A.I.M BY KYLE ABRAHAM
Saturday, April 6, 8pm
Artistic Director: Kyle Abraham* (he/him)
Executive Director: Sydnie Liggett-Dennis (she/her)
General Manager: Anne Dechêne (she/her)
Rehearsal Director: Jessica Tong (she/her)
Company Manager: Amber Lee Parker (she/her)
Production Stage Manager: Meredith Belis (she/her)
Lighting Supervisor: Dan Stearns (he/him)
Performers:
Jamaal Bowman (he/him)
Juan Carlos Franquiz, II (he/him) Associate
Amari Frazier (he/him)
Mykiah Goree (he/him)
Faith Joy Mondesire (she/her)
Donovan Reed (they/them)
Gianna Theodore (she/her)
Keturah Stephen (she/her)
Olivia Wang (she/her)
*Princess Grace Statue Award
PROGRAM
Someday Soon (2024) New York Premiere
Choreography: Keerati Jinakunwiphat
Music Composition: Quaba Venza Ernest, courtesy of Ernest Records
Lighting Design: Dan Scully
Costume Design: Brandon Blackwood
Costume Supervisor: Amy Page
Prop Design: Karin White
Performers: Jamaal Bowman, Juan Carlos Franquiz, II, Amari Frazier, Mykiah Goree, Faith Joy Mondesire, Donovan Reed, Keturah Stephen, Gianna Theodore
Music credits:
IGOR’S THEME performed by Tyler, The Creator, courtesy of Columbia. Part I composed by Quaba Venza Ernest, courtesy of Ernest Records. Flower Duet Lachme by LEO CLEMENT PHILIBERT DELIBES, CRML LIMITED (PRS), All rights on behalf of CRML LIMITED administered by Warner Tamerlane GRH Music. Overlay composed by Quaba Venza Ernest, courtesy of Ernest Records. Part II composed by Quaba Venza Ernest, courtesy of Ernest Records. Till The Wheels Fall Off by Macabre Plaza, courtesy of Vada Vada. Part III composed by Quaba Venza Ernest, courtesy of Ernest Records. EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING performed by Tyler, the Creator, courtesy of Columbia. Thank You For Waiting performed by Vinson Fraley, written by Keerati Jinakunwiphat, composed by Quaba Venza Ernest, courtesy of Ernest Records.
Someday Soon was commissioned by The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, General Manager, Ian Driver, and was created with the support of the Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University.
Sustaining support for Someday Soon provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Additional support for Someday Soon provided by Virginia Gold and Victoria Morris.
MotorRover (2023)
Choreography: Kyle Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M
Lighting Design: Dan Scully
Costume Design: Reid & Harriet
Performers: Jamaal Bowman, Donovan Reed
MotorRover was created in part during a “bubble” residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and LUMBERYARD, made possible by the Mellon Foundation.
MotorRover was commissioned by Baryshnikov Arts Center through its 2021 Commissioning Initiative. This initiative was made possible with generous support from Anonymous, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Howard Gilman Foundation, Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation, and Jerome Robbins Foundation.
MotorRover was choreographed in response to an excerpt from Merce Cunningham’s 1972 dance Landrover, and first shown digitally as part of “In Conversation with Merce,” an online program co-produced by Baryshnikov Arts Center and the Merce Cunningham Trust.
Additional support for MotorRover generously provided by Michéle and Steve Pesner, and Peace. Touring support for MotorRover provided by the Ed Bradley Family Foundation.
Show Pony (2018)
Choreography: Kyle Abraham
Music: “Hatshepsut” by Jlin
Lighting Design: Dan Scully
Costume Design: Fritz Masten
Performer: Olivia Wang
Shell of A Shell of The Shell (2024) World Premiere
Choreography: Rena Butler
Music Composition: Darryl J. Hoffman
Lighting Design: Dan Scully
Costume Design: Hogan McLaughlin
Performers: Jamaal Bowman, Amari Frazier, Donovan Reed, Keturah Stephen, Gianna Theodore, Olivia Wang
Shell of A Shell of The Shell was commissioned by The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, General Manager, Ian Driver.
