Program Note
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.

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. Special thanks to Ariana Speight for their contributions to the work. 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.