THE BRUTAL JOY BY JUSTINE A. CHAMBERS

The Brutal Joy performative lecture unfurls Black line dancing and sartorial expression as intellectual discourse, reverie, and devotion to Black-living. This event speaks to and with the conceptual and historical underpinnings of Justine's latest choreographic project of the same name. Created by the acclaimed Vancouver-based choreographer, Justine A. Chambers, the work is rooted in her childhood memories and is a collaboration with her Black matrilineal heritage. It centers dance and fashion as living counter-archives, and considers how movement and personal style are tools for self-determination and the reclamation of Black humanitarian value. The Brutal Joy draws from the Electric Slide and Black dandyism as embodied knowledge sources for self-actualization in the present through a dance of future possibilities. The event segues into an Electric Slide Workshop. Once the foundational steps are in place, she layers simple improvisational scores that invite the public to riff on the original steps while maintaining the structure of the dance. This workshop invites folks to use the form of the dance as a container for self-expression and collective care.

Special thanks to Crimson Coast Dance for bringing this amazing performance to Sunk City!