DESCENT by Kinetic Light

Performed on an architectural ramp installation with hills, curves and peaks, DESCENT celebrates the pleasure of reckless abandon. Obliterating assumptions of what dance, beauty, and disability can be, this evening-length dance duet takes audiences on a transformative ride. Andromeda and Venus, reimagined as interracial lovers, claim their desire as wheels fly within inches of the ramp’s edges. Their spines soften to taste the subtle pulls of gravity and arch into the sumptuous light.

About Kinetic Light

Kinetic Light is a project-based collective made up of Alice Sheppard (choreographer, dancer), Laurel Lawson (collaborator, dancer) and Michael Maag (projection and lighting designer). 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.

For details about Kinetic Light visit KineticLight.org.

Venus is flying in the air with arms spread wide, wheels spinning, and supported by Andromeda who is lifting from the ground below. They are making eye contact and smiling. A starry sky fills the background and moonlight glints off their rims. Photo by Jay Newman / BRITT.

Alice Sheppard as Andromeda and Laurel Lawson as Venus in DESCENT. Photo by Jay Newman / BRITT.