Events
aMoratorium
J'Sun Howard (USA)
Asian Premiere Book Now“... resists essentialist notions of Black masculinity by imagining a world where Black pain... is met with Black tenderness, care, and community.”
—Frenzied H(e)avens: African American Post Exilic Realities in J’Sun Howard’s “aMoratorium” by Brianna Alexis Heath
The Art Institute of Chicago asked the artist to make aMoratorium. This work reacts to a display about Charles Wilbert White. White has been a visual artist for over 40 years. In his work, White explains the history of African Americans, their beliefs, and how they grew up.
aMoratorium is about being a Black man. It looks at how seen Black men are, and when this topic is not talked about at all. It also talks about what people do in a Black church when there is a death, and Black people’s beliefs about souls. It is a work that aims to connect with you. It focuses on Black and Brown men, and shows them playing in a giving, kind, and loving way.
This work was put together by J’Sun Howard. He worked with 3 artists: dancers Dedrick “D. Banks” Gray and Timothy “Solomon” Bowser, and DJ Jared Brown. This is a brave dance-theatre show that looks at many issues and how they are linked. It shares how people are treated unfairly based on their race, sexuality or where they were born. It also talks about how the police might use their power to hurt others without reason. This work is made from many parts, such as:
- Art
- Fighting for what’s right
- What we’re taught in school
- How we talk about the issues around us
There is a post-show talk on 17 January 2024. Speech to text interpretation can be done if needed. If you need this service, email us at info@singaporefringe.com before 15 December 2023.
Artist Statement
People still might not treat someone fairly because of their race, just like 20 years ago. My work is about the problems Black and Brown people face because of their race. People will treat them worse because of their race, sexuality, or the country they are from. The police may also hurt them without any reason, which is unfair.
More people may start to think that there should not be Black and Brown people at all. This affects people like me and others across the world.
“... resists essentialist notions of Black masculinity by imagining a world where Black pain... is met with Black tenderness, care, and community.”
—Frenzied H(e)avens: African American Post Exilic Realities in J’Sun Howard’s “aMoratorium” by Brianna Alexis Heath
aMoratorium explores Black male identity, visibility, temporality, and its absence, and further examines death as it relates to the Black church and Black spiritual traditions. It is an intimate performance that expresses generous, compassionate, and loving play between Black and Brown men in our current socio-political climate.
aMoratorium was initially commissioned by the Art Institute of Chicago to respond to its retrospective of Charles Wilbert White, a visual artist who powerfully interpreted African American history, culture, and lives over the course of his four-decade career.
Choreographer J’Sun Howard and his collaborator-performers Dedrick “D. Banks” Gray and Timothy “Solomon” Bowser, and DJ Jared Brown, have created a frank and courageous dance-theatre performance. Standing at the intersection between art, activism, education, and social engagement, aMoratorium challenges racial supremacy, police brutality, global anti-Blackness, homophobia, and xenophobia.
“… dancer Dedrick Gray’s courage and vulnerability infused every shake, pounce and stagger.”
—Wendy Perron, Dance Magazine, 2019
“aMoratorium’s Dedrick Gray and Solomon Bowser are amazing, mesmerizing dancers! They are both so powerful/graceful and precise, but their solos truly showcased the delicious distinctions in their embodied storytelling.”
—Felicia Holman, Performance Response Journal, 2020
With support from Mid Atlantic Arts.
Post-show dialogue on 18 January 2024, with speech to text interpretation available upon request. Please email your request to info@singaporefringe.com before 15 December 2023.
Artist Statement
“To dance is to breathe. As a dancemaker, I organize generous, loving, and compassionate play for Black male-identified individuals. In a society that denies play as a possibility for us and does not permit exploring the unknown—because discovery requires a moment of aimlessness, which is deemed criminal in our country—we must be unapologetic in our Blackness. My work intertwines the undeniable gentleness, loveliness, and pain of our play.”
—J’Sun Howard
Issues of racial inequality are as prevalent today as they were 20 years ago. My work speaks to how Black and Brown people need to navigate and negotiate the realities of white supremacy, police brutality, global anti-Blackness, homophobia, and xenophobia. These issues affect my community and the world at large because they reinforce the ideology that Black and Brown people should not exist.
Download artist biographiesDate & Duration
17–18 January 2024, 8pm
50 min with no intermission
Location
Esplanade Theatre Studio
Price
$35 | $28*
*Concession for students, NSF, senior citizens and PWD cardholders
Esplanade&Me Specials (7 Nov - 31 Dec 2023, limited tickets)
Black & White card members enjoy a 10% discount off standard price tickets. Log in to your Esplanade&Me member account to access the promo code.
Accessibility Features
Open captions in English for all shows
Rating
General
︎ Instagram
@JSunHoward