- [Announcer] Funding for "The Art Show" is made possible by the Rockwern Charitable Foundation, the L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation, Montgomery County, the Josephine S. Russell Charitable Trust, the Virginia W. Kettering Foundation, the Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation.

Additional funding provided by.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.

- In this edition of "The Art Show", Afrofuturist opera.

(upbeat bright music) Dancing to funk.

(upbeat bright music continues) And the healing power of bonsai.

(upbeat bright music continues) It's all ahead on this edition of "The Art Show."

(upbeat cheerful music) (upbeat cheerful music continues) Hi, I'm Rodney Veal, and welcome to "The Art Show," where each week we provide access to local, regional, and national artists and arts organizations.

In 2024, the Cincinnati Opera announced the Black Opera Project, a three-opera commissioning initiative that explores the layers of the Black American experience.

The first opera in the project, "Lalovavi" is a Afrofuturist opera that transports us 400 years into the future.

Ahead of its summer 2026 premier, let's hear from the creative minds who are bringing this spectacular story to life.

- Well, the Black Opera Project was birthed out of necessity.

I was here in Cincinnati Opera, starring as Porgy in "Porgy and Bess."

I've always loved what "Porgy and Bess" has done for our community.

And this is not an attack on it, but it's also just to notice that traditionally has been an opportunity for African Americans to get on operatic stages.

At a time where we weren't allowed to sing the traditional opera at canon, we were afforded the opportunity to sing "Porgy and Bess."

But as proud as I was to do that, with all the greats that have gone before me, that I honor and treasure, it bothered me that that was the only thing that was considered a Black opera.

It wasn't even composed by a Black person, but it's what we had.

And we had a meeting to discuss how we all felt about being on this stage and being in this production.

And I raised a question, and it was basically, "When are we gonna have something in the operatic world that has the same impact on the opera world that "Black Panther" had on the movie industry?

And that's the idea that kind of started the ball rolling on the Black Opera Project.

We're gonna do three operas in three consecutive seasons, composed by, directed by, libretto written by all African American artists.

The stage designs will be by African American artists.

Costuming will be designed by African American artists.

First one outta the gate is entitled "Lalovavi," which stands for love and the language of Tut.

- This opera is really, it's an epic journey, and I don't use that word lightly, because it is.

We are going on a journey, post-apocalyptic world.

- "Lalovavi" is an Afrofuturist opera.

It's set 400 years in the future in a city that was formerly known as Atlanta, but now it's called Atlas.

So, this opera is centered on a central character.

Her name is Persephone.

She's the daughter of the leader of Atlas, a man known as Titan.

And in Atlas, there is a cast system, and power and wealth is divvied out based on one factor.

It's a genetic code known as the Syndica gene.

And the more Syndica you have, the higher in Atlas's society you are.

Titan has been on a mission to find this one variation of the Syndica gene known as the Tree of Life gene.

And he plans on extracting this gene to make himself immortal.

It turns out that Persephone is the only one in the world that has this variation of Syndica.

So, she has to run for her life.

Most of the opera is in English, but there are sections and songs, especially when we talk about the rebel nation, which is called Nunewaks.

Tut is their language.

Tut is a living language.

It's indigenous to Black American slaves in the Deep South.

So, this language was a secret language, and it was a code used to teach enslaved people how to speak English and how to read and write English at a time where that was illegal.

To our knowledge, there has never been a media production in history that incorporates the Tut language.

(lead singer singing in Tut) (lead singer singing in Tut) In our story, there is a resistance movement that is pushing up against the Atlas regime, and this is exactly how Tut was used to push against enslavement.

- When I read her words, I get lots of ideas.

She hears music that I'm writing, and that has given her ideas as well.

So, there's a lot of, like, this wonderful collaboration that we've had and with our team as well, right?

getting ideas from our conductor, Kevin Miller; from our director, Kimille Howard.

They will hear things and be like, "Try this," right?

"See if you like that."

- My working relationship with Kevin Day has been nothing short of miraculous.

Because we were trained similarly when it came to music and art, there is an understanding and an ear that he has for my words, that he has this uncanny ability to compose exactly what I heard when I was writing certain pieces.

- When I think of Afrofuturism, a lot of my research and work has been mostly on the jazz side of things.

Having all the crazy eccentric costumes, and music that was also very eccentric and more based in technology and free improv.

I thought that's where we were going with this concept, but as I began to get the libretto and begin to see what's gonna be happening, this, from the page, it read like a movie.

And so, that's what kind of shifted my approach to keeping the elements of Afrofuturism in terms of, like, the costumes, in terms of the place, in terms of the themes of liberation and freedom and all of that.

But the sound world of this opera was shifted into one that is meant to feel like a movie.

- People are desperate to see themselves reflected in art.

That's the purpose of it.

This is a uniquely Black American story.

And I want people, no matter where they come from, no matter what their background is, I want them to be able to relate to my characters.

I want them to leave, you know, the show and say, "Wow, that really spoke to my heart as a human."

