Onyx (Preview)
September 16–17, 2022
8pm
Onyx digs into the origins of "Rock and Roll" revealing the Black and Brown people whose sounds, performances and personalities created this revolutionary genre. This 40-minute dance features a cast of five performers, Bree Breeden, Niara Hardister, Kyle Marshall, Nik Owens, and Cayleen Del Rosario. Costumes, Hair and Make Up are designed by KMC visual director Edo Tastic, with costumes constructed by Meagan Woods. Lighting will be by Itohan Edoloyi, KMC’s resident designer. The soundtrack, shaped by artist Kwami Winfield, incorporates samples of text and songs by groundbreaking Rock and Rollers including; Little Richard, Betty Davis, Death, James Brown, LaVern Baker, Tina Turner, Big Mama Thornton, Sonny Sharrock, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Image by Edo Tastic
About
“A choreographic voice like no one else’s” (New York Times).
Founded in 2014, Kyle Marshall Choreography (KMC) is a company that sees the dancing body as a container of history, an igniter of social reform, and a site of celebration. KMC believes in the creation, sharing, and teaching of dance as a way to deepen our knowledge of who we are as individuals, how we develop relationships, and ultimately societies.
KMC has performed at venues including: BAM Next Wave Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Joe’s Pub, Roulette, Actors Fund Arts Center, The Shed, Chelsea Factory, Philadelphia’s FringeArts, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, and The New World Center. Commissions have included: Baryshnikov Arts Center, “Dance on the Lawn” Montclair Dance Festival, NJPAC and Harlem Stage. KMC has received residences from County Prep High School, 92nd St Y, CPR, the Jamaica Performing Arts Center, and MANA Contemporary Performance Residency Program. The company is currently in residence at The Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU.
Funding
Onyx is co-commissioned by The Joyce Theater Foundation’s Creative Residencies Program made possible by the Mellon Foundation and American Dance Festival with support from the Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Works. Additional support from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation ArtsCONNECT Grant. Initial research was supported by a 2021 Caroline A. Hearst Choreography Fellowship from Princeton University. Gratitude goes to the Monira Foundation at MANA Contemporary and The Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU for generous residency time to build the work. Special thanks to Ariana Speight for their contributions to the work.