Programs

About Us

Duffy Liturgical Dance Ensemble exists to keep alive the legacy of our ancestors as evidenced in the history, culture, and numerous contributions that African Americans have made to American and World Society through the medium of Performing Arts. DuffyLit researches the musical art form known as the American Negro Spiritual. Each year the Ensemble engages in activities designed to educate youth and DuffyLit audiences about the significance of the Spiritual in American History and Culture.

History

DuffyLit was established as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization in 1984 to provide a creative vehicle through which artists could explore the implications of Black Music and Dance on African American history and American history overall. The programs which have been developed since DuffyLit’s inception have focused our rich American heritage portrayed in African American songs and dances, especially highlighting the authentic Negro Spiritual and its relationship to the composition of Blues, Gospel and Jazz.

Performance Ensemble

The Performance Ensemble comprising DuffyLit includes dancers, singers, and musicians, all of whom are dedicated to preserving through performance the Negro Spiritual in theaters, churches, institutions of higher education; public schools and community organizations in the Greater Cleveland community and around the country. Most notably in 1998, the Ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall. In 1999, the Ensemble traveled to Paris, France and Barcelona, Spain to perform. In September 2000, the Ensemble performed at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and they opened two nights for The Nutcracker on Broadway, November 2000. In November 2000, they presented The Cleveland Premier of Howard Roberts’ Spiritual Heritage Suite at The Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square.

The American musical heritage includes the richness and
beauty found in the songs known as the Negro Spiritual.
The study, research and performance of this music in its
true authenticity is the principal business of the DuffyLit
Ensemble. An organization dedicated to the presentation
of theAmerican Negro Spiritual to the American public
through musicand dance performances teaching
(workshops, master classes, lecture demonstrations, etc.)
and multi-media publications, highlighting the uplifting
philosophy and psychology embedded within the Spiritual,
and to preserve the artistic, historical and cultural
authenticity of this Musical Art Form.