ROBERT van LEER | Executive Director & CEO
PRESENTS
CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS
ink
JANUARY 12 - 13, 2024 | 7:30 PM
Bram Goldsmith Theater
RUNNINGTIME
Directed and Choreographed by Camille A. Brown
in collaboration with the originating musicians and members of CABD
Original Music by: Allison Miller - Music Director, Juliette Jones,
Scott Patterson and Wilson R. Torres
Additional Music: Selections from Jilltro, by Darren Henson & Andre Harris Henson, sung by Jill Scott; & Time Travelin’ by Common, D’Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser, J Dilla
DANCERS
QUILAN ARNOLD
CAMILLE A. BROWN
DORSE BROWN
MIKHAIL CALLISTE
TATIANA MARIE
COURTNEY PAGE
MUSICIANS
KWINTON GRAY
JULIETTE JONES
NYEMBA SEALES
DILLON VADO
CREATIVES
DANIEL BANKS, KAMILAH FORBES, & TALVIN WILKS; dramaturgs
DAVID L. ARSENAULT, lighting and scenic design
ALEX FETCHKO, lighting supervisor
JUSTIN ELLINGTON, sound desin
MAYTE NATALIO, costume designer/stylist
AMY PAGE, costume supervisor
MORA-AMINA PARKER, rehearsal director
The lead commissioners for ink were Peak Performances @ Montclair State University, NJ and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), with support from LUMBERYARD Contemporary Performing Arts. ink also received co-commissioning support from ASU Gammage. The creation and presentation of ink was made possible by The New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Mellon Foundation; The MAP Fund, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Mellon Foundation; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor of New York State and the New York State Legislature; and the Howard Gilman Foundation. ink was given its original creative development residency by The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance in partnership with The Evelyn Sharp/CalArtsSummer Choreographic Residency. The development of ink was made possible, in part, by the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography at Florida State University, with support from the Princess Grace Foundation. The work was also created, in part, during a production residency at ASU Gammage, University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium, 2017 Off-Shore Creation Residency at The Yard and creative residencies at Peak Performances @ Montclair State University, NJ, Jacob’s Pillow, Hobart & William Smith Colleges and CUNY Dance Initiative at Kingsborough Community College.
The revival of ink was made possible, in part, with public support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Lead funding for the revival of ink was provided by the Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the Harkness Foundation of Dance, and Jody and John Arnhold. ink was revived (in part) during a residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park.
Music Credits: Jilltro by Jill Scott, Universal Music Publishing Group, recorded by Jill Scott, Hidden Beach Recordings; Time Travelin,’ by Common D’Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser, and J. Dilla, Universal Music Publishing Group, lead vocals Common and featuring D’Angelo, Roy Hargrove, Jeff Lee Johnson, Femi Kuti, Melena, Vinia Mojica, MCA Records.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
“I see black people as superheroes because we keep rising.”—Question Bridge: Black Males in America
Propelled by the live rhythms and sounds of traditional African and handmade instruments, Camille A. Brown’s ink celebrates the rituals, gestures, and traditions of the African diaspora. Through self-empowerment, Black love, brotherhood, exhaustion and resilience, community and fellowship, ink depicts the pedestrian interactions of individuals and relationships as grounds for accessing one’s innate super powers and finding liberation. The work seeks to reclaim African-American narratives and is the final installment of Brown's dance theater trilogy about identity.
CHOREOGRAPHER’S NOTE
“I write to create myself.”—Octavia E. Butler
Culture codes
Balance
Milkshake
Turf
Shedding
Migration
After the creative process for BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, I held a desire to dig even deeper and tell more stories of ritual, gestural vocabulary, and traditions of the African Diaspora. Our ancestors live inside of our bodies, because of this I began to investigate what accessing that power looks, sounds, and feels like. For inspiration, I was immediately drawn to two albums that had a significant impact on me when I was growing up. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill, and, Like Water for Chocolate by Common. I tasked myself with creating a movement language that embodied the same raw authenticity, and vulnerability that fuels those lyrics and music.
As I began to develop the concept for ink, I wanted the dancers to represent superheroes. I couldn’t figure out why I had the urge to play with this idea until I read Question Bridge: Black Males in America*. One of the men interviewed said, “I see Black people as comic book heroes because they always keep rising.” That was it! It is about showing that in our basic survival, and natural attributes we have superhuman powers. Powers to shift, overcome, transform, and persevere even within an often hostile environment. The seven sections of ink represent superpowers of spirituality, history and heritage, the celebration of the Black female body, Black love, brotherhood, exhaustion, and community.
ink is the culmination of my trilogy on Black identity following, Mr. TOL E. RAncE (2012) and BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play (2015). The opening solo, “Cultural codes” begins with a call to Elegba - a Yoruba deity that opens and clears the space as guardian, protector, and communicator. Through the various revolutions of a structured phrase, the grio pulls out all the manifestations of Blackness. This solo makes possible "Balance," a duet inspired by the Hustle and Lindy hop that displays the beauty of Black love and intimacy. Black love moves to Black beauty, inspired by Saartje Baartman’s ample curves, "Milkshake," transposes the objectification of the Black female body into a rhythmic celebration and glorification of her form. It’s where “pattin Juba” meets “Go Go”. If BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play was a call, "Turf" is the response illustrating the Black male rite of passage propelled by “the dab.” Two innocents are hit with the reality of navigating being Black Men in America while protecting one another through it all. For those who bear the burdens of others, "Shedding," evokes the story of those who keep us lifted even in the midst of their own enervation. We are led to "Migration," a community of love, support and enduring vitality moving with the sound of the violin- a reference to the Kora, a West African instrument. With musical references ranging from Ancestral rhythms, Go Go, Dancehall, The Notorious B.I.G. (Sky’s the Limit), Mary J. Blige (Real Love), Common (Time Travelin') and Jill Scott (Jilltro), ink uses the power of the past and present to propel us into the future.
I lift up our real-life superheroes of the past who paved the way for us to fly and “be fly”. In flight, we see the superpower of Black people in America.
We keep rising.
~ Camille A. Brown
* "Question Bridge: Black Males in America" is by Dr. Deborah Willis (Author, Editor), Chris Johnson (Author), Hank Willis Thomas (Author), Bayeté Ross Smith (Author), Kamal Sinclair (Author), Delroy Lindo (Author), Rashid Shabazz (Author), Natasha L. Logan (Editor), Jesse Williams (Preface), Andrew Young (Introduction)
SPECIAL THANKS:
CABD would like to express its deep gratitude to Robert van Leer, Coy Middlebrook, Debbie Allen, and the board of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, administrative and technical staff for all of their hard work, dedication and support!