- We can't keep trying to feed the younger generation the older menu.

My hope is that we introduce three wonderful, desirable audience-inspiring works into the operatic canon that don't just get performed here once, but other companies are wanting to present them as well.

Clamoring to get them in.

- I come from a place where opera is not the word you necessarily hear all the time.

I grew up in a household where largely it was gospel music, jazz music, things like that.

Opera is an art form for a lot of people that have not yet who really had a chance to hear or to be able to experience in a impactful way.

And so, I think it's a chance, as we're pushing the boundaries of the medium, as we're writing these new works, to bring people who would not necessarily go to an opera concert normally, to feel welcomed to come into this place, again, for like three hours, to hear something they have never heard before.

(audience clapping) - If you'd like to learn more about this or any other story on today's show, visit us online at cetconnect.org, or thinktv.org.

In Dayton, something electric is taking shape on stage.

The Dayton Ballet and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company are coming together in a bold new collaboration.

They blend the precision of classical ballet with the expressiveness of modern dance, all set to the irresistible groove of Dayton funk music.

This is more than a performance, it's a crossing of traditions.

Let's learn more about this dynamic blend of genres.

- The thing that sparked this collaboration, or this idea.

I wanted to do something on Dayton ballet season that was a celebration of Dayton.

And so, I was thinking about other ways to celebrate Dayton as well.

And, you know, I started thinking, "Well, what about, you know, what kind of music?"

And then, you know, I quickly learned that, you know, Dayton is the land of funk, and there's a specific Dayton funk feel to the music that a lot of people celebrate.

- In addition to my own lineage with DCDC, there has been an alignment, parallel running lineage that most people don't know about with the Dayton Ballet for many, many years.

Miss Jo and Miss Hermene mentored my mother, helped her start DCDC, which is incredible.

And I started my early training at the Dayton Ballet.

So, when thinking about coming to the table to create a space for a project like "Rhythm of the City," I try to think about the things that we have in common, as well as the things that are different for us.

I was invited by Brandon Ragland, their artistic director, to join them in collaboration with this.

And I said, "Oh, oh yeah, this would be a good thing."

But I think mostly because we need a little joy, we need a little celebration.

We are coming through a tough time as a city, as arts organizations, as a nation, and to just be able, for two hours, to enter in space together and have a big celebration and moment of joy that makes everybody happy was what showed me that it was the right time for this collaboration.

Talk a lot about the dance portions of "Rhythm of the City."

What we don't talk a lot about is the music, and the music was the foundation and the thread that held this whole production together.

There were tons of people in that audience that weren't really ingrained in the fact that funk music was born here in Dayton, Ohio.

- The music component was really the big driving factor for all of us in it.

And in a beautiful way, it's curated the flow of the evening all by itself.

- From the inception of the project, you know, I said yes instantly to Brandon.

And then, I got home and thought about it, and I was like, "Ooh.

You know, this is a big bite out of the apple."

I think that most things that are worth it, you have to jump over a couple of logs in the middle of the road.

- And so, from there it just kind of spawned this flower, you know, that we were both watering and trying to cultivate and seeing how things were gonna happen, how logistically, how it was gonna work.

And we were both so excited about the potential.

When I got connected to LaFrae Sci, she gave us such a rich history and rundown, you know, of how funk music originated in Dayton, and then other artists like Deron Bell, they were just a wealth of knowledge.

They helped me understand that funk music was always about the dance.

So, it was easy for me to kind of lean into movement and come up with vocabulary that was very much specific.

- Contemporary dance as a genre, ballet as a genre, funk music as a genre lives inside.

And what was really beautiful to watch in this project was watch the two cultures assimilate because of this funk music.

- To me, the deep relationship between Dayton Ballet and DCDC, it's more than just dance.

These two companies are sisters; they're siblings.

They are both born out of the need to always push limits, to always break ceilings.

One of the amazing things working with Alia and Gary, is that when we first came together, there was this creative energy of how each of us are moved, inspired by funk music.

And, you know, for me, I wanted it to be a big party.

- As I started thinking about what I wanted to do for this piece, I was actually reading "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler.

One of the things that she talked about was planting seeds and just growing things for their future and leaving behind a legacy of things grown for people that come after them, their children, their children's children, and all that.

And I thought that was a really, really beautiful idea.

(upbeat vibrant music) - I thought it was very important to really honor this funk era in music.

And the way that I chose to do that was remembering my upcomings as far as dance is concerned.

I started later than most people, but as I got into my training, while I was also training, there was a lot of times still going to the clubs while I was in college and even as a professional dancer, but also remembering house parties, family barbecues, and how the same music was being played.

- I think that this collaboration with Dayton Ballet and Dayton Contemporary is integral to this community.

It's building bridges, it's taking one audience and another audience blending them together, and all in celebration of this, like, shared culture or funk music in Dayton.

Just making it a party.

You know, it's gonna be a literal party, and we all get to experience that together.

