FLEXN
Peter Sellars
Reggie (Reg Rocc) Gray
Richard Ross
Jason Akira Somma
March 25, 2015 - April 4, 2015
Wade Thompson Drill Hall
Characterized by pausing, snapping, gliding, bone breaking, hat tricks, animation, and contortion, flex is a form of street dance that has evolved from the Jamaican bruk-up found in dance halls and reggae clubs in Brooklyn. This electrifying phenomenon is showcased at the Armory in a new project that confronts issues of social injustice, with the dancers exploring personal narratives through their own unique movement vocabulary in post-modern dance.
Created in the era of unrest following rulings on Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York City, this powerful new work is staged by visionary director Peter Sellars and flex pioneer Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray in collaboration with a crew of 21 flex dancers from the very neighborhoods where the movement first took shape. Performing both as individuals and in groups to choreography created by the ensemble itself, the dancers utilize their breathtakingly beautiful movement to tell deeply human and sometimes heart-wrenching stories that address these troubling issues of our time.
Performances
Wednesday–Saturday at 8:00pm
Sunday at 3:00pm
Run Time
This performance is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission.
“Part protest, part dance party, part collective autobiography… FLEXN rails against social injustice, from police brutality to the prison system’s failures in America... By turns tragic and playful, we see the dancers at war, at work, at home; these situations are evoked with a mind-boggling repertoire of quaking, pretzeling, rippling freestyle moves.”
The New York Times
“some of the contortions that appear to twist the dancers’ limbs like so much wrung out wash can make a viewer wince in awe… FLEXN shows that its performers can flex their muscles impressively.”
The Wall Street Journal
“Park Avenue Armory is the biggest and grandest venue yet to offer its stage to flex… It’s a giddiness-inducing setup, to see this dancing and hear this music shake up such a stern space… The dance is an emotional release, and, in the best performers you can see anger, frustration, and other feelings transmuted into joyful artistic expression. Flex flits between the earthly and the ethereal…”
Hyperallergic
FLEXN Conversations: Race and the City
Join us for free public conversations that address some of the most pressing issues explored in FLEXN. Participants include young people, public figures, educators, NYPD Commissioners, community leaders, and representatives from CASES, Correctional Association of New York, New York Center for Juvenile Justice, the Vera Institute of Justice, and Sustainable South Bronx.
Conversations begin one hour prior to the start of performances, and are moderated by Peter Sellars and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray.
Gallery
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Creative Team
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Creation
Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray
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Creation, Direction, Staging
Peter Sellars
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Creation
Members of the Flex Community
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Lighting Sculpture & Lighting Design
Ben Zamora
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Sound Design
Garth MacAleavey
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Costume Design
Gabriel Berry
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Music
Epic B
Performers
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Ace (Franklin Dawes)
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Android (Martina Lauture)
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Banks (James Davis)
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Brixx (Sean Douglas)
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Cal (Calvin Hunt)
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Deidra (Deidra Braz)
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Dre Don (Andre Redman)
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Droid (Rafael Burgos)
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Droopz (Jerrod Ulysse)
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Karnage (Quamaine Daniels)
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Klassic (Joseph Carella)
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Nicc Fatal (Nicholas Barbot)
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Nyte (Ayinde Hart)
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Pumpkin (Sabrina Rivera)
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Sam I Am (Sam Estavien)
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Scorp (Dwight Waugh)
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Shellz (Shelby Felton)
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Slicc (Derick Murreld)
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Tyme (Glendon Charles)
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Vypa (Khio Duncan)
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YG (Richard Hudson)
Production Credits
Commissioned by Park Avenue Armory
Support
Support for FLEXN has been provided by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
This production is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
