How We Do: Dance Making, Praxis in Our Own Words

Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 12:00pm
Cross Street Dance Studio, 160 Cross Street, Middletown, Connecticut

Free admission. Lunch provided.

Assistant Professor of the Practice in Dance and African American Studies Joya Powell will be in conversation with renowned risk-taking choreographers Kayla Hamilton, Marguerite Hemmings, and Paloma McGregor, co-leaders of Dancing While Black.

This engaging conversation is nurtured by the visioning of Powell and amara t. smith, Artist in Residence in Theater and Performance Studies at Stanford University, and the students in Powell's course DANC 374 "Perspectives in Dance as Culture: Black Praxis:" Amah Assoumou '26, Ruby Cullen '27, Janelle Newell '28, and Danae Williams '25.

The conversation will dig deeply into process, shedding light on the magic of the praxis. Most Black dance makers go unrecognized for their contributions and tools they have shared in the field - how they do what they do. This conversation will highlight processes of dance making, centering around tools, devices, and conjurings that are used in choreographic praxis.

Sponsored by Wesleyan University’s Dance Department and the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, and the Committee on Black Performing Arts at the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University.

Photo credits: Marguerite Hemmings photo by Whitney Browne, Paloma McGregor photo by Melisa Cardona, Kayla Hamilton photo by Travis Magee, Joya Powell photo by JPG.