Kamuyu seemed to embrace discomfort as a form of liberation in this work, for both performers and audience members. For instance, we sat through an unnerving three to four-minute stage blackout, the only thing cutting through the darkness was the soundtrack of electronic pops, clicks, and low-frequency rumbles. As light began to return faintly, the dancers, started to move on all fours as the sound of ocean waves could be heard. 

The dancers’ states of unrest came suddenly and often throughout the work. One such nightmarish state of unrest came in a solo performed by Kamuyu late in the work. In it, she could be seen with clenched teeth, bulging eyes, and distorted facial features; sometimes, uncontrollably shaking while executing a mix of contemporary and traditional African dance movement.

“Fragmented Shadows” concluded with another test of discomfort taken to the extreme in search of liberation, as the dancers spun in circles for eight minutes straight, first rapidly in place, then spinning in individual circles as they moved in a large circle around the stage, before coming together in a tight-knit cluster, arms around one another, and slowing to a halt. It was an anti-climactic end to a piece that was otherwise impressive in its evocative imagery, emotional intensity, and its trio of performers' riveting dancing and stage presences.