​Spring Break, New Adventures and YT Women 
 
This week was full—I was stretched beyond measure in every way possible. I was writing all week, had rehearsal on (last) Thursday, performed on Saturday and got on the road on Sunday with my son and mom headed to Tampa for a few days. I also had a major deadline on Monday for my dissertation work. After writing all day, I submitted my paper at 3:30 am that morning and was up and ready for the day with my son and my mom for our Spring adventure(s). We went to the Aquarium and had an amazing time. It was “a first” for all of us. The day was full of laughs, amazement, and movement. I was running on fumes but watching him skip and jump around was the perfect refueling I needed. I knew that I had to show up and be present for him. I caught my second wind as I walked through each exhibit that was home to some of the most beautiful and exquisite underwater life. I thought about how the tanks would make amazing backdrops for site specific works and how the illumination from the fish and coral would add to the fierce lighting of maestro Apon Nichols. I was already in production mode!  After we completed the self-lead tour, we went in the souvenir shop to commemorate our experience with a t-shirt followed by getting our picture printed that was taken at the entrance. 
 
With burning eyes, I did my thing. The next stop was shopping at the outlet mall. As we entered the shopping area this yt woman walked towards me as she complimented my hair; while she asked me if it was all mine (while all in my personal space), proceeded to wrap my 58-inch blonde micro braids/twists around her wrists like she was about to lasso a friggin’ hog. I had an outer body experience. I was in shock at first. I was like what the eff is happening here? I mean, my God, we hear about these stories all the time from Black women and women of color and even children who have experienced this racist behavior. I snapped out of that “think fog” real quick and “yuck my hair” (Bahamian slang) out her friggin’ hand and said NO! As I analyze this egregious infraction by this woman who clearly should have asked me about my CaribFunk body and how she could get one, (intent implied), but instead she chose to walk in the line of her ancestors, the ones who have no boundaries, believe that they have carte blanche to do whatever they feel like to Black bodies, and operate in white privilege. How many times do you have to be told to keep your god damn frowsy hands to yourself? I don’t know what stinkin’ food, body part, or crustation you touched before you touched my crown. How dare you! Clearly when she saw me, she thought I was her Black beauty, toy, stallion, or any other exotic item that she believed she was well within her right to assault, accost, and violate. I was offended. This is a MICRO AGGRESSION!! Had I cussed her a$$ out, then that would have been another issue. I would say go and read about Black women and why they don’t want their hair touched, how this is a micro aggression (I’m sure she has no idea what that means), and how she and most yt women who engage in this practice are operating in “privilege and power” but hey all the books and articles are banned in this state. THIS IS WHY WE NEED BLACK HISTORY TAUGHT AND DISCUSSED ALL OVAHHHH! The muther effin’ nerve…PERIODTTT!!
 
Anyway, this experience didn’t disrupt the remainder of my trip or mood, it (again) serves as commentary for my writing…
 
“The [B]lack body, including skin color and hair texture, has served as markers of Otherness separating Black people from people of other racial groups. Because of this, the [B]lack body especially that of the female, is frequently subjected to the interrogation by non-[B]lack people.” (Collier 2021, 1)
 
Collier, Zakiya. 2021. “Don’t Touch My Hair”: An Examination of the Exercise of Privilege and Power Through Interracial Hair-Centered Communication Interactions,” Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association, Vol. 2017 (11).
 
#dancewriter
#culturalcritic
#donttouchblackwomenshair 

​Haint Blu, “[the] multi-year project created by legendary movement collective Urban Bush Women…premier[ed]” (liveartsmiami.org) at the Historic Hampton House March 9-12, 2023. As I read critiques of praise and excitement by attendees on social media, I thought about their words and the description of their experiences and waited patiently for my turn on Saturday night. When I entered the space, I started to make the immediate left to the courtyard area, since that’s where I went for the previous performance in November (2022) and was quickly redirected by the ushers to the café. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the set up. There were high and low tables and chairs. It was a full house. Guests were laughing, chatting, drinking beverages from the bar, and/or watching the screen which at times projected civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who from what I understand was a guest there; there were also scenes with former company member Melissa Cobblah Gutierrez. Music was playing softly in the background, adding a particular ambiance that was nice. I scanned the room for familiar faces and saw several local scholars, artists, and professors, even former UBW company member and South Florida native Stephanie Mas. 
 
