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Fighting Spirit

There’s a distinct warrior theme to the evening shared by Angie Pittman and Kyle Marshall, though the two choreographers are working in very different styles and tone. Pittman’s solo, “Black Life Chord Changes,” is part dance, part lecture on Black oppression and feminism. Vampires are involved. After intermission, Marshall stages a more classic modern dance tribute to the warrior energy of Joan of Arc, with an ensemble of four. Curated by the artist collective Pioneers Go East, Out-FRONT! Fest, now in its third year, celebrates LGBTQ+ and feminist voices in a week of seven live performances plus a series of dance and experimental films. Judging from the two evenings I attended, OutFRONT! has quite a discerning eye for new talent.

Performance

Out-FRONT! Festival 2025: “Black Life Chord Changes” by Angie Pittman / “Joan” by Kyle Marshall

Place

BAM Fisher Hillman Studio, Brooklyn, NY, January 11, 2025

Words

Karen Hildebrand

Angie Pittman in “Black Life Chord Changes.” Photograph by Steven Pisano

“Black Life Chord Changes” is a fascinating mixture of education, activism, and wit in two scores titled, “light” and “dark.” As descriptors, those labels contradict themselves. “Light,” for instance is solemn in tone and the movement pensive and restrained; while “dark,” satiric and expository, illuminates. In “light,” Pittman, who uses they/them pronouns, makes the rounds of certain stations dressed in simple black workout clothes. In a particular repeated stance, their arms dangle in a stirring motion like a pair of divining pendulums. In another, they pick up an imaginary cloth, to drape or fold. They look off to the distance and shield their eyes from the sun. During a rhythmic foot stomping, clanking metal sounds. When they launch into a full throated spiritual, they reveal a trained musical voice.

With “dark,” Pittman creates a stark shift in energy by sweeping across the stage while wearing a black cape that trails, wooshing like bird wings. “Vampires do exist,” they state matter-of-factly, then take up a chatty story-telling persona to talk about their favorite vampire, Blade, the Marvel Comic character played by actor Wesley Snipes. “Blade is about Black rebellion and unrest,” they explain. When they don a pair of sunglasses and strike a hero pose, designer Tuçe Yasak enhances the satire with a dramatic spotlight. A diagonal slice of yellow light is striking in the way it both frames and excludes Pittman’s face while they quote Reverend Cecil Williams and Audre Lorde. Pittman also uses “dark” to talk about the folk tradition that inspired the movements of the “light” section. Innovative and risky, Pittman pulls it off with pluck.

Kellye Smith, Taína Lyons, Syd Worthy in 1 Kyle Marshall Choreography's “Joan.” Photograph by Steven Pisano

Kellye Smith, Taína Lyons, Syd Worthy in 1 Kyle Marshall Choreography's “Joan.” Photograph by Steven Pisano

Kyle Marshall also attends to some hero worship—in his case, Joan of Arc, known for defying gender norms to heroically defend France under Charles VII. In the program, Marshall says his “Joan” reinvents that history to draw attention to battles for freedom from slavery and colonial rule in the Americas. On stage, we meet Joan, as danced with powerful presence by Syd Worthy. She inspires and empowers her army, represented by a fierce Justin Daniels, Taina Lyons, and Kellye Smith. The dancers’ costumes (by Edo Tastic) cleverly imitate armor with diamond shaped insets on their jerseys. A clue that these are not 15th century warriors is in the tribal markings on their faces: a white swath of paint outlines their jaws and chins. Worthy sports a C around one eye. 

Marshall’s choreography for “Joan” refers back to the golden age of modern dance. Earnest and strong, with clear patterns, and character driven, it recalls the drama of Martha Graham. There’s a moment when the trio of women face inward that, with different costumes, could have been pulled directly from Isadora Duncan. Yet there are signs of a contemporary mind at work. When the quartet clusters with their backs to the center, their depiction of protective vigilance reminds me of a movie moment when law enforcement arrives to clear the space of danger. The frenzied string music raises a feeling of anxiety, then mellows for a duet where two women lift each other in a display of power. Daniels is particularly impressive with some soaring leaps. 

Marshall, who formerly danced with the Trisha Brown Company, is a rising star. His work with the company he founded in 2014, Kyle Marshall Choreography, has been recognized by the Bessie Awards and with the Dance Magazine Harkness Promise Award in 2020. “Joan” is part of a trio of work by Marshall, inspired by music of the late Black and gay composer, Julian Eastman, whose score for ten cellos features in “Joan.” Another part, workshopped last year at Jacob’s Pillow explores feminine energy with a much different movement vocabulary. I look forward to seeing more.

Karen Hildebrand

Karen Hildebrand is former editorial director for Dance Magazine and served as editor in chief for Dance Teacher for a decade. An advocate for dance education, she was honored with the Dance Teacher Award in 2020. She follows in the tradition of dance writers who are also poets (Edwin Denby, Jack Anderson), with poetry published in many literary journals and in her book, Crossing Pleasure Avenue (Indolent Books). She holds an MFA from the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Originally from Colorado, she lives in Brooklyn.

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