Dance review: “A Prayer To End Human Trafficking” by Votum Dance Company

by Christopher Means of The Assignment Desk, DFW

Tackling a tough topic, we were left wanting more.

Terri Rapp

Principal dancer and artistic director Cindy Kumer of Votum Dance Company in "A Prayer to End Human Trafficking"

The arts have always been a medium for expressing the existence of social injustice, and modern dance is no exception. At a recent performance by Dallas-Fort Worth group Votum Dance Company, choreographer Cindy Kumer tackled the topic of human trafficking at Courtyard Theatre of Plano.

One of the largest and complicated of the hidden crimes facing the world, human trafficking is rarely understood. It occurs in numerous ways that go unseen and largely unknown by many in the United States. People are bought and sold as livestock for unspeakable reasons that involve forced labor and prostitution. We wondered if such a diverse and complex issue can be effectively translated into modern dance.

Terri Rapp

In Votum Dance Company's performance of "The Fiery Seal of Love," the dancers' movements were completely improvisation. Pictured are principal dancer and artistic director Cindy Kumer (front) and company dancer Holly Seeley.

Kumer addresses this issue from a Christian standpoint by promoting the power of prayer. Her piece “The Prayer to End Human Trafficking” is very much that, and little else. While modern dance is often open for interpretation, there was very little in this work that could be interpreted as having anything to do with this horrifying crime.

A lone act was the only moment when human trafficking itself was addressed. A woman was pulled from a cage for no established reason and then mildly abused; afterwards, she was returned to the cage only to escape. The vast majority of the ballet did not quite express the pain and tragedy of forced prostitution, and it caused this singular scene to become a token moment of bold realism during the ballet.

Kumer’s message is sensible: Her ballet is a prayer to end human trafficking, but that is its only message. Secular members may find it difficult to accept. With such a sensitive, invisible issue, Kumer brings it to light with one hand but begs ignorance with the other. Her message, and the message of the company, is that prayer can and does solve the problem, and a male speaker, emotionally charged to the point of tears, begged god to end human trafficking. Absent were solutions that could bring immediate, mortal intervention to the issue.

Terri Rapp

"Nativity Ballet" by Votum Dance Company features Cindy Kumer.

The expectation of interpretive, socially charged dance primes an audience into thinking they will witness a ballet charged with evocative imagery. The reality is that when that expectation fades, the performance lacked the passion and purpose expected.

“A Prayer to End Human Trafficking” needed context, and if there were a more subtle message to the ballet, it was lost in the religious message.

Pegasus News Content partner - The Assignment Desk, DFW

news, anonymous:

The press release sent prior to the performance clearly positions the ballet as a "Prayer" to end human trafficking and not a graphic or sexually explicit work with evocative imagery. It clearly states the premise of the work describing dance as a form of intercession and encourages corporate prayer to end human trafficking. It is also clear from the company's website and pre-show advertising that Votum Dance Company is not a secular dance company and presents a Christian message.

(Excerpt from the press release:) The ballet, choreographed by internationally acclaimed Artistic Director, Cindy Kumer, is composed entirely of live recordings from the spontaneous worship and prayer sessions at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, a place where singers and musicians are committed to 24 hour night and day intercession. The piece displays raw uncensored passion for the freedom and deliverance of those held captive and proclaims their healing and restoration.

“A Prayer to End Human Trafficking is a powerful work that really shows the heart of the Votum Dance Company vision,” says Kumer. “We believe that when we dance, we are praying, and when we pray, the God of the Universe moves at the very sound of our voice. We want to invite the audience to come and agree with us in prayer for people caught in human trafficking situations to be set free.” (End Excerpt)

In the piece, the audience hears a prayer being spoken as dancers execute choreography to the spoken words. The prayer gives a very detailed description of the horrifying act of human trafficking and boldly and passionately entreats God to release His angels and His power to end human trafficking, to bring deliverance, to set people free, and to bring "mortal immediate intervention" to these situations.

The only "ignorance" that needs to be addressed is the laissez-faire attitude of the secular world and even much of the church towards the power of prayer. Our work, "A Prayer to End Human Trafficking" is designed to shine light on that ignorance and encourage people to pray, to express the message that prayer is powerful and God really does move at the sound of our voice to set the captives free.

1 year, 5 months ago
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Sarah Blaskovich, staff:

Thanks for your comments on the story. We welcome the open dialogue.

1 year, 5 months ago
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news, anonymous:

About a week ago, Votum performed "A Prayer to End Human Trafficking" in Dallas. The piece focused on ending human trafficking in China and Hong Kong. Yesterday, the Associated Press reported in the Dallas Morning News that there was a huge trafficking bust in China. When we come together in prayer in a corporate assembly such as our ballet, heaven responds. See below:

China rescues 178 children in trafficking bust

BEIJING (AP) - China says authorities have arrested 608 suspects and rescued 178 children in a bust of two separate human trafficking networks. A Ministry of Public Security statement said Wednesday that 5,000 police across 10 provinces cooperated for six months on the investigation and moved in to arrest the suspects last week. The children are to be put into orphanages while authorities try to reunite them with their families. An investigation into a traffic accident in south China's Sichuan province in May led police to a ring that was selling Sichuan children to buyers in central China's Hebei province and elsewhere. The other ring was uncovered in August and was based in southeast China's Fujian province.

Link to the breaking story: http://hosted2.ap.org/txdam/633c954da...

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