Cynthia King 'Frames' Issues with Latest Piece

When the curtain goes up and the lights illuminate the stage of newest show, spectators should be prepared to see cages—with children trapped inside.

FRAMED, which premiers at the Kumbel Theatre for the Performing Arts on Oct. 6, has a message.

“It’s marking the 50th year of my dancing, and I wanted to produce a show that wasn’t just an end of the year performance…but edgy pieces,” said Cynthia King Dance Studio Artistic Director and choreographer Cynthia King. “It’s a chance for me to express issues important to me: the exploitation of animals, an issue near an dear to my heart. The title piece is about the objectification of young women, a subject so many of the young girls know about.”

King is passionate about innocence. Her activism started as a child when she realized where the meat she ate actually came from. She is now a vegan, incorporating an animal loving mentality into all she does.

Not only are her dancers required to wear vegan ballet slippers, but she also adapts dance exercises to reflect a kinder attitude to animals. She explained how a dance teacher once taught kids to "squash the bug" with their feet, where she instructs her young pupils to “splash in puddles.”

By placing children behind bars and in cages, King wants to recreate animal exploitation on the stage. Hopefully, when parents see their children in that condition, parents will “identify with beings that are so poorly treated.”

“I realize the name [Framed] has a dual meaning. The bars segment their bodies,” King said. “There are the frames that they are dancing with, behind bars, but it also means innocence put behind bars.”

Serious subject matters call for serious dancers, but King stressed that “parents know me. They know [my dance] will include some heavier topics than a children’s performance usually includes.”

“Children are compassionate,” continued King “We want to nurture that in them and educate them as well.”

King runs a strict studio where punctuality, presentation and dedication are staples to success. Forty of her students, past and present, will take to the stage on Oct. 6 to showcase their talent.

Music will range from Herbie Hancock to Rossini to Yo-Yo Ma, with one fast-paced number using Ella Fitzgerald’s Old McDonald Had a Farm while adults dance around imprisoned children.   

King’s career has spanned decades, from the Boston Conservatory and Alvin Ailey to freelance work, but “teaching was the most rewarding thing…it’s instant. You get to dance, be creative, be with kids, which I never knew how much I was going to love…it’s so much more rewarding than performing.”

Her previous piece, Expose, dealt with the maltreatment of circus animals, and her activism continues with FRAMED.

King is proud to be a businesswoman and instructor while fostering a healthier lifestyle for those around her. “I am opening [the student’s] eyes to something they didn’t think about before.”

Tickets to FRAMED are currently on sale. Call (718)-488-1624 or visit www.kumbletheater.org.  There will be two shows on October 6 at 2pm and 7pm.