Kinetic Light: Under Momentum
Fri, July 27, 2018
6:30–8 pm
Alice Sheppard and Laurel Lawson both in their wheelchairs with a vibrant sunset in the background. Alice is crawling on her forearms with her knees in Laurel's footplate, and Laurel is arching her back on the ground as she is dragged along the floor. Alice is exerting effort, and Laurel is in surrender. Photo by MANCC / Chris Cameron
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Floor 3, Theater
On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Whitney celebrates access and inclusion for all with a performance of Under Momentum by Kinetic Light.
Kinetic Light creates, performs, and teaches at the intersections of disability, dance, and race. The collective’s rigorous investment in the histories, cultures, and artistic work of disabled people and people of color transforms our understandings of the moving world. Working in the disciplines of art, design, architecture, and social justice, Kinetic Light showcases freedom of movement, revealing how mobility—literal, physical, and conceptual—is fundamental to participation in civic life.
Alice Sheppard took her first dance class in order to make good on a dare. After a performance, disabled dancer Homer Avila challenged her to take a class, and she loved moving so much she resigned her academic professorship at Pennsylvania State University in order to begin a career in dance. She studied ballet and modern dance with Kitty Lunn and made her debut with Infinity Dance Theater. After an apprenticeship, Sheppard joined AXIS Dance Company, where she toured nationally and taught in the company’s education and outreach programs. Since becoming an independent artist, Sheppard has danced in projects with Ballet Cymru, GDANCE, and Marc Brew Company in the United Kingdom and Full Radius Dance, Marjani Forté, MBDance, Infinity Dance Theater, and Steve Paxton in the United States.
Laurel Lawson joined Full Radius Dance in January of 2004, and has been privileged to perform in Atlanta and around the world with the company as well as with other collaborations and solo projects. Highlights include festival performances in Italy and South Korea and a film appearance in Warm Springs (HBO, 2005). In addition to performing, choreographing, and teaching dance, Laurel is a lifelong advocate, public speaker, member of the USA Women's Developmental Sled Hockey team, and a product designer and co-founder of an engineering consultancy based in Decatur, Georgia.
Registration has reached capacity. A limited number of standby tickets may be available on a first-come, first-served basis the day of. For ticketing issues, please email ticketing@whitney.org.