Dance

The Moves and Motion of Kyle Abraham

Written By ArtBurst Team
April 10, 2016 at 6:54 PM

Kyle Abraham and his talented troupe are back – and we are richer for it. Set to a tale of Pinocchio and his wish to be real, this time Abraham has created a piece investigating gender roles in the African-American community and the quest for acceptance. It explores our humanity in the modern digital age, counter pointing the childhood character against the industrialized world. Abraham.In.Motion’s Live! The Realest MC at The Colony Theater (1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach at 8:00 p.m.) on Friday and Saturday is part of the second season of MDC Live Arts programming. Abraham and A.I.M. will partake in several residency activities this week as well, including master and technique classes with students of New World School of the Arts at MDC campuses; lecture demonstrations on the company’s creative process; and workshops at Inkub8 in Wynwood. Of particular interest and poignancy is Abraham’s specialty workshop “Dance as Identity Ownership,” working with local LGBTQ youth groups and their exploration in finding a voice and facing their own quest for identity (local groups such as Teens for Equality, Pridelines and Project Leap are all scheduled to be involved). This emphasis on identity mirrors A.I.M’s assembly of dancers, who come from diverse backgrounds, and the company’s effort to “create an avenue for personal investigation on stage.” The week will prove to be very busy and intense for the company that is just arriving in Miami on the heels of presenting two other repertory pieces, The Radio Show and Pavement, at the Alabama Dance Festival this past weekend. Touring across the country presenting various works throughout is the product of the tireless and prolific creator behind the company, Mr. Kyle Abraham himself. Abraham began his training at the Civic Light Opera Academy and the Creative and Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh. He continued his dance studies in New York, earning a BFA from Purchase College at the State University of New York, and an MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. His choreography has been presented throughout the United States and he has really started to tack up the awards: a 2012 Ford Fellowship, a 2012 Jacob Pillow Dance Award, a 2010 Bessie Award for The Radio Show, and a 2010 Princess Grace Award for Choreography. Live! The Realest MC takes us on a journey through the intense process of becoming an adult, and a “man,” in an sensual navigation of gender roles in a hip-hop world. Abraham is one of today’s most thought-provoking and creative choreographers out there, and if his previous outing here in Miami last year is anything to go by, it could be the dance highlight of the year. For more information on the performances and tickets go to www.mdclivearts.org; 305 237-3010. For more information on workshops and classes, including at Inkub8 (2021 N.W. 1st Pl., Miami), contact Tiffany Madera at tmadera@mdc.edu. Another preview of Kyle Abraham’s “Live! The Realest MC” appears on the Huffington Post

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