“Marshall seems to build an entire world in the movement, somehow creating a set of rules the dancers must live (and dance) by…the world he creates is so distinctly individual and captivating…”
– Alex Bloomstein, The Berkshire Edge
The cornerstone of Kyle Marshal Choreography’s Julius Eastman Trilogy, Femenine is an evening-length dance set to Eastman’s most joyous works “Femenine” (1974). Dressed in non-binary expressions designed by KMC Creative Director Edo Tastic, our cast of six performers, Khalid Dunton, Alex Francois, Niara Hardister, Jose Lapaz-Rodriguez, Kyle Marshall and Syd Worthy create a community onstage in lighting by Connor Sale. Ebbing between joyfully queer geometry and dense solos of honesty, the dance is driven by musicality and dramatic moments of power. Washed in an ocean of bells, instruments including vibraphone, brass, woodwinds, and strings carry us through spaces for softness and affirmation revealing the shadows and shimmers of Eastman’s life and legacy. Femenine, a full evening of music and dance is a celebration of Black andBrown LGBTQ+ people and artistry in times of resilience and solidarity.
The presentation of Femenine was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.