to turn and look at a passer-by or another dancer.
The dance involved no music, only commands from dancers. Suddenly, one dancer gave the command "stop." All the dancers froze, and one dancer did pirouettes and arabesques around the statue-like performers.
The command "go" was given, and the dancers began to move again. They formed a line at the public telephone and stood, looking at their watches, fixing their hair and dying their hair. They moved from the line and performed a modern dance combination.
It wasn't until the dancers' movements evolved that the spectators' expressions became less confused.
A dancer gave the command "speed up," and the dancers began running across the atrium, dodging each other. Most passers-by steered clear of the rushing dancers.
The dance ended when the groups performed their dance steps posed.
The command "change" was given, and the dancers yelled "baller," "jazz," or "modern" and ran to three groups
Eight of the 17 dancers performed "Street Moves" at Liberty Hall Saturday as a prelude to the matinee dance pro-
The dancers began the dance on the sidewalk in front of Liberty Hall, and moved inside to the lobby and finished the dance in three groups performing ballet, jazz and modern on stage.
Stone said contrast of dancing inside and outside was important to "Street Moves."
Paul Kotz / Special to the KANSAn
"Moving the dance from the sidewalk to the theater really shows the relationship between dance movement and everyday life," she said.
Tamara Shive, Wichita sophomore, performs "Street Moves" with other dancers from the KU department of music and dance.
OCTOBER 6,1992
PAGE 5
KU Can'tons
People and places at the University of Kansas.
calendar
Exhibitions
Spencer Museum of Art
864-4710
Hours: Closed Monday; 8
a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday - Satur
day; noon - 5 p.m. Sunday.
An Exhibit of American Indian Flutes. Ends Oct 25
Keith Haring Prints, Williams Burroughs text.
Ends Oct. 11.
An Exhibit of Navajo Textiles. Ends Oct. 25
KU Museum of Natural History 864-4540
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday; 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Saturday; Closed Sunday.
An exhibit of "Milestones: The University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, 1866-1922." End March 14, 1993
KU Museum of Anthropology
KU Museum of Anthropology
Hours; 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday; 1-5
p.m. Sunday
The Fourth Annual Indian Arts Show: A Juried Competition, Ends Oct. 25
Watkins Community Museum
Calendar continued Page 6.