The Temple of Dendur is the only ancient Eqyptian temple located in the United States. Housed in the Sackler Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this 15 B.C.E. creation is an example of a typical pharaonic temple. This magnificent and grandly spacious room was the setting for Nona Hendryx and Disciples of Sun Ra in the Temple. It is impossible to imagine a more perfect location for this mystical concert and celebration of the music and philosophies of Sun Ra.
Prior to the performance, living futurism sculptures expressively walk through the aisles. Their gracefully elegant and very controlled movements were choreographed by Francesca Harper. They wear stunning Afro-Egyptian-Indigenous costumes created by Virgil Ortiz which were inspired by the Met’s Native Collection. The show begins and an announcement is heard. “Rocket number nine taking off for the planet Venus.” The lyric further informs, “zoom, zoom, zoom up in the air/ zoom, zoom, zoom way up there.”
Sun Ra was the stage name adapted by a prolific jazz composer and bandleader of experimental music. He was also known for his cosmic philosophies and theatrical performances. Craig Harris, a member of Sun Ra’s original Arkestra, was the Musical Director of this concert. He uses the deep sounds of the didgeridoo to welcome the parade of performers to the stage.
Nona Hendryx, an original member of Labelle who has had a long solo music career, magisterially leads this ensemble. Her notes on the program indicate that “this concert will collapse time: past, present and future, space and place, inner and outer worlds, traveling via music and the mind to Stars, Quasars, Suns, Moons and delving into Black Holes.” Sun Ra was a pioneer of Afrofuturism and this amalgam of gifted artists invited the audience to “fly up to the sky on the ship of Ra.”
The music is rhythmic, almost atonal jazz with individual notes in disarray but also contains a futuristic sound overlay while a beat continues underneath. As I settled into the sound, I found myself concentrating on the messages. “The sky is a sea of darkness where there is no sun to light the way.” “Only fools believe in god we trust/ All we are, are cosmic dust.”
Afrofuturism is “Afro-present and Afro-past.” Not fiction nor science, this aesthetic addresses dreams and concerns of the African disapora through technology and science fiction. A future stemming from past experiences is imagined. In addition to Sun Ra, the music of Parliament-Funkadelic and the Marvel comics superhero Black Panther are considered seminal Afrofuturistic works.
As the show progressed, the physical environs meshed with the accomplished musicianship and the otherworldly musings. At one precise moment, the stage was bathed in a gold light. Even the now gleaming silver costumes seemed to be reflecting the sun. The moment was jaw dropping in its impact. Sitting in a spectacular room beside an ancient Egyptian temple while harnessing the magical godlike powers of the sun god Ra is a once in a lifetime event.
The presentation of Nona Hendryx and Disciples of Sun Ra in the Temple was utterly serious. They generously invited us to be a part of their space world. With messages like “take the time to be kind/ you will find peace of mind” it is easy to recognize the appeal and be drawn into the worldview. We are all just specks in the universe. While we search for universal truth, “memories and ashes are all we leave behind.”
I am feeling very lucky to have been in the right dimension to see this unique and inspiring tribute to the late Sun Ra. His wisdom continues to be remembered. The band still tours on the road. Artists such as Ms. Hendryx (in great voice here) spread the word as dedicated and inspired disciples will do.
Met Live Arts is the Metropolitan Museum of Arts’ program to showcase dazzling and thought provoking programs within the context of iconic gallery spaces and in their theater. (Photo credit to Paula Lobo.)