— The New York Times - Siobhan BurkePart 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.
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 featuring a crew of flex dancers from the very neighbourhoods where the Black Lives Matter movement first took shape, confronts issues of social injustice with the dancers exploring personal narratives through their own unique movement vocabulary.
Created in the era of unrest following rulings on the murders of 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 flex dancers from the very neighbourhoods where the Black Lives Matter movement first took shape. Described by The Guardian as “an angry and electrifying commentary on black lives” FLEXN is as much a dance movement as a social revolution.
Download the Teacher Resource here
Curriculum links: Dance, Social Studies, Culture, History
Moderated by Peter Sellars and Reggie Gray, this performance is preceded by a 20 minute public conversation and include a range of guests, engaging cross-disciplinary discussions to provoke debate and a unique lens through which to view the performance.
Commissioned and produced by Park Avenue Armory.
FLEXN Conversations
Performances of FLEXN are usually preceded or followed by a public conversation moderated by Peter Sellars and Reggie Gray; these talks are free of charge to all ticket-holders and the general public. A range of people, including young people, public figures, educators, law enforcement, and local community leaders have discussed and debated some of the most pressing issues explored in FLEXN, including: racial inequity, police brutality, neighbourhood safety, prison reform and mass incarceration, restorative justice, and the plight of immigrants and refugees.
CREDITS:
A Collaboration of Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray, Peter Sellars, and Members of the Flex Community
Lighting Sculpture & Design: Ben Zamora
Costume Design: Angela Wendt
Music Mix: Epic B
Associate Director: Charlotte Brathwaite
Stage Manager: Betsy Ayer
Company Manager: Abena Floyd
Executive Producer: Park Avenue Armory
Consulting Producer: Diane J. Malecki
Tour Producer: Avery Willis Hoffman
COMPANY
ANDROID................MARTINA HEIMANN
BANKS....................JAMES DAVIS
BRIXX......................SEAN DOUGLAS
CAL...........................CALVIN HUNT
DAYNTEE