Kameron Davis, 12, attends Bethune Middle School in Stone Mountain, plays the character of Little Big, as in Little Big Boi, the impetus for of the ballet calibration, titled big, with Antwan “Big Boi” Patton of Outkast. Photos by Travis Hudgons
by Brian Egeston
be@brianwrites.com
Downtown at the Atlanta Ballet, a group of kids enter the room for a rehearsal. Most are slender, long and flexible. Suddenly a different type of dancer enters the room. He’s wearing white ballet shoes with very little mileage on them and a long orange shirt covers a small belly. He doesn’t look like the typical ballet dancer. But the dancer, Kameron Davis, is one of the stars in the show.
Davis, 12, attends Bethune Middle School in Stone Mountain. His mother Pamela Spears-Davis heard about auditions for a ballet calibration, titled big, with Antwan “Big Boi” Patton of Outkast. The supportive mother took her son to an audition at the Fox Theatre, where Davis made in through the first cut of 200 young people. Davis was later called back for a series of workshops, where the field was reduced to about 50 dancers. Davis made the final cut and Pamela was thrilled when she learned her son had made the show. But a month into rehearsals, she got what she thought was bad news. “I got a call and they said they were pulling him from the dance group because they had a different part for him. Pamela was then informed that her son would have a solo and speaking parts.”
The part was the character of Little Big, as in Little Big Boi, the impetus for of the show. Little Big traverses the maze of childhood as Big Boi narrates. This journey is only the beginning for Davis considering his ballet experience. “This is my first time doing ballet,” Davis said, his smile lighting up the room. When Davis learned he would be dancing on stage with Big Boi, he had only one response. “Wow!” said Davis.
Despite his rookie status, Davis is completely believable in his performance. He leaps and runs with the exuberant frolicking of a kid out of class with an unlimited pass for recess.
But Davis is not all play. The young star has been on stage in school productions and caught the eye of some administrators. Said Pamela, “Last year his principal told me, ‘I know times may be tight for you, but find a way to get him in acting classes.’” Davis cites Bill Cosby as his favorite actor. But Davis has his own diversity of talents he plays French horn, trumpet, drums and piano. Davis also sings on the praise team and was once on the dance ministry at Total Grace Christian Center in Decatur.
“He’s always shown interest [in arts],” said Pamela. “Whenever we start out to do something, I always ask him, is this something that you would want to do? When he says yes and puts all of his effort into it, this [ballet role] is what you get.”
Davis said he had heard of Outkast before the show, but was not well-versed on the group’s music. When asked what he wanted kids to learn about ballet from seeing him onstage he replied, “It’s really fun and it’s a really, really good workout.”
Jeff Al-Mashat, public relations director for the Atlanta Ballet, saw something special in Davis when he watched him dance. “He’s a natural,” said Al-Mashat. “I’m not a dancer, but I love the ballet and when I saw him, I knew there was a good chance they would pick him. He’s incredible.”
Much has been made of the project. After a series of premieres, the company is getting into the full swing of show preparation. John McFall, Atlanta Ballet’s artistic director, said he wanted to form a collaboration of hip hop and ballet, but it was a matter of finding the right person from the hip hop world who would be willing to help. “We put Big Boi in a raincoat and literally threw buckets of water at him for a half hour,” McFall said, referring to Patton’s flexibilty during a photo shoot for the show. Lauri Stallings, choreographer for the show, noted that Patton had been extremely generous during the process. “Every artist, every single collaborator, everyone contributing to this is astounding and very courageous,” said Stallings.
Barry Hughson, executive director of the Atlanta Ballet, is adamant that the show is not a publicity stunt; rather it’s a genuine collaboration. “As music evolves and as dance evolves, I think there’s going to be all kinds of unique opportunities for partnerships,” Hughson said.
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