Concrete Skin (Natasha Poon Woo, Roderick George)
In this recent 2020 creation, choreographer Roderick George highlights Africanist aesthetics that often circulate through dominant cultures in the form of cultural appropriation, which separates Black dancing from Black bodies. With music by LOTIC, a Berlin-based, transgender woman, and mixing by New York DJ and producer Byrell the Great, Concrete Skin celebrates Black and queer experiences while dismantling white supremacist ideologies that prioritize individualism and binary/either-or thinking. Working collaboratively with dance artist Natasha Poon Woo, George was able to conduct a personal dive into Poon Woo’s background and origins, which include intergenerational suppression of and disconnect from mixed-race Black identity. These conversations influenced LOTIC and ignited an innovative system through which movement and music are co-created and codependent; each artist feeding off of the work being developed visually, kinesthetically, and acoustically. This sharing of energy in Concrete Skin reflects a political priority that is interdependent, synergistic, and celebrates our differences.
Concrete Skin was created through an entirely remote process during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which I was based at home in Toronto, and Roderick in New York City. Having first met at Springboard Danse Montreal in 2013, with myself as a dancer and Roderick as the Emerging Choreographer for whom I was cast to dance, Roderick and I have maintained a steady, growing friendship and artistic collaboration despite rarely being in the same city in the past eight years. Surprisingly, both the pandemic and the livestream format of the Night Shift festival made us realize we didn’t have to wait for “ideal” circumstances to make and present something meaningful. We could shift and adapt our idea of what resources are necessary to create contemporary concert dance without diminishing the value of the creation process nor our artistic integrity, and still
involve other artists from marginalized groups whose work we value and aspire to bring to the fore. The experience of creating and performing Concrete Skin ultimately opened our eyes to the ability of concert dance to transcend physical space and traditional format. Roderick and I also hope viewers around the world were inspired to more deeply consider the experiences of BIPOC artists, and that those who could relate to the messages and imagery in the work would feel validated and supported to share and live their truths authentically.
- Natasha Poon Woo
Choreographer: Roderick George
Performers: Natasha Poon Woo & Roderick George
Original Music: LOTIC and Byrell the Great
Text: Natasha Poon Woo
Video Footage: Kandis Williams
Video Editing: Drew Berry
Livestream Director: Barbara Willis Sweete
Concrete Skin premiered on September 30, 2020 as part of Night Shift 2020. Night Shift is
produced by Citadel + Compagnie, co-presented with Fall for Dance North, and directed by
Barbara Willis Sweete.
More Information about Concrete Skin:
https://www.citadelcie.com/nightshift-concrete-skin/
Concrete Skin was created through an entirely remote process during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which I was based at home in Toronto, and Roderick in New York City. Having first met at Springboard Danse Montreal in 2013, with myself as a dancer and Roderick as the Emerging Choreographer for whom I was cast to dance, Roderick and I have maintained a steady, growing friendship and artistic collaboration despite rarely being in the same city in the past eight years. Surprisingly, both the pandemic and the livestream format of the Night Shift festival made us realize we didn’t have to wait for “ideal” circumstances to make and present something meaningful. We could shift and adapt our idea of what resources are necessary to create contemporary concert dance without diminishing the value of the creation process nor our artistic integrity, and still
involve other artists from marginalized groups whose work we value and aspire to bring to the fore. The experience of creating and performing Concrete Skin ultimately opened our eyes to the ability of concert dance to transcend physical space and traditional format. Roderick and I also hope viewers around the world were inspired to more deeply consider the experiences of BIPOC artists, and that those who could relate to the messages and imagery in the work would feel validated and supported to share and live their truths authentically.
- Natasha Poon Woo
Choreographer: Roderick George
Performers: Natasha Poon Woo & Roderick George
Original Music: LOTIC and Byrell the Great
Text: Natasha Poon Woo
Video Footage: Kandis Williams
Video Editing: Drew Berry
Livestream Director: Barbara Willis Sweete
Concrete Skin premiered on September 30, 2020 as part of Night Shift 2020. Night Shift is
produced by Citadel + Compagnie, co-presented with Fall for Dance North, and directed by
Barbara Willis Sweete.
More Information about Concrete Skin:
https://www.citadelcie.com/nightshift-concrete-skin/
Natasha Poon WooRoderick George |
Natasha Poon Woo began training and performing with Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre
(CCDT) in her hometown of Toronto. She went on to study at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase, performing the works of Pam Tanowitz, Twyla Tharp, and Doug Varone before graduating summa cum laude with a BFA and the President’s Award for Achievement. Natasha has worked with companies and artists including Conny Janssen Danst, Kevin Wynn Collection, Rock Bottom Movement, Côté Danse, The Dietrich Group, Roderick George, Benjamin Landsberg, Ryan Lee, Gadfly, Little Pear Garden, and Hit & Run Dance Productions. She is a Dora Award-winning performer with Rock Bottom for its acclaimed production, hollow mountain. Natasha was the Associate Artistic Director of CCDT from 2019-2021 and served as the company’s Rehearsal Director from 2012-2021. She has also directed rehearsals for artists including Hanna Kiel, Roderick George and Rodney Diverlus. Natasha is a sought-after dance educator across Ontario, specializing in Limón-based modern technique. *Natasha has been a member of HDC through Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre for the past two years, and recently registered for membership as an independent dance artist/educator. Roderick George was born in Houston, Texas, and trained at the Houston Ballet Academy, Alvin
Ailey School, Miami City Ballet, LINES Professional Program, the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and SUNY Purchase College. He has danced with companies such as NYC’s Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Sidra Bell Dance NY, as well as Ballett Basel/Theater Basel (Switzerland), Goteborg Operan DansKompani (Sweden), and The Forsythe Company (Germany). He has performed the works of choreographers Marie Chouinard, William Forsythe, Sharon Eyal, Jiří Kylian, and Ohad Naharin, among many others. As the Founder, Artistic Director, and Choreographer of kNonAme Artist, Roderick has presented his full-length work Fleshless Beast live in Berlin and Montreal, with a film version recently shot in NYC. His choreography has been presented by Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Ballett Basel, the Goteborg Operan DansKompani, Springboard Danse Montreal, and Youth American Grand Prix, in addition to commissions by companies and conservatories worldwide. |