Sacred Sunday - Celebrating Juneteenth - A Journey with Harriett Tubman - from Ghana to Canada - with Sylvia Buck-Bryant
Date: June 18, 2023-
Location: On Line - 7:00 pm EDT (do check local time!)
The Sacred Dance Guild continues to host “Sacred Sundays”, online gatherings to be “Socially Present” while “Physically Distant” because we can – no longer because we must! These live from our living room sessions, started at the beginning of the pandemic, are free, informal, intimate and interactive and are open to ALL!
To register for this session send an email to pres@sacreddanceguild.org with “Sacred Sunday – Juneteenth” in the subject line.
On Sunday, June 18th, the Sacred Dance Guild is honored to kick off (with dance!) the Juneteenth celebrations that will be happening the next day on June 19th! A federal holiday in the United States (since 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law ) commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining “June” and “nineteenth”, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order, issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas.[7] Originating in Galveston, Juneteenth has since been observed annually in various parts of the United States, often broadly celebrating African-American culture.
We are delighted to have SDG dancer Sylvia B. Bryant and author of “Dancing the Spirituals… An Amazing Grace”, her daughter Shanta Gyan, her son-in-law Albert Gyan (from Ghana) and Reynauld Smith (descendant of ancestors from Galveston, Texas) (and a few other SDG dancers!) leading us in a dancing journey sharing the story of Harriet Tubman and the underground railway through words, music, movement and dance! JOIN US for this special 1.5 hour Sacred Sunday experience!
Sylvia Buck Bryant is an accomplished dancer, teacher, and choreographer specializing in Sacred and Contemporary dance. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Tuskegee University and a master of science degree from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Bryant attended the American Dance Festival at the Connecticut College of Dance in New London, Connecticut where she was introduced to and studied with Martha Graham, Rod Rogers, Jose Limon, and Charles Weidman, all pioneers of contemporary dance. She also attended the American Dance Festival which is now located at Duke University in Durham, NC. Bryant also studied with the Alvin Ailey American Theater, George Faison and Margaret Fisk Taylor-Doane, who put sacred dance on the map. In addition to choreographing, teaching and performing liturgical dance in churches ministered by her husband, the late Reverend Fletcher Juan Bryant, for over 30 years, Mrs. Bryant directed the dance programs at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has performed in numerous professional venues in New York, Baltimore, and London. One of the highlights of her dance career was being invited to dance at Wesley Chapel in London, England. Her first published book of sacred dance, Dancing Through The Christian Calendar (Cokesbury, 1996) established her position as a pre-eminent liturgical choreographer. In 2013 she was invited to participate in a community piece choreographed by Ronald K. Brown, of EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, at BRIC House in Brooklyn. That same year, she traveled to Nairobi, Kenya where she was a guest artist in a tribute performance for Dr. Maya Angelou at the Paa Ya Paa Arts Center, founded by Phillida and Elimo Njau. Another Highlight Dance Experience: In March 2017 Bryant was invited by the Sacred Dance Guild, Dancing on Waves of Grace with other dancers from the USA. We were honored to have been invited to England to share our love of dance in teaching a masterclass and participating in a concert of Sacred Dance…..what a wonderful sharing of experiences through dance. For more information and to find out about Sylvia’s latest book “Dancing the Spirituals… An Amazing Grace” visit her website at Sylvia B. Bryant – Dancing the Spirituals… An Amazing GraceThe Sacred Dance Guild is blessed to have Sylvia, Shanta, Albert and Reynauld gifting their presence with us leading this Sacred Sunday session. We are grateful for those who lead us on these journeys of discovery as we dance on waves of grace together.