Project Summary

Ardea Arts is proud to present BOUNCE, which was premiered in November 2017 with development and premiere partner University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. Performed on an actual basketball court, BOUNCE is grounded in contemporary issues facing today’s youth, particularly teen violence. The production, which pairs diverse casting with a fresh approach to arts education, integrates local and high school students into the world of opera and music theater using the powerful medium of basketball.

SYNOPSIS

BOUNCE is an American story told through basketball, a modern take on the Icarus Legend. Centered on Ike “The Flight” Harris, BOUNCE charts the triumphs and tragedies that basketball dreams bring. Ike grows wings, and soon he flies too close to the sun. His wings start to melt, and he crashes into the sea, his dreams crashing with him. Ike struggles to keep going amid ugly rumors while his chief rival soars into the limelight. BOUNCE asks, what does it take to work through trauma and tragedy to rise again, to regain one’s full self? The answer lies in the game of basketball itself.

THE SCOOP

BOUNCE is a groundbreaking new American work that melds genres and defies stereotypes, embracing the full palette of contemporary American music. It tells this story with the hard-hitting sounds of modern hip-hop, R&B, jazz, gospel, and classical vocal technique, melding with the squeak of sneakers across the court, and the percussive beat of the basketball. Performed on an actual basketball court, BOUNCE features local basketball players playing side-by-side with professional actors, singers, rappers, game commentators, and guest artists. BOUNCE also rocks the rim with extraordinary community engagement programs to attract diverse, new audiences of all ages.

THE POWER

BOUNCE addresses issues of teen violence, the school-to-prison pipeline, the accountability of one’s actions, as well as the importance of education. BOUNCE also celebrates our love of basketball, the opportunities it brings, and how basketball itself saves and transforms lives. Our goal is to bring this uniquely American story to communities across the nation.