Better Get Hit in Your Soul

Decidedly Jazz Danceworks restages popular production for the High Performance Rodeo

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Back by popular demand, Better Get Hit in Your Soul gives audiences an ear and eye into the music of one of the most important figures in 20th-century American music, Charles Mingus.

Exploring the wild short life of this virtuoso bass player, accomplished pianist, bandleader, and composer, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks premiered the piece in 2013 and you can see it restaged at this year’s High Performance Rodeo.

“I’ve always loved the music of Charles Mingus,” says DJD Artistic Director Kimberley Cooper, in a statement. “He was brilliant and wild, passionate, and mercurial, known as the ‘Angry Man of Jazz.’ He cited Duke Ellington and the church as his main influences and you can hear that in his music—it is so vast and rich, layered and textured. I hope the audience leaves with a vibe about him, an appreciation for his music, and maybe an interest in his character.”

Better Get Hit in Your Soul runs January 10 to 20, 2019 at the DJD Dance Centre (111 12th Ave. SE).