INCOPNEGRO: AFTERMATH Premieres at CATAC in June

Choreographer Dominic Moore-Dunson (Akron, OH) has announced the world premiere of inCOPnegro: Aftermath, an evening-length dance-theatre performance which explores concepts of safety, police relations, and the importance of community healing. inCOPnegro: Aftermath will premiere at the Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture (CATAC) in Akron June 22-23 and June 30-July 1. inCOPnegro: Aftermath is co-presented with CATAC.

Moore-Dunson was recently named one of Dance Magazine's 2023 Top 25 To Watch, a national list of dance artists and choreographers on the rise across the U.S. The development of inCOPnegro was a key reason for the honor, dance writer Steve Sucato noted "The 33-year-old's visceral, cross-disciplinary dance projects, themed around Blackness and social justice, pull from his personal experiences living and working in Akron, Ohio."

Inspiration for this project came from Moore-Dunson's own life experiences. He explains, "As a Black man, I have been pulled over by police no less than 45 times in my life. Then after the death of George Floyd in 2020, as a father-to-be, I realized for the first time I didn't only have to worry for my own safety, but that of my unborn son. I began reaching across my network asking Black parents, 'How do you teach your kids about the police?', and the overwhelming answer was, 'You just teach them to get home.'"

In 2022, Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, was killed in Akron, OH. Akron police fired 90 rounds, landing 60 of those into his body. Having this happen in his hometown, Moore-Dunson started thinking about his community healing. "I started questioning how we, as a community, heal from this trauma. When the news stories are over and the initial upset has simmered, how do we continue the conversation in the aftermath?"

inCOPnegro: Aftermath explores the lives of four Black male characters after police violence has torn apart their community. This 60-minute work combines live jazz and hip hop music with Moore-Dunson's choreographic style of "Urban Midwest Storytelling". Seated in the round, the audience gets an intimate view of the healing process needed in Akron today.

The creation of inCOPnegro: Aftermath was shaped by one-on-one interviews between Moore-Dunson and Akron community stakeholders, police officers, and criminal justice workers, as well as those outside the region. Attendees are encouraged to listen to the podcast inCOPnegro: Black & Blue before seeing the show as it offers context for the choreography, music, and spoken word. Moore-Dunson reflects, "These interviews are first-person accounts of racial injustice and the impact of policing. By listening to them, attendees will have a deeper understanding of the social, cultural and civic dynamics at work, as well as intimate access to the core material of this new performance." In partnership with LoveAkron, the July 1 performance will conclude with an artist/community talkback reflecting on the performance. Executive Director Kemp Boyd will lead a discussion about the healing process for Akron in the wake of Jayland Walker's death and the pending grand jury decision.

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