Camille A. Brown & Dancers at ASU Gammage

BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play depicts the complexities of carving out a positive identity as a Black female in urban American culture. In a world where Black women are often only portrayed in terms of their strength, resiliency, or trauma, this work seeks to represent a fuller spectrum of the Black female and the complexity of negotiating ourselves in this racially and politically charged world. BLACK GIRL uses African-American social dancing, rhythmic play, and musical compositions to better illustrate who "black girl" knows herself to be. It is Brown's hope that this work resonates, inspires and encourages Black girls everywhere. Brown draws from Melissa Harris-Perry's "Sister Citizen," Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and Daniel Silberberg's "Wonderland: The Zen of Alice" and "Slide: Games as Lessons in Black Musical Style" as resources and inspiration.