Growing up in Jamaica, Queens, NY, I had a small voice and I still do. I was insecure about talking and speaking, especially in public. However, when I danced, I felt heard. Dance helps me express myself and instills love and confidence in my personal and professional life. It’s where I found my sense of place and power in this racially and socioeconomically charged world. I am honored and humbled everyday to live my life as a creative Black woman and to have the agency to contemplate, investigate, and develop various forms of literature, visual art, music and movement to navigate the changing dynamics of the world.
Dance is a universal way of expression. Through prolonged study and practice, dance engages with the body’s linguistics. Through …show more content…
Brown and Dancers (CABD), has evolved from a sole focus on dance creation to the presentation and activation of dance engagement tools that speak to social justices issues and the personal experience of being Black in American society. The etymology of my recent work, BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play (BG:LP, 2015), can be traced from pattin’ Juba, buck and wing, social dances and other percussive corollaries of the African drum found on this side of the Atlantic, all the way to jumping double dutch and The Dougie. In BG:LP, I use the rhythmic play of this African- American dance vernacular - signposts of the black woman’s domain - to evoke childhood memories of …show more content…
It shows the power of sisterhood and the fact that, as we mature, Black girls still play. It is remembering, conjuring, honoring, and healing. It’s a Black girl’s story through her gaze. This work is a gift to Black girls everywhere. BG:LP’s particular focus doesn’t discount the reality of historical and contemporary trauma experienced by Black women and girls, nor does it act to minimize the important work being done on an individual and organizational level to fight these injustices. Rather, the public performances of BG:LP are an opportunity for Black girls to stand in their own power, and to inspire other Black girls to stand in
Dance is a universal way of expression. Through prolonged study and practice, dance engages with the body’s linguistics. Through …show more content…
Brown and Dancers (CABD), has evolved from a sole focus on dance creation to the presentation and activation of dance engagement tools that speak to social justices issues and the personal experience of being Black in American society. The etymology of my recent work, BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play (BG:LP, 2015), can be traced from pattin’ Juba, buck and wing, social dances and other percussive corollaries of the African drum found on this side of the Atlantic, all the way to jumping double dutch and The Dougie. In BG:LP, I use the rhythmic play of this African- American dance vernacular - signposts of the black woman’s domain - to evoke childhood memories of …show more content…
It shows the power of sisterhood and the fact that, as we mature, Black girls still play. It is remembering, conjuring, honoring, and healing. It’s a Black girl’s story through her gaze. This work is a gift to Black girls everywhere. BG:LP’s particular focus doesn’t discount the reality of historical and contemporary trauma experienced by Black women and girls, nor does it act to minimize the important work being done on an individual and organizational level to fight these injustices. Rather, the public performances of BG:LP are an opportunity for Black girls to stand in their own power, and to inspire other Black girls to stand in