Artistic Direction, Choreography, and Concept: Davalois Fearon 
Dancer: Jalisa Wallerson
Music by: Mike McGinnis 
​Wearable Sculpture: Jasmine Murrell
Costume: Jasmine Murrell and Davalois Fearon​

Excerpts of Herstory NYC Premiere, Danspace Project, ​NY:
December 8th, 2022  
Lighting: Joe Doran
Projections: André Zachery 
​Photo: Julie Lemberger​

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Finding Herstory is a solo commissioned by the Stephen Petronio Company for the 2021 Bloodlines (future) Program, made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with support from Governor Hochul and New York State Legislature. Finding Herstory is inspired by Africanist forms such as reggae and dancehall that have contributed to the American dance landscape and shaped Fearon as an artist. It is the first solo in the “Finding Herstory Project,” a series of solos and group works that look at how cross-cultural movements, mainly stemming from the African diaspora, play a role in the development of contemporary dance and celebrate the forms that helped build American dance.

"Excerpt of 'Finding Herstory'" is a direct outgrowth of  “Segregated Me,” it a solo which explores how segregation in America has manifested itself within the field of dance, given the existence of dance and “Black Dance” as separate genres. It juxtaposes movements generated from the pelvis and spine—hallmarks of Black dance—versus movement initiated from the arms and legs with an upright spine, which defines European dance forms such as ballet. “Excerpt from 'Finding Herstory'” features the “Segregated Me” solo and an "Integrated Me" where the choreography flows seamlessly from one movement vocabulary to another signifying Fearon’s Afro-Jamaican informed post-modern/contemporary dance aesthetic.