An artistic commitment to nurturing futuristic optimism through a series of multimedia dance productions and the scientific research of how we cultivate liberation from oppression through our bodies.
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For the very first time in our 5 year production history, Dark Night of the Soul will include an invitation-only studio audience, who will be joined by our broadcast audience in experiencing sunset yoga, panel discussion with thought leaders Archie Burnett & nia love, the premiere of a nia love short film dance journey, live performances by Archie, nia, & The Living Ancestors AND an afro-futuristic disco party to close out the night.
This Dance Union Video Podcast Episode #002 features performances by Quilan Arnold, Tyrone Bevans, Archie Burnett, j. bouey, nia love, Nubian Néné, Junada Petrus & Jayson P. Smith.
S A T U R N: A Revelation is a reverse time capsule radio broadcast hosted by Mx. Black Copper with DJ NYX from the year 2220, when humanity is at the precipice of abolishing all systems of oppression. During the broadcast, we see Mx. Black Copper waacking to songs of liberation interwoven with the conjured discussions of ancestors from 2023 reflecting on their responsibility to leave behind a healthy global ecology for their descendants.
Conceived by dance artist j. bouey, S A T U R N: A Revelation is an immersive dance performance installation, direct action for community support, and multi-camera live broadcast exploring the question: what are we responsible for once we abolish all systems of oppression? This hologram-like radio show, with environmental projection mapping and multiple points of view, is magically performed in real-time through the Live Performance Camera Obscura designed by George Del Barrio, paired with a live broadcast film experience by MIDHEAVEN Network + Studio.
The Performance Obscura allows for larger-than-life images of performers dancing within an enclosed space to be projected onto any surface in the performance space at the speed of light. An educational, soulful, and energetic live broadcast will offer multi-camera viewpoints of the entire production (including the invitation-only 12 April tech rehearsal), revealing elements that no in-person attendee could ever see.
MIDHEAVEN NETWORK IS A BRAVE, GENERATIVE SPACE OF HEALING AND FOR THE BUILDING — NOT “REBUILDING” — OF A FULLY INCLUSIVE SOCIETY. MIDHEAVEN EXISTS IN PARADOX: FROM MANY, ONE.
THROUGH LIVE ARTS PROGRAMMING FROM A GLOBAL PHALANX OF PERFORMANCE, VISUAL ART, SOCIAL JUSTICE, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, AND CINEMA/ DIGITAL/ VR VOYAGERS, MIDHEAVEN WILL ADVANCE COURAGEOUS, LOVING & POSSIBILITY-DRIVEN VISIONS TO THE WORLD.
Current Projects
A Tale of Fire & Flight
(Graduate Thesis/Work-in-Process, 2025)
A Tale of Fire & Flight’s story is narrated by Nanny Neptune, a griot from the future after oppression has been abolished, who shares the tale of Black Copper.
During a self-immolating live performance, Black Copper exposes the truth of a fascist government and their hidden underground society of human trafficked clones. From their own ashes, Black Copper is reborn as a phoenix and soars through the sky as a blazing symbol of liberation.
ATFF began as my thesis project and was encoded with my ethnochoreological research of oppression resilience and my neurological research of joy and liberation.
This project is under development and seeking support for a world premiere.
SATURN: A Revelation - introducing the Inter-Dimensional Time-Traveling Disco Space Opera Dance Band: “The Living Ancestors” (2024)
Stills from MIDHEVEN Network live broadcast
SATURN: A Revelation is an immersive dance performance installation, direct action for community support, and multi-camera live broadcast exploring the question: what are we responsible for once we abolish all systems of oppression? This hologram-like radio show, with environmental projection mapping and multiple points of view, is magically performed in real time through the Live Performance Camera Obscura designed by George Del Barrio, paired with a live broadcast film experience by MIDHEAVEN Network + Studio. The Performance Obscura allows for larger-than-life images of performers dancing within an enclosed space to be projected onto the walls, floors, ceilings, and screens installed in the performance space at the speed of light.
This piece premiered at JACK during a residency, with development support from Movement Research, BRIC, CUNY Dance Initiative, and Snug Harbor Cultural Center.
A Message from Mx. Black Copper (2023)
Photos by Rachel Keane
A Message from Mx. Black Copper is the initiating performance project of my Afro-futuristic world-building project, SATURN. Set in a not-too-distant future on an alternate timeline, the global oppression abolition project SATURN is near its completion, and the promise of a utopia nears.
A Message From Mx. Black Copper, a Bessie award-winning performance, introduces Black Copper, a mythic figure from the future that uses dance to travel through time. They arrive back in our time, desperately urging us to commit to the abolition of systemic oppression.
This piece was created during a Movement Research Artist in Residence program and was presented at MR @ Judson Church with generous funding from NYSCA and with creative development support from the Bogliasco Foundation.
Projects Under Cultivation
SATURN is an ongoing, ever-evolving, world-building project containing performance, film, and community engagement projects. To catch the next projects when they release, become a patron on my Patreon page and join my newsletter.