As Cleo Parker Robinson surveys a rehearsal room packed with dancers and folding chairs, her pursed lips and fierce eyes betray the intensity of her focus.
Her venerable Cleo Parker Robinson Dance ensemble has presented hundreds of programs in its 35-year history. “Breakin’ the Rules,” opening Saturday, is different. In four pieces, it pays tribute to the entire cultural history of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.
Condensing the contributions of Denver’s largest black community into a single artistic statement is an impossible task, but “Breakin’ the Rules” tackles it the way good art must: by making it personal.
“Five Points was the Harlem of the West,” said Robinson, spiritual mother to hundreds of local and national artists. This program is, in many ways, the summation of her life’s work.
Her ensemble is rehearsing Kevin Jeff’s contribution, “Church of Nations.” Robinson and Jeff, who goes by the name Iega, are fine-tuning every move. Sharp shoulder snaps change into delicate turns, the dancers reaching skyward in unison.
“I’m like a mother,” said Robinson. “I protect everything, so I can’t leave the room. I carry the child of a choreographer.”
“Church of Nations” was created in 1991 for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. It was inspired by a statement the first president Bush made before the first Gulf War and is still telling, 15 years later. Bush said he had consulted with a spiritual adviser who approved of his going to war with Iraq. Iega was haunted by the contradiction. Robinson gave him an outlet.
“I’m one of those people she saw value in,” said Iega, remembering when Robinson first asked him to choreograph the piece. “(And so) when she wanted to redo ‘Breakin’ the Rules,’ I thought it was only appropriate, because this is where it was born.”
Renowned choreographer Chester Whitmore created the title piece for “Breakin’ the Rules,” which will be backed with music from live jazz musicians. Whitmore’s sole focus is to preserve the traditions of black dance, from slave dances to swing to hip-hop.
Rounding out the menu is Donald McKayle’s 1952 piece “Nocturne” and Katherine Dunham’s “Barrelhouse Blues,” which Robinson will perform herself.
“They’re all about the history of Five Points, and the rotisserie of being in Five Points,” said Robinson, who was born and raised in the neighborhood. “I’ve been everywhere around the world several times, but every time I come back, I want to know about where I’m from.”
Robinson speaks of hard-won lessons on inclusion and integration, and the setbacks she’s encountered in the past year. There have been several family deaths – her mother died in February, her 17-year-old nephew, Ian Wallace, was killed in a high-profile car accident in December. At the same time, her company is weathering ongoing financial troubles. But her problems have only reinforced her positive spirit.
“If I wasn’t born in Five Points, with this culture I inherited, then I wouldn’t have the courage to take my company all over the world,” Robinson said. “‘Breakin’ the Rules’ isn’t about the dances in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, although (the audience) will see that. It’s about being here and now. It’s not a nostalgia thing. The only nostalgia is that the spirit still lives.”
That living spirit refers to all of Five Points’ artistic trailblazers. Among them are Robinson’s parents, who helped inspire “Breakin’ the Rules” with their fearless love during a time when biracial couples were violently opposed.
Her mother, musician Martha Rae Roberts, was white. Her father, Jonathan Parker, was black. They met in the segregated jazz clubs but never compromised their relationship, opening doors for others in the community.
Still, Robinson believes there is always work to be done.
“That’s what I felt when I grew up in Five Points: that we have a lot of healing to do, from racism, from sexism – from all the ‘isms,”‘ she said. “Dance is the vehicle. It is not the end.”
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-820-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
“Breakin’ the Rules: A Tribute to Five Points”
MODERN DANCE|Presented by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance|Kaye Schomp Theatre, 7111 Montview Blvd.|8 p.m. Saturday and April 7-8; 2 p.m. Sunday and April 9|$25-$35|Ticketswest.com or 866-464-2626
