Southern DanceWorksSouthern DanceWorks4-6pm, August 24, 2024 at City Walk BHAM Amphitheater, FREE public event
“Lurks Behind, ” a captivating new dance performance deeply rooted in the rich history of Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods. Under the leadership of Germaul Barnes and with the collaboration of the dancers of the Lurks Behind project, Southern DanceWorks will present a culminating performance of their exploration at the City Walk.
For the first edition’s full program, please see Lurks Behind Program August 2025
Thank you to those who joined us for delicious hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, silent auction, and an impromptu performance or two from our dancers! Your attendance at the Sweet Essentials Benefit directly shaped the future of local dance! Every contribution helped us pay competitive wages to Southern DanceWorks’ talented artists in our 2025 season, supported our educational programs, Parkinson’s Classes, the next Lurks Behind project, and the return of Birmingham’s favorite, Tiny Danz—our Artist Mentor Program.
Master of Ceremony: The remarkable Viola Ratcliffe led us through this extraordinary evening.
SDWx Dancers: We were inspired by the beautiful artistry of Zoey Jenkins and Daniel E. Hernandez as they performed with passion and grace.
Guest Performances: We thank the dynamic Atlanta Dance Connection and captivating musical performances by Natalie Wu (Cello) and Myla Enclarde (Violin) and the innovative sounds of Against the Quo.
Honoring: We were privileged to honor Jackie Lockhart and Teri Weksler for their outstanding contributions and enduring influence in our dance community.
Visual Artist Yogi Dada art 4 Humanity generously pledged 30% of all proceeds from her printed artwork sales to support SDWx throughout November. Her art was also available for purchase at the benefit event.
Southern DanceWorks presented Lurks Behind, a captivating new dance performance deeply rooted in the rich history of Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods. This production marks the beginning of a three-year project aimed at celebrating and exploring the diverse stories of the local community.
Lurks Behind featured the innovative “Heart Workshops: Talking and Moving,” where participants engage in discussions and express their movements on pressing issues such as food insecurity, home ownership, and community pride. These workshops, held throughout Birmingham, invited residents and workers to share their personal stories and experiences. Their gestures shaped the choreography, their words inspired the lyrics, and their images transformed the stage, making the community an integral part of the performance.
Dedicated to the voices and movements of the participants, Lurks Behind underscored the importance of community engagement and the transformative power of art in addressing social issues. The performance took place at the City Walk BHAM Amphitheater, a vibrant, multi-use space that is the heart of the I-59/20 Central Business District. City Walk BHAM is a connector of community and history as it touches the city’s Fountain Heights, Druid Hills, and City Central neighborhoods.
Southern DanceWorks invited everyone to join in celebrating the spirit and resilience of Birmingham’s communities through this evocative performance.
Collaborators
Choreographer: Germaul Barnes, in collaboration with dancers
Music Director: Definitive Productions
Composer: DJ GAP
Videographer: Kevin Key, Moon Men DJs LLC.
Costumes: G-Strings Collections
Dancers: Eryn Cade, Allison Campbell, Daniel Enrique, Ciara Martin, Cedrick Scruggs, Nicholas Thacker
in partnership with UAB Arts in Medicine, Spring 2024</p Movement for Parkinson’s is designed to help those with Parkinson’s develop coordination, strength, balance and confidence in moving their bodies. SDW teaching artists emphasize artistry combined with physical movement to bring joy to those with movement challenges. While created with Parkinson’s Disease in mind, all senior adults and caregivers are encouraged to attend!
The spring session ran through April 11, 2024 and met every Tuesday and Thursday at The Dance Foundation, 1712 27th Ct. S. in Homewood. Contact Lauren Edwards at laurenme@uab.edu with questions.
SDW wants to give a HUGE shoutout to the entire team at Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center for their excellent partnership in giving dancers from our dance community the opportunity to take classes on February 17, 2024 with company members (Mr. Solomon Dumas & Ms. Alisha Peek) from the legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. A HUGE shoutout also goes to Therese Laeger at The Dance Foundation for allowing us to use their beautiful large studio spaces for the classes. Last, but not least THANKS to our SDW Artistic Director Germaul Barnes for making this huge endeavor possible. WE ARE GRATEFUL!!!!!
Susan Hefner hosted a salon with pianist Gordon Beeferman, dancer Germaul Barnes, performer Lady Freedom, dancer Rachael Inman, musician LaDonna Smith, and visual artist Celeste Pfau. The performance begin at 7:00 pm at 1600 15th Ave S on Birmingham’s Southside.
Germaul Barnes performed his tour-du-force solo “When the Brook Meets the River.”
Germaul Barnes was a guest teacher for this curated series of dance classes for all levels in Memphis, TN and hosted by International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD).
Dance classes were $20 (USD) per class for IABD Members and $25 (USD) per class for the general public.
Dancing into Success: Careers on the Stage & Beyond
Alabama School of Fine Arts Lecture Hall
Germaul Barnes was one of the panelists for this comprehensive discussion of the valuable hard and soft skills dancers develop throughout their training. We delved into how these skills can support dancers in pursuing professional careers both within the dance field and beyond. Our aim is to empower dancers by helping them recognize and leverage these skills as “superpowers” that can contribute to both their professional and financial success. The discussion encompassed a range of specific career paths, including teaching in academia, teaching at private-sector studios, and non-dance careers. In addition, we covered a variety of essential skills such as empathetic leadership; recognizing work value and negotiating for fair compensation; building a strong brand through social media and internet presence; crafting effective resumes/CVs; mastering audition techniques; and much more.
The first of three choreography showcases was held July 28 at East Village Arts, the second event was August 25, and the final showcase was September 29, 2023. Led by internationally recognized artist Germaul Barnes, Tiny Danz was designed to give established and emerging choreographers the opportunity to create and present new dances in the intimate space of East Village Arts, a non-profit artist collective. One of the choreographers was selected to create a work for the Southern DanceWorks company’s 2024 season.
With the hiring of Germaul Barnes as new Artistic Director in 2021, leadership transition for a company with a long history like Southern DanceWorks (SDW) provides opportunities to explore the creative aesthetics of the new artistic director while reflecting on the company’s past accomplishments, strengths, and challenges. From March-August, 2022, Artistic Director Germaul Barnes and Managing Director Rosemary Johnson organized and facilitated a planning process incorporating current and former company dancers, board members, and stakeholders to create a new vision for SDW’s future as Alabama’s oldest, professional modern dance company. The primary goal is to revitalize organizational growth by honoring the past to plan for the future. The planning process included town hall style meetings, focus groups, and task force meetings.
