I had the pleasure of capturing behind the scenes footage and speaking with T. Lang about her role as choreographer for Up Right: Atlanta - a dynamic and moving dance performance created by and featuring sound suits developed by artist Nick Cave. Learn more about T. Lang's performance company by visiting http://tlangdance.com/
More about Flux Projects, presenter of Up Right: Atlanta below-
Flux Projects presents Up Right: Atlanta, the world premiere of Nick Cave’s Up Right performance series.
Presented in two-parts, the first, energetic and celebratory, is typical of Cave’s previous work as twelve dancers, led by the ‘drum major’ and accompanied by a six-member drum-line, invade the performance space. Costumed in brilliant multi-colored rafia and hair Soundsuits the dancers leap and weave through the audience, to the stage.
The second part, haunting and ritualistic, features seven ‘initiates’ dressed by seven ‘practitioners.’ Cave describes this work as a ‘call to arms, head and heart’ for the initiates – the lead African American male characters of this work. The initiates are sculpted, piece by hand-crafted piece, in the Soundsuits, readying mind, body, and spirit to face the forces that stand in the way of their selfhood. Fully adorned the initiates become warriors, active in their own destiny.
Cave worked with T. Lang, assistant professor of dance at Spelman College and artistic director of T. Lang Dance. Lang choreographed the dance sequence and auditioned and cast twenty-nine Atlanta artists - dancers, performers, and musicians for this event.