Who is in your art/dance/cultural history constellation? Who are some of your artistic influences?

My dance constellation is formed by the many Black choreographers (Bill T. Jones, Bebe Miller, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and others) who expanded the expectations of our dancing body. My time embodying the compositionally rigorous work of Trisha Brown and polyglot Doug Elkins informed my reading of post-modern, Black/Latinx social forms and their intertwining influence on contemporary dance. My childhood in tap, liturgical and marching band informs my sense of rhythm, spirit and musicality, evidenced in collaborations with contemporary chamber ensembles and musicians for original works for film and stage. My dance making is also forever linked to the visually poetic work of my husband/collaborator, Edo Tastic.

“In my curatorial and cultural organizing work across the years, I have come to think of dance, art, cultural history as a constellation of relations rather than a straight historic line. This ‘constellation view of art/dance/performance history’ honors the transmissions we have received directly from teachers as well as potent places, life-changing performances, paintings, and/or poems, among a myriad of other influences that shape who we are as artists at any given moment. Obviously, there is no one set of influences for any of us but I have found this kind of reflection can be a joyous practice and a way to honor the people, places, and works of art that have inspired us along the way!”

–Judy Hussie-Taylor

In this spirit, we asked our Fall Season artists, like Kyle, to share their own lineages.