Image: A.I.M by Kyle Abraham / MotorRover / Donovan Reed and Jamaal Bowman © Christopher Duggan
BRANDON BLACKWOOD (Costume Designer, Someday Soon) Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Brandon Blackwood is the Founder, Creative Director, and CEO of his namesake brand. He is a first generation American and was born to Jamaican and Chinese parents. While studying neuroscience at Bard College, he secretly pursued a career in fashion, interning at magazines such as Elle and Nylon. In 2015, while working at a consignment shop, he created a bag for himself (The Portmore) which garnered the attention of an editor at Essence and led to the creation of the brand. His first collection contained only three styles and the brand has since expanded into over thirty designs which also includes eyewear, swimwear, outerwear and footwear. Every item is influenced by Brandon's personal life named and inspired after his close friends, family or places he lived.
Most recently, the brand has moved into custom and has created looks for Serena Williams, Beyonce and Megan Thee Stallion.
Brandon Blackwood has been featured in NY Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Forbes, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Instyle, WWD and Marie Claire and is currently found in department stores such as Saks, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, KITH and Selfridges.
QUABA VENZA ERNEST (Composer, Someday Soon) is a multi-genre producer, musician hailing from Brooklyn, New York, with deep roots in St. Lucia. The work he creates seamlessly weaves together a musical tapestry that reflects his diverse influences. Growing up surrounded by the musical heritage of his Caribbean lineage, Quaba developed a profound passion for music at an early age. Immersed in the vibrant music scene of Brooklyn, he honed his skills playing guitar and bass in a jazz band at 92nd St Y, and Harlem School of the Arts. There he explored the intricate rhythms and improvisations that define the genre. This early exposure to jazz laid the foundation for Quaba's versatile and innovative approach to music. His artistic journey is deeply influenced by his father, a seasoned musician who played a pivotal role in the Caribbean touring band, "Rain, Drops and Tears." The experiences shared from father to son became integral parts of Quaba's musical identity. In addition to his jazz roots, he draws inspiration from a diverse array of modern-day and historic artists, infusing his sound with the pulsating beats and prowess of hip hop. The fusion of jazz, Caribbean rhythms, and hip hop elements creates an authentic and captivating sound that resonates with listeners.
REID AND HARRIET (Costume Designers, MotorRover) Harriet Jung and Reid Bartelme met in 2009 while pursuing fashion design degrees at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. They started designing collaboratively in 2011 and have focused their practice primarily on costuming dance. In 2015 they were commissioned by the Museum of Art and Design in New York to develop a costume-centric performance work and have since devised two performances at the Guggenheim Museum to shed light on collaborative practice in design and dance. Reid & Harriet Design has completed research fellowships at NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. They continue designing costumes and sets for dance productions around the world while expanding the scope of their practice outside the theater.
