jumatatu poe & donte beacham

Photo: Tayarisha Poe

Grant Recipient

Photo: Tayarisha Poe

Location

Philadelphia, PA

Digital Presence

Artist Website

Project Title

Let 'im Move You: This Is a Formation

Fiscal Year Awarded

2018

Grant or Program

National Dance Project Production Grant

Grant Amount

$45,000

This Is a Formation is a new dance work by Philadelphia-based choreographer jumatatu m. poe and Dallas-based J-Sette artist Jermone “Donte” Beacham. The work unites Black dancers of various genders addressing choreographic, emotional, and spiritual forms present within J-Sette and other Black queer dance vocabularies. With live-constructed music and media design, Formation confronts historic imaginations and limitations of art institutions centering White aesthetics, and outdoor spaces within predominantly Black neighborhoods. Furthering a seven-year collaborative experiment, jumatatu and Donte propose both real and imaginary possibilities of Black performing humans organized in assembly. Estimated artist fee: $29,000/one week + local car rental, housing, and freight with additional community and dialogic options available; $37,000/two weeks + local car rental, housing, and freight with additional community and dialogic options available