"A Message from Mx. Black Copper” @ the Performance Mix Festival | Thursday, 7PM
And, reflections of grief, fire, and liberation
A Message from Mx. Black Copper
I will be performing this solo at New Dance Alliance’s Performance Mix Festival #38 at Abrons Arts Center at 7pm, opening up the festival with Frederic Nauczyciel, Bob Eisen, and Shua Group.
Tickets are $18.50
Reflections in preparation for this performance…
It’s pride month I am so grateful to be dancing in the ancestral legacy of Punkers and Waackers. Punking and Waacking is a dance and performance practice created by Black and brown gay men and queer folks in the Los Angeles clubs during the 1970’s disco era. It nearly died out due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and violent homophobia ending the lives of most of the original Punks. Through the grace and tenacity of those who survived and those who learned from the elders, the legacy of Punking and Waacking is ever expanding!
I am sitting with a host of grief this pride month, and as I rehearse for this performance of A Message from Mx. Black Copper I am reminded of how expansive grief can be. This solo came through me as a ritual to be fully present in all stages of grief. The grief is not specific to one event, though. As I’ve performed this piece over the past year, I’ve grieved for my ancestral lineage who were subjected to enslavement. I’ve grieved the murder of O’Shae Sibley. I’ve grieved the g*nocides in Sudan, the DR of Congo, Palestine, and Haiti. I’ve grieved the self-immolation and extreme protest of Aaron Bushnell. And, now I sense I’ll be grieving the oppression of my queer and gay ancestors.
Grief, for me, is often full of rage. I’m an Aries and I’d rather screech and burn some shit down like a phoenix than be seen sad or sorrowful. I prefer to reserve my tears for joy and gratitude these days. But, as I imagine the fires of self-immolation, and the flamboyant fires of my Black queer expression, and the fires that have rained down on city blocks in Chicago and Palestine, I am comforted by the fact that phoenixes rise from the ashes of destruction.
I’m grateful to have another opportunity to share this performance with you. It’s dance and performance that gave me the space to direct my ire towards the direction of liberation. And, to all who will be there, I am grateful to share this message from Mx. Black Copper with you.
Deeper Reflections on Genocide and Liberated Futures…
I don’t assume my words are needed or crucial for liberation. I just don’t… I’d rather be quiet and just DO the things that are in alignment with abolishing oppression, ending genocides, and caring for those who are directly affected by the bombs dropped and blood shed. And. I’d rather do it silently because reward or congratulation for these acts confuse me. But, for many reasons, I am called to both speak and act.
As I meditated on what I would have to say to my people experiencing genocide, these words came to me. They are rooted in gratitude because the rich, dark soil of gratitude helps me make sense of this near-senseless world.
To our ancestors that dreamt of us and the scale of liberation we experience today, thank you. I pray that we continue the tradition by cultivating soil that is rich for future generations to grow the resources they need to live full healthy lives in harmony with all around them. May we be ancestors worthy of the future generations’ deepest gratitude.
With love,
j.