pay attention to this body language

Last October, during EU Black Achievement Month, I was enchanted by Corpus Criolla. Produced by Black-owned creative agency Kip Republic, this dance performance is a love letter to Curaçaoan music and dance.

And it's back for two days in July!

A prominent part of the piece is tambú. Both a music and a dance, tambú is also known as spirit music because of its roots back to enslaved Africans brought from Angola. For centuries, it has been suppressed by both the Church and government. But it endures.

Corpus Criolla brilliantly weaves together tambú and other dance forms spanning continents and eras. It’s a provocative exploration of cultural valuation, body politics, and the silencing of expression. In its bold demand for space and expression, Corpus Criolla is a Third Circle. The necessity of recognition, the fluidity of identities.

PS - You have to see the piece to understand the image 😉

Featured Image: Photo by Christophe Maertens on Unsplash