Noise/Funk: Fo' real Black theatre on 'Da great White way - play 'Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk' on Broadway

African American Review, Winter, 1997 by Elmo Terry-Morgan

Madam C. J. Walker

Fryin' Up Some Heads

Robert Walker Strummin'

Rippin' Strings Ta Shreds

Or, in the penultimate act one vignette, "I Got 'Da Beat/Dark Tower":

... Du Bois

Was a voice choice

A Locke

Like Alain

Like Deep

Like stylish

Like Zora

Sassie as a

God Watchin'

His Eyes On

Her Prize

White Lies

Plus Jessie Fauset ...

To understand, first, the actual enunciation of each word and, second, the words' historical meanings within the overall poetic presentation requires both a "fast ear" and a knowledge of history.

At times, it was difficult for me to understand some of the spoken language in Noise/Funk, for the language sometimes competes with the orchestra, the sounds of intricate tapping, and Duquesnay's versatile vocals. I attribute this to generational conditioning. The handful of young People of Color whom I saw entering the theatre were, thankfully, culturally correct in their lively responses to the performances; they responded to moments which simply passed right over me because I could not hear fast enough to pick up on and process certain rhythmically RAPsodized lexicons and information. My mother had even more problems than I did. I rationalized that we are living in the MTV/ATM/Internet generation, and members of this generation hear faster and more clearly than those of us from the TV and Radio generations. My suggestion: Buy the CD, which provides the lyrics, and see Noise/Funk again.

In terms of its structure, Noise/Funk lives in a timeless space. Although it presents the African-American Odyssey in chronological order, its cyclical aesthetic is reinforced by 'Da Beat, something which always was, always is, and always will be. 'Da Beat is that thing that Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, founder and CEO of the National Black Theatre, calls the Science and Technology of Soul.

A phenomenal occurrence began when Africa was dispersed about the world. Although enslaved, dehumanized, and despised, these people of The African Diaspora, specifically those in the U.S.A., created cultures which manifested Art so powerfully and seductively that the Nazis banned its music wherever it conquered, and even the most devout White racist seeks out its camp site to warm his hands over the Flame of Soul generated by 'Da Beat. The cumulative history of African Americans represents a resistance to external pressure which, much like coal compressed into a diamond, resulted in a living, energized culture that harmonizes with the cosmos and forces of nature and generates cycles of Soulful expressions. These cultural expressions are articulated by Black artists who exude a vitality, precision, and intelligence that are globally and historically unique. In this Africanic cultural tradition, Art is not segregated from the overall flow of life; it is an integral part of the human experience. Thus, African-American artistic expression is informed by the substance of its culture, heritage, and history.

Noise/Funk uses tap dance as its primary artistic expression to tell the story of the African-American Odyssey. Tap, as an anthropological artifact, is the point of entry into understanding the complexity of the dominant African-American culture and its offspring cultures--and this is established in the very beginning of the show.