If We Were a Love Song
About the Performance
If We Were a Love Song is a series of poetic vignettes created by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with the company, set to some of Nina Simone’s most intimate songs. Composed primarily of solos and duets, with versions created for both stage and screen, the work merges Abraham’s intricate, musical movement language with Simone’s seminal voice, unfolding as a series of living portraits that deepen reflections on community, love, and the self.
- Choreography
- Kyle Abraham in collaboration with the company
- Lighting Design
Dan Scully
- Costume Design
Kyle Abraham and Karen Young
- Music
Nina Simone
- Music performed and arranged by
Otis Brown III featuring Luther Allison & Liany Mateo
- Premiere Cast
Tamisha A. Guy, Jae Neal, Catherine Ellis Kirk, Keerati Jinakunwiphat, CJ Johnson, Donovan Reed, Gianna Theodore
- Duration
- 26 minutes
- Premiere
- American Dance Festival, Durham, NC (2021)
Support
If We Were a Love Song was made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts. The work was created in part through a residency at the Pillow Lab at Jacob’s Pillow; and during a residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and LUMBERYARD, made possible by the Mellon Foundation. The work is commissioned by American Dance Festival with support from the Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Works.