DARRYL J. HOFFMAN (Composer, Shell of A Shell of The Shell) (Bronx, NY) is a composer creative. He developed a curiosity for sound and began creating at the age of 13. Some of his early professional compositions include works for; choreographer Stephanie Martinez and Kansas City Ballet (2016), Visceral Dance Chicago’s “Synapse” (2017), three Philadanco works choreographed by Anthony Burrell & Christopher Huggins (2018-2019), “Title lX” (2018) & “Victoria” (2019) choreographed by Emmy Award winning choreographer Ebony Williams - which premiered at Jacob’s Pillow. Other musical commissions include; Paramar Dance Theatre’s premiere work entitled ‘Kiss”, choreographed by Stephanie Martinez, which has also been performed by The Baltimore School Of The Arts, & Thang Dao’s “ Run(A)Way” - a dance film set on Kennesaw State University dance company (which won best original score at the “Frost Bite International Online Film Festival”). Over the years, Hoffman has developed a partnership with choreographer and Princess Grace Award recipient Rena Butler. Together they have collaborated for works on; Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Ballet X (2018-2020). In 2021 they created works for The Gibney Dance company, Whim W’him Seattle Dance Company & The Juilliard School. In 2022; Groundwork’s, Charlotte Ballet, ABT’s Second Company, along with his first international evening lengths work – entitled “CAVE” for Swedish Dance Company Norrdans. In 2023 Hoffman created “The Ride Through” for Rena’s piece on Parsons Dance, which premiered at The Joyce Theatre. 2023 also included Pony Box Dance, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Oklahoma City Ballet, & an additional work for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Hoffman was a recipient of The “3Arts / Make A Wave” Award in Chicago, Illinois (2021). In addition to his extensive body of work throughout the years, Darryl has served as Musical Director for Regional Dance America’s National Choreography Summer Intensive (2020 & 2023). In 2023 he directed his first music program entitled “In the Here and Now” at the Museum of Broadway in partnership with The Paige Fraser Foundation – sponsored by New York State Council on the Arts. This year (2024) he continues his collaborations with Rena Butler, creating music for Gauthier Dance in Germany. Darryl continues to live in his gift as he intends to shape the culture of music & dance with his passion for sound and in other aspects of the arts.
JLIN (Composer, Show Pony) is the recording alias of Jerrilynn Patton, an electronic music producer from Gary, Indiana. Initially associated with Chicago's footwork scene, her music evolved far beyond that style, exploring unheard rhythms and placing her in a category of her own. Her debut album, 2015's Dark Energy, was filled with twisted, volatile tracks that seemed far more concerned with venting frustration, anger, and depression than providing dancefloor fodder. The album was an immediate, unexpected success, causing her to quit her job as a steel mill worker and pursue music full-time. One of the most acclaimed experimental electronic artists of the 2010s, she has shared the stage or collaborated with artists such as Björk, Ben Frost, and William Basinski. Additionally, she has ventured into contemporary dance, composing the music for Wayne McGregor's Autobiography, which premiered in 2017.
HOGAN MCLAUGHLIN (Costume Designer, Shell of A Shell of The Shell) is an American fashion designer, artist, and dancer. He began his professional career as a ballet dancer, performing with the internationally acclaimed Hubbard Street 2 and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In 2011, he met and collaborated with artist Daphne Guinness on his first garments, which ended up on display in the windows of Barneys New York Madison Avenue, and at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Later that year, McLaughlin launched his first collection for New York Fashion Week under his name, and was subsequently profiled by The New York Times, WWD, Vogue.com, among other publications, and had the opportunity to create custom looks for a number of high profile clients including Lady Gaga and Billy Porter. As an illustrator, he has had the pleasure of creating promotional images for HBO's Game of Thrones, Showtime's Penny Dreadful, and History Channel's Vikings.
DAN SCULLY (Lighting Designer) is a New York-based lighting and projection designer. He has been the resident lighting designer for A.I.M by Kyle Abraham since its founding, including designs for the full-length evening works Pavement, Live! The Realest M.C., and the Bessie Award-winning The Radio Show. Recent dance work includes designs for the New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, BODYTRAFFIC, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Misty Copeland, among others. Theater and concert credits include Rocky (Broadway), Jedermann (Salzburger Festspeile), The Orchestra Rocks! (Carnegie Hall), and Peter and The Wolf (John Lithgow / Carnegie Hall). Regional: Trinity Repertory Company, Geva Theatre Center, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and the Two River Theater Company. MFA NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Contemporary dance company A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, considered “one of the most consistently excellent troupes working today” (The New York Times), provides multifaceted performances, educational programming, and community-based workshops across the globe. Led by acclaimed Choreographer and Artistic Director Kyle Abraham’s innovative vision, the work is galvanized by Black culture and history and features the rich tapestry of Black and Queer stories, and is grounded in a conglomeration of unique perspectives; described by Abraham as a “post-modern gumbo” of movement exploration.
