FREEDOM & GRACE
Screenplay by Marian Oliker
Based on Oliker’s solo play, Freedom & Grace is set in the turbulent times of the 1960’s and ‘70’s. The American civil rights movement is in full swing and Africa is on the brink of independence. A Coming of Age/Dance/ Drama, it weaves the story of two young women who must challenge the limits of prejudice to fulfill their dreams to dance (click on the image for synopsis and mood video).
Freedom & Grace addresses our need to fully embody who we are. That by moving beyond the perceived limits that define us, and claiming the whole of our experience, we shine and become who we are meant to be. Often the process of pushing beyond those limits challenges us to hang onto ourselves in the face of strong opposition - having no choice but to associate with those whom we trust the least in the world.
Celebrating, honoring, respecting our differences, takes ridiculous amounts of courage, generosity, patience, and love. When we speak from our hearts without cancelling, defending or collapsing, it becomes possible to connect even in the most dire of circumstances.
All cultures bring gifts and all people know love and thus loss. Using dance as a bridge, Freedom & Grace takes us on a journey of the heart, grappling with race, identity, loss and liberation.
Inspired by true events