LaTasha Barnes

LaTasha Barnes’ The Jazz Continuum centers the prolific artistry of Jazz music and dance as a cornerstone of Black American dance forms. Performed by an intergenerational cast of seven Black dancers and six Black musicians, this one-hour performance celebrates the pure joy of Black Jazz dance. Barnes reaches back nearly 100 years, making the connection between the dances that sprang from America’s Black Jazz music to today’s House and Hip Hop dance vernacular. Each performer brings to stage their personal dance and music journeys, investigating the energetic relationships within Jazz and Lindy Hop. The Jazz Continuum celebrates dances and music from Harlem, Chicago, New Orleans, Cuba, Haiti, Angola, and Brazil. It conjures the spirits of Black dance elders, including: Norma Miller; Frankie Manning; Earl Snake Hips Tucker; and Marjory Smarth. The NY Times said of the Bessie-award winning Barnes: “To watch LaTasha Barnes dance is to watch historical distance collapse.”

Land acknowledgement: Hohokam, O'odham Jewel & Akimel O'odham
Estimated artist fee: $60,000/weekly residency