My most recent project, Moko Jumbie is an interworking of performance work alongside community work. How does performance transform and transcend our ideas about race, gender and/or sexuality? As a queer black woman and dance maker I am interested in how embodied movement can help to enliven and enrich our cultural experiences. Moko Jumbie, is a celebration of Trinidad carnival and culture. It explores joy alongside pain and brings the viewer into the work. Invitations to move the body, the hips and the pelvis are encouraged. Learning how to tend to my audiences, creating works that are autobiographical and challenging myself to disrupt traditional practices that function in a binary are highly influenced by The People Institute of Survival and Beyond. Integrating this embodied knowledge shared and experienced with Urban Bush Women challenged me to consider what kind of spaces I was curating. My project is centered in black liberation, redefining the traditional. Transcending West African, Caribbean and contemporary modern dance practices. In this particular project I'm interested in the communal practices that can be shared with folx who may be detached from their physical bodies or whom have experienced trauma. I believe that my closeness to this work and centering my identity in this project ensures that I am deliberate in my curation.
If given space for my project, I intend on creating a virtual performances, workshops and classes. Organizing to continue to find ways to provide free programming to the NY, NJ and PA community. I'm interested in providing free workshops for all ages that are centered in honoring the roots of tradition in West African dance and Caribbean dance, as it also challenges and reflects on the necessity for ascribed gender roles. With this space I will have opportunities to explore, share and learn from those who participate.
Peerspace is on a mission to bring people together. We believe it is impossible to achieve that goal unless we also fight for equality and access to resources in the communities we serve.
Having a space to gather, create, and exchange ideas is an important part of any movement. In order to magnify voices that are often quieted, Peerspace will sponsor venues for people who challenge prejudice and fight for social justice and equality.
Each quarter, we will sponsor space for three projects that are relevant to our community. These projects can range from fundraisers and educational initiatives to art exhibits and photo series.
