visible

visible is a performance work that explores epic journeys, myths, dreams and memories of the known world and an imagined future in an unknown land. nora chipaumire and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar conceived a landscape that unlocks the personal narratives of those who leave their homelands, by choice or not in search of “warmth of other suns” (Richard Wright). The vision of the work is reflected in the male and female cast who range from early twenties to mid sixties and who come from many places around the world.

Commissioned by Harlem Stage and produced by Urban Bush Women, the work draws directly on the personal experiences of the cast and historical and poetic references. Some of the questions explored include – How does this world we live in project its ideas of dominance and submission, shadows and light, sentient beings who are visible and ancestral forces that we feel but are not visible? – How does the “other” or those on the margins affect the host cultures? – What new art ideas emerge from the confrontation of difference? And most central to our investigation is our desire as dance-makers to take risk. – What kind of work would we capable of if we had nothing to lose and nothing to prove?

Premiere
October 2011

Premiere Venue
Harlem Stage, New York, NY