A.I.M is one of the most active touring dance companies in the United States, with an audience base as diverse as A.I.M’s movement vocabulary, drawing inspiration from a multitude of sources and dance styles. Since A.I.M’s founding in 2006, Abraham has created more than 30 original works for and with the company. To expand its repertoire and offer a breadth of dance work to audiences, A.I.M commissions new works and performs existing works by outside choreographers, such as Trisha Brown, Bebe Miller, Andrea Miller, Doug Varone, Paul Singh, A.I.M alums Rena Butler and Maleek Washington, and current A.I.M dancer Keerati Jinakunwiphat.
Kyle Abraham’s unique vision and illumination of poignant and relevant issues set him apart from his generation of choreographers as a leading creative force in dance. A.I.M extends this vision and amplifies surrounding artistic voices to share movement and community-based work with audiences around the world.
For more information, to get involved, or to purchase your A.I.M merchandise, please visit http://aimbykyleabraham.org. Follow A.I.M on Instagram @aimbykyleabraham and Kyle Abraham on Instagram at @kyle_abraham_original_recipe.
COMPANY CREDITS
Artistic Director: Kyle Abraham (he/him)
Executive Director: Sydnie Liggett-Dennis (she/her)
A.I.M Board of Directors:
Kyle Abraham
Stephen Simcock, chair
Cheryl Bergenfeld
Adrienne Edwards
Suzanne Hall
Mark A. Leavitt
Glenn Ligon
Jennifer Mendelson
Bebe Neuwirth
Carrie Schneider
Gilda Squire
Julia Strickland
Mickalene Thomas
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A.I.M Staff:
Company and Tour Operations
General Manager: Anne Dechêne (she/her)
Rehearsal Director: Jessica Tong (she/her)
Artistic Engagement Manager: Matthew Baker (he/him)
Company Manager: Amber Lee Parker (she/her)
Production Stage Manager: Meredith Belis (she/her)
Lighting Supervisor: Dan Stearns (he/him)
Development
Director of Development: Vacant
Development Associate: Danielle LeBron (she/her)
Press and Marketing
Marketing Manager: Alexander Diaz (he/they)
Marketing Associate: Catherine Kirk (she/her)
Press Agent: Chris Constable (he/him)
Finance
Financial Services Lucy Mallett (she/her) and Julia Corrigan (she/her), Arts FMS
SUPPORT
Generous support for A.I.M provided by: Ed Bradley Family Foundation, Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab; Ford Foundation; Gaea Foundation; Howard Gilman Foundation; Harkness Foundation for Dance; The Hyde and Watson Foundation; The International Association of Blacks in Dance; Joyce Theater Foundation; MacMillan Family Foundation; Mellon Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; New Music USA; New York Community Trust; Princess Grace Foundation-USA; Rockefeller Brothers Fund; Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; Samuel H. Scripps Foundation; and The Shubert Foundation. Public funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. A.I.M thanks corporate donors JPMorgan Chase and NBCUniversal for their generous matching gift support.
A.I.M is supported through the Comprehensive Organizational Health Initiative (COHI) | Managing Organizational Vitality and Endurance, a program of The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) in partnership with the Nonprofit Finance Fund with support from the Mellon Foundation.
Support the creation of new work and community engagement! Contributions may be made payable to “Abraham.In.Motion, Inc.” P.O. Box 986, New York, NY 10113. Abraham.In.Motion, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN: 82-4790161). All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
For booking information, contact Lotus Arts Management, Sophie Myrtil-McCourty, President, at 72-11 Austin Street, Suite 371, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Tel: 347.721.8724
email: sophie@lotusartsmgmt.com
website: www.lotusartsmgmt.com