2023
Onyx
Onyx digs into the origins of "Rock and Roll" revealing the Black and Brown people whose sounds, performances and personalities created this revolutionary genre. Through the setting of improvisational scores, character embodiment, and flowing phrase work, Onyx reflects on the fame, influence, appropriation and erasure that riddles the legacy of so many Black and Brown artists. Through this embodiment of history, Onyx serves to recognize and celebrate these groundbreaking musicians while widening our perspective of the Black American cultural experience.
Initial research for this project was supported by a 2021 Caroline A. Hearst Choreography Fellowship from Princeton University. Onyx is co-commissioned by DanceNow, the American Dance Festival, The Joyce Theater, and ADF with support from the Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Works. Onyx will premiere at Virginia Commonwealth University on October 1st, 2022. 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.
Onyx digs into the origins of "Rock and Roll" revealing the Black and Brown people whose sounds, performances and personalities created this revolutionary genre. Through the setting of improvisational scores, character embodiment, and flowing phrase work, Onyx reflects on the fame, influence, appropriation and erasure that riddles the legacy of so many Black and Brown artists. Through this embodiment of history, Onyx serves to recognize and celebrate these groundbreaking musicians while widening our perspective of the Black American cultural experience.
Initial research for this project was supported by a 2021 Caroline A. Hearst Choreography Fellowship from Princeton University. Onyx is co-commissioned by DanceNow, the American Dance Festival, The Joyce Theater, and ADF with support from the Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Works. Onyx will premiere at Virginia Commonwealth University on October 1st, 2022. 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.
| Choreography | Kyle Marshall with movement contribution by performers |
| Performers | Bree Breeden, Cayleen Del Rosario, Kyle Marshall, Niara Hardister, Nik Owens |
| Sound Design | Kwami Winfield |
| Music and text | Little Richard, Betty Davis, Death, James Brown, LaVern Baker, Tina Turner, Big Mama Thornton, Ann Peebles and Sister Rosetta Tharpe |
| Costume Design, Makeup and Hair | Edo Tastic |
| Costume Construction | Meagan Woods |
| Lighting | Itohan Edoloyi |