After about 15 minutes we were welcomed by a member of the Live Arts Miami Staff and then introduced to The Historic Hampton House Brand Manager, Edwin Shepard. Co-artistic director Mame Diarra Speis entered the space, asked us to look at our program, find the inner paper, look on the back to see what number we had, and sent us on our way with the guides. I had number 1 on my sheet. I walked with my group to the first stop on the journey which featured co-artistic director Chanon Judson and two Miami Dade College/Jubilation Dance Ensemble MDC/JDE student performers. Guests gathered in the space. Some were seated while others stood. Everyone listened deeply to Channon’s words which included information and directions for traveling “in safety and in care” while watching her body give and take energy. Her shoulders rolled forward with fists clenched. She contorted her chest, stepping forward, over her imaginary bridge or gateway. She swayed her upper body like a palm tree in the hot wind of the Savannah and rolled her neck, torso, and hips. The MDC/JDE performers anchored Channon walking forward with their blue fabric. Are they gatekeepers? My eyes are drawn to the table placed in the corner where I was standing, covered with a beautiful crème fabric. There are note cards placed on the edges of two corners of the table as well as various gold trinkets—bells, shells, and a small basket. This was an enigmatic yet lucent embodiment of African spirituality. I was intrigued and curious to see what was next on the journey. We were sent on our way while several other MDC/JDE members danced us to our next location in the courtyard. There were hand washing stations facilitated by dance program director at MDC and artistic director of JDE Michelle Grant Murray as well as Olujimi Dance Collective company member Shanna Woods. Givers Revival provided a drink bar that offered cool and refreshing drinks –I had a delicious womb strengthening lemonade. There was also an intricate alter space constructed by healer, ritualist, and restorative justice practitioner Wakumi Douglas. At the alter we were afforded the opportunity to either meditate, write a prayer, or connect with and write an ancestors name down and place the paper on the alter. This was a magnificent and necessary beginning to the work. The elements of African spiritually offered by Douglas, Grant-Murray and the Olujimi Dance Collective provided a grounding that is essential based on the premise of the piece which, “explore[s] the movements histories, and stories, of community elders, [and] ancestors” (liveartsmiami.org). 
 
What I viewed previously in November 2022 at the first iteration and what “I saw” (Warren 2022, 29) and felt via the “psycho-meta-emotional-spiritual” (Gottschild 2022, 30) at the premier were different. I had several questions concerning intention, spiritual embodiment versus performance of spirituality, and how the concept of “Haint Blue” which is a ritual involving painting the ceiling or roof of a homes in the South blue to ward off spirits was imparted and evidenced (non-superficially) in the work. That might be a question for the dramaturg as well. 
 
Overall, this is undeniably a “dance theater” work. It is interactive; the community travelled through the space, room to room, experiencing deep mythical expressions of longing, memory, and sacred healing elements. We also were enthralled in dance/house party vibes, offering a cacophony of sound and movement. The dancers performed superbly, both UBW and MDC/JDE. Those young dancers are a force, they held their own, and yet provided the necessary support for UBW.
 
From an aesthetic perspective, this UBW company offers a different movement vernacular as opposed to what I remember what UBW presented several years ago. I am still thinking about what this means to me —the groundedness and openness of the hip, African aesthetics, looseness and articulation of the torso and extremities, and that fiyah batty. Much of the choreography is devoid of these elements. Grace Galu Kalambay, vocalist and musician, was fantastic. She rocked the house with her sultry rhythm and blues performance offering another dimension to the work while also leveling out some of the schism. I loved the gold netting costume with the black trunks/body suit underneath. This visual conjures up multiple visions and memories of our ancestors either as fisherwomen/men or being fished and hunted by white murderers. The imagery is stunning. 
 
In November, as I stated in my mini reflection, the (then) work in progress was piercing, poignant, and powerful. It centered Blackness, Black culture, and offered a space/place for Black women to “heal and [be] present [while] we are in a constant state of erasure” (Nadege Green 2022). This is still an accurate statement. Haint Blu should be seen and experienced. Thank you for the Bush Medicine!
 
Asantewaa, Eva Yaa. 2022. “As We See It: Black Elders On Writing on Dance: Eva Yaa Asantewaa in Conversation with With Brenda Dixon-Gottschild and Charmaine Warren. Movement Research Performance Journal (56).
 
Image 1: Shanna Woods, A’Keitha Carey, and Apon Nichols
Image 2: Chanon Judson, Alaina Spears, and Stephanie Franco
Image 3: Wakumi’s alterspace
Image 4:  Grace Galu Kalambay
Image 5:   UBW in gold netting
Image 6.: Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Speis