Concrete Skin

About the Show

Concrete Skin
Choreographed by Roderick George

 
In this world premiere, choreographer Roderick George highlights Africanist aesthetics that often circulate through dominant cultures in the form of cultural appropriation, which separates Black dancing from Black bodies. With music by LOTIC, a Berlin-based, transgender woman, and mixing by New York DJ, and producer Byrell the Great, Concrete Skin celebrates Black and queer experiences while dismantling white supremacist ideologies that prioritize individualism and binary/either-or thinking. Working collaboratively with dance artist, Natasha Poon Woo, George conducted a dive into Poon Woo’s background and origins, which include intergenerational suppression of and disconnect from mixed-race Black identity. These conversations influenced LOTIC and ignited an innovative system through which movement and music are co-created and codependent; each artist feeding off of the work being developed visually, kinesthetically, and acoustically. This sharing of energy in Concrete Skin reflects a political priority that is interdependent, synergistic, and celebrates our differences.