First Inversion and FuturPointe present “Holding on Through Song II” at the 2019 KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival

Hailed as “a gut-wrenching, educational and emotional performance that truly rang out to the heavens and called down the Ancestors,” (CITY Newspaper) First Inversion and FuturPointe Dance join forces this year to embody through sound and movement a selection of African-American spirituals involving choir, soloists, instrumentalists, dancers and the gathered community. Words from Rochester’s own Frederick Douglass and other African-American leaders, scholars and artists provide historical context and sacred story to illuminate our journey.

“This performance is an opportunity for the Fringe audience to experience something truly profound,” said Lee Wright, Founder and Music Director of First Inversion. “We believe in the power of this music to bond our community in remembrance of past struggle, and to provide a healing balm for those still suffering from injustice,” he explained.

In 2018, the First Inversion choir gave its début performance at the Fringe Festival, performing a varied selection of spirituals, interlaced with readings from the words of enslaved persons and African-American freedom fighters. This year, First Inversion partners with FuturPointe Dance to create a multifaceted performance that will evoke both the pain of the past and the hope for better days to come.

For more information, please contact Aaron Gallant, Vice President of First Inversion, at 585-721-1191 or aaron@firstinversion.org.
Tickets can also be purchased directly from the Rochester Fringe Festival Box Office at:  boxoffice@rochesterfringe.com 585-957-9837