For C.J.  ​ Virtual Premiere

October 23, 2020 at 7pm EDT
Virtual Premiere of the BRIClab work-in-progress performance
Live Post-performance discussion with Charmaine Warren at 8pm

For C.J. Virtual Premiere  
Watch the trailer Below

Time to Talk with Davalois Fearon  Featuring  Charmaine  Warren
Click the arrows in the bottom right corner of the video to make it full screen.
​Join us after the performance for the very first episode of
Time to Talk with Davalois Fearon, a post-performance discussion featuring historian, dancer, curator, and co-creator of Black Dance Stories, Charmaine Warren.

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For C.J. is dedicated to Artistic Director Davalois Fearon’s nephew C.J. who was the victim of a fatal asthma attack in 2017. It is a work in progress that uses nature to explore themes of loss and remembrance, and tells C.J.'s story through Fearon’s fluid yet assertive movement vocabulary. Original music by multi-reedist Mike McGinnis; wearable sculpture, costume, and makeup designed by interdisciplinary artist Jasmine Murrell; and set design by performer and visual artist Myssi Robinson. For C.J. incorporates aspects of As Above, As Below, a site-specific piece created in dialogue with Gordon Matta-Clark’s 1971 performance Tree Dance, as well as the inclusion of alchemic philosophy in both artists’ conceptual processes commissioned by the Bronx Museum as part of the BxMA Co-Lab dance series.

The For C.J. Initiative addresses systemic medical and environmental negligence with a twofold approach that incorporates arts and community. I plan to create a dance piece that celebrates C.J.’s life and tells his story through movement, live music, and visual arts. Asthma awareness events will feature excerpts of For C.J. followed by panel discussions about asthma and various environmental and medical resources.

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Creator, Artistic Director: Davalois Fearon
Choreography: Davalois Fearon with assistance of the dancers​
​Dancers:​ Morgan Anderson, Njeri Rutherford, Mikaila Ware, Davalois Fearon

Music Director, Composer: Mike McGinnis
Silent Killer and Take Care songs by Davalois Fearon
Musicians: Michael McGinnis, Composer, Clarinet, saxophone; Brian Drye, Trombone; Jeff Hermanson, Trumpet;
Sara Schoenbeck, Bassoon; Dana Lyn, Violin; Yoon Sun Choi, Vocals; Allan Mednard, Drums (3/6/20) 

Costumes, wearable sculptures, and makeup design: Jasmine Murrell 
Set and interactive props design: Myssi Robinson
Lighting Design: Tricia Toliver

Rehearsal Director: Morgan Anderson​
BRIClab Mentor Stew
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Want to do something about the issues raised in For C.J.?
​Visit our For C.J. Initiative page for details on how to take action!


Accessibility notice: We are working to provide an audio description of For C.J., but unfortunately it will not be available in time for the event. Please let us know of any reasonable accommodations you may require, or if you are interested in participating in dialogue around making our dance work accessible.
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For C.J. Virtual Premiere was supported by a 2020 Project Grant from New Music USA. The development of For C.J. was made possible with partial financial support from Dance/NYC’s Dance Advancement Fund, made possible by the Ford Foundation, Bronx Council on the Arts, the Bronx Museum of Art, individual contributions, the MAP Fund Grant, BAX, BRIC, BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance and RestorationART ChoreoQuest dance residencies. For C.J. was created in part from “As Above, As Below,”  a site-specific piece created in dialogue with Gordon Matta-Clark’s exhibition "Anarchitect" at The Bronx Museum of the Arts and The BxMA Co Lab commission program. BxMA Co-Lab is made possible by the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Davalois Fearon is fiscally sponsored by the Foundation for Independent Artists, Inc., a non-profit organization administered by Pentacle (DanceWorks, Inc) and also receives capacity-building support from Pentacle’s Administrative Resource Team (ART).