AB CONTEMPORARY DANCE & HAYTI PRESENTS
“QUARE DANCE & OTHER STORIES”
A REIMAGINING OF BALLET THROUGH BLACK QUEER AESTHETICS
AB Contemporary Dance, under the direction of dance artist, scholar, and choreographer Alyah Baker, is pleased to announce the launch of its latest project, Quare Dance & Other Stories at the Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville Street, Durham NC.
This work offers an exploration of identity and belonging, reimagining classical ballet through the lens of Black queer aesthetics and storytelling.
Friday, September 20, 2024
6:00pm:
Black Queer Aesthetic in Ballet
Installation Opening and Artist Talk
FREE/RSVP
Quare Dance & Other Stories is an intimate installation and Work-in-Progress showing of excerpts from a forthcoming full-length piece that combines movement, video, text, and adornment to delve into the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. Through a series of solos, duets, and ensemble pieces, the work takes audiences on a journey through themes of assimilation, self-realization, and reclamation, ultimately celebrating the transcendent power of self-acceptance and joy. “This project embodies pure beauty and kinetic
magic,” said an audience member.
Friday, September 27, 2024 6:30pm:
Quare Dance & Other Stories
6:30 – Lobby Installation opens
7:00 – Doors for Performance
8:00 – Audience Talkback
Quare Dance has already garnered critical acclaim and national attention, including features in the New York Times. The project is a recipient of the prestigious National Performance Network Creation and Development Fund and has been supported by esteemed organizations such as the Hayti Heritage Center, Duke University, United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, Raleigh Arts, North Carolina Arts Council, and Queering Dance Festival. “We aim to challenge and expand the narratives within classical ballet, offering new perspectives on what dance can be,” said Baker