Simplified: An all-Black group of Sioux Falls creatives will make their debut performance on the Washington Pavilion stage this week. Here's what you need to know about Creating in Color.
Why it matters
- Creating in Color is a new group, but all five members are established performers, singers and dancers who decided to come together to create community and education through entertainment.
- The group's first staged performance Thursday – part of the Pavilion's "Live & Local" series – will go through the history of Black music and Black culture, said Etta McKinley, local actress, musician and Creating in Color member.
- Moving forward, the group plans to keep performing and elevating the voices of people of color through future collaborations, events and performances.
"Representation just matters to me because if you don't see it, you don't think you can be it," group member and performer Ebony Shanklin said.
Tell me more
The group includes McKinley, Shanklin, as well as Josiah Southhall, Shannon Dancler and Clinton Store.
- Many of them have performed together – including a recent Premiere Playhouse production of "Hair," which in part sparked conversations between the group about doing a performance together.
The group applied to be part of the Live & Local series, and, when they found out they'd been selected for February, decided to tie in a theme of Black History Month in their performance.
"Creating in Color is really the first time where we get to be ourselves," Store said. "We’re not pretending to be a character. We are singing someone else’s songs, yes, but we’re singing it as ourselves."
How to catch the show
Creating in Color will perform Thursday evening at the Pavilion in a show also featuring local improv group Improv Falls.
You can get tickets for that show here, and learn more about Creating in Color by following their Facebook group.
