PAVEMENT

PRESS

“[…] [W]ith ‘PAVEMENT’, the Afro-American choreographer Kyle Abraham has created a powerful and moving work. The seven dancers, including one female, switch smoothly between classical and contemporary movement sequences and everyday gestures – seeming so intimate one moment, they appear aggressive and violent the next. […] With his poetic dance vocabulary, Kyle Abraham shows the reality of the concrete jungles and backyards of his hometown Pittsburgh. In one scene, for instance, two tall, strong men – one white, the other black – perform a synchronized dance, conveying a vulnerability that really makes an impact. Kyle Abraham is a discovery.”
NDR Kultur, 12 September 2016

preview TEXT

Pittsburgh-born choreographer Kyle Abraham is currently one of New York’s most promising young dance talents. In the production “PAVEMENT”, inspired by the cult ’90s film “Boyz N The Hood”, he explores violence on the fringes of society. Set in a basketball court, it shows human encounters expressed in dance. As well as dealing with gang warfare in the concrete jungle, criminality and marginalization, it also reflects an irrepressible will to live, solidarity, and strength of will to stand up for one’s beliefs among urban youngsters. Abraham is not only the choreographer of but also appears as one of the seven dancers in this stirring production, which references W.E.B. Du Bois’ seminal piece of Afro-American literature “The Souls of Black Folk” and skillfully blends a range of dance styles. Here, contemporary dance meets hip hop, not only in expressions of anger and aggression but also of hope, positive energy, and joyful vivacity.

(approx. 55 Min.)

Watch a video on vimeo

cast & credits

Choreography: Kyle Abraham in collaboration with Abraham.In.Motion
Performers: Kyle Abraham, Matthew Baker, Vinson Fraley Jr., Tamisha Guy, Thomas House, Jeremy “Jae” Neal, Kevin Ricardo Tate
Artistic Director: Kyle Abraham
Executive Director: Joe Stackell
Production Manager: Dan Stearns
Company Manager: Hillary Kooistra
Dramaturgy: Charlotte Brathwaite
Editing Advice: Alexandra Wells
Costume Design: Kyle Abraham
Scenic and Lighting Design: Dan Scully
Sound editing: Sam Crawford
Video images courtesy of Chris Ivey.
Public Programs Developer: Maritza Mosquera
Music: J.C. Bach, Jacques Brel, Benjamin Britten, Antonio Caldara, Sam Cooke, Colin Davis, Emmanuelle Haïm, Heather Harper, Donny Hathaway, Edward Howard, Concerto Köln, Philippe Jaroussky, Le Cercle De L'Harmonie, Alan Lomax, Ensemble Matheus, Fred McDowell, Hudson Mohawke, Alva Noto, Jérémie Rhorer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carl Sigman, Jean-Christophe Spinosi and Antonio Vivaldi.

Co-production: Abraham.In.Motion/ Harlem Stage, New York

Supported by: The National Endowment for the Arts, Washington DC in co-operation with the New England Foundation for the Arts, Boston through the National Dance Project. NDP is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, New York with additional support from the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation, New York

With thanks to: The Maggie Allesee National Centre for Choreography, Tallahassee/ The Joyce Theater Foundation, New York/ The Rockefeller Foundation and its NYC Cultural Innovation Fund, New York/ The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, New York/ The Danspace Project Commissioning Initiative, New York/ The Jerome Foundation, Saint Paul/ The Bates Dance Festival, Lewiston/ The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space program and Time Warner, New York