Elijah Alhadji Gibson, Artistic Director

socialmovementcontemporarydance

We are passionate about generating thought-provoking work that reflects the belief that dance mirrors how people embrace and/or resist the cultural boundaries, limitations, and expectations laid upon them by social constructs.

The Black Card

This collection of choreographed works illustrates the problematic duality of assimilation, specifically, how one may reject their own cultural identity to compromise and fit in, and the aftermath of those choices. Gibson expresses the constant struggle to resist the established system of oppression that hinders the pursuit of the “American Dream”. Through exploration of the boundaries of cultural appropriation and appreciation, Gibson offers a solution of reconfiguring the ideas and values that have shaped the nature of oppression in this country.

The Black Card

Human Condition

Color Me Bad

The human condition is composed of the experiences and behaviors that shape human existence, such as birth, relationships, love, loss, anger, revenge, and mortality. Artistic Director Elijah Alhadji Gibson roots his work in aspects of the human condition and has now established this perspective as one of the major components of SMCD. The collection of works presented
in this concert were inspired by emotionality, aspiration, conflict, and growth.

Human Condition

This is an immersive experience set to the music of British singer and songwriter, Benjamin Clementine. Interwoven with monologues based off of true experiences of individuals and how their relationship with family and friends were affected by their LGBTQ+ identity, was one part an experiment for the performers to observe the change of behavior (or not) of the audience as the show unfolded, and also for the audience to find any unknown biases or feelings they might have against LGBTQ+ peoples.

Color Me Bad

Funding Provided By

The Shumway Family                  Pat Morgan       Tricia Austin                                 Chanel Ford    Jennifer Taylor                             Tessandra Chavez   Olivia Gray                                    Joel Longenecker

Stephanie Hilton                          Autumn Eckman   Valerie Gonzalez

Social Movement Contemporary Dance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that exists primarily by the charitable support of individuals. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.