It's just so necessary, and it just feels so good.

- It's been great to have the dancers all in the space and allow me to purposefully mix them up.

And let's dive into how you're comfortable with your group.

We need to be that way together.

And as artists, we're always trying to grow.

As people we're always trying to grow.

- I think what the audiences see is that dance is dance.

You know, for so long we've categorized it as a ballet company and a contemporary company, or in other cities a jazz company and a tap company.

But dance is just dance.

- "Rhythm of the City" is celebrating that past and that legacy and bringing it forward to remind us the joy of music, to remind us of the creativity of musicianship.

- When you've got all of these different voices chiming in, saying their part with their different points of view, that's to be celebrated.

That's funk.

You know, that's... I think that's beautiful.

(upbeat music) - For many, a creative practice can promote healing.

After a life-altering surgery, Rob Hoffman was able to find peace in the art of bonsai.

Today, over a decade later, he has turned a hobby and a passion into a dream garden.

Join us as we step outside and learn more about this plant-based art form.

(soft serene music) - Bonsai is a really great hobby to get into.

It's helped me with patience.

It's helped me find my artistic eye.

It's really done quite a lot for me.

And anymore, it's not even like a hobby to me.

It's more like a lifestyle.

(soft serene music continues) I discovered bonsai through my wife.

I had my leg amputated, obviously, about 12 years ago.

And it was more of a rough process than I thought it would be.

And, you know, I kind of got down in the dumps a little bit, and she wanted to get me something that would kind of keep my mind off of it.

And she bought me a little juniper, from, like Home Depot or Costco or something like that, and I just kind of fell in love with it.

And it actually got me up, 'cause I was bedridden for about a year and a half.

It got me up and wanted me to learn about it.

I didn't want it to die, so I started to get on the computer and look how to take care of it.

And from that one little tree, now I got all this.

(soft serene music continues) (soft serene music continues) Bonsai is not a very specific thing.

There's very many different characteristics and aspects of it.

(soft serene music continues) This is a black pine.

I probably have, 75% of my trees are probably black pines.

They're by far my favorite.

You can just, you can do so much with them in a short amount of time.

(soft serene music continues) And, like, tricks and tips and stuff of, like, things that I do differently, not really, but black pines are pretty much my favorite tree to work on.

But I mean, I like working on other different stuff.

I wouldn't say there's actually a certain type of trademark that I have.

(soft serene music continues) So, for me it's more about just, you know, showing what you've done, what you can do to a tree, how nice you can make it.

It's not so much about, and don't get me wrong, I'm a very competitive person, but when it comes to this, it's, to me, it doesn't seem like it should be so competitive.

It should be more thought-provoking.

Like, when you see a tree, it should make you feel something.

And that's kind of where I'm at.

I'd rather do that than try to win an award or, I mean, don't get me wrong, it's fun to win an award, but I'm not so much into the competitive aspect of it.

(soft serene music continues) So, I never really taught that much.

I guess I do at work a little bit, but when I started my business and I started teaching, I found out that I really, really enjoy doing it.

It's fun to go over things with people and get them to get the confidence to do it, 'cause with bonsai, a lot of it is about confidence.

You know, you buy a tree, and then you gotta cut half of it off it, it's kind of daunting to the first time user.

You know, it's hard to do.

But once you start working on trees and putting your hands on 'em, it makes it so much easier to work with people, go to clubs, do workshops.

It builds your confidence to be able to work on your trees, 'cause just starting off, it's often pretty hard to work on your own tree, you know?

Most of the time, and I'll say this kind of easily, but most of the time people are gonna kill their first tree.

It's just gonna happen.

You learn from your mistakes, so it's kind of the process.

I don't know hardly anyone that's been in bonsai for a long time that still has their first tree.

I mean, there might be a few out there, but it's pretty rare.

(soft serene music continues) It is pretty amazing.

It gets me to travel across the country and meet, you know, wonderful people.

It's really like-minded people.

People that are artistic and people that, you know, enjoy nature.

It's a great hobby to get into.

(soft serene music continues) (soft serene music continues) (soft serene music ends) - If you crave more art goodness in your life, the podcast "Rodney Veal's Inspired By" is available now.

You can it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Learn more and find show notes at thinktv.org, or cetconnect.org.

And that wraps it up for this edition of "The Art Show".

Until next time, I'm Rodney Veal.

Thanks for watching.

(upbeat cheerful music) (upbeat cheerful music continues) (upbeat cheerful music continues) (upbeat cheerful music continues) (upbeat cheerful music continues) (upbeat cheerful music continues) (upbeat cheerful music continues) - [Announcer] Funding for "The Art Show" is made possible by the Rockwern Charitable Foundation, the L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation, Montgomery County, the Josephine S. Russell Charitable Trust, The Virginia W. Kettering Foundation, the Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation.

Additional funding provided by.

And viewers like you.

Closed captioning in part has been made possible through a grant from The Bahmann Foundation.

Thank you.