Tune in for a rebroadcast of the conversation between Wave Farm Radio Program Director Meredith Kooi and Kyle Marshall, the artistic director of Kyle Marshall Choreography, had about the company's performances of its new work "Femenine" this weekend at PS21 plus an excerpt of "Femenine" (1974) by composer Julius Eastman.

An evening-length dance piece set to composer Julius Eastman’s (1940-1990) jubilant work of the same title, “Femenine” (1974) is a celebration choreographed by Kyle Marshall, with music performed live by the BlackBox Ensemble. Dressed in non-binary expressions, six dancers ebb between joyfully queer geometry and dense solos of honesty, creating a community driven by musicality and dramatic moments of power. Washed in an ocean of bells, vibraphone, brass, woodwinds and strings, the work carries us through spaces for softness and affirmation, revealing the shadows and shimmers of Eastman’s life and legacy.

Julius Eastman (1940-1990) was a queer Black American composer and musician who, as Kyle Marshall says in the conversation, was "ahead of his time" in his way of bringing political issues to the table, traversing genres, categorization, and identities. His work has been compared to minimalist composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich, but he termed his work "organic music," bringing improvisation, experimental jazz, and Black American pop in to grow and transform the compositions.

"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. "Femenine" is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Bates Dance Festival (BDF), in partnership with Jacob’s Pillow, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), and NPN. The Creation & Development Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information, visit www.npnweb.org.

"Femenine" was developed with residency support from Jacob’s Pillow’s Pillow Lab and PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance.

More information about Kyle Marshall Choreography here.
More information about the weekend's performances at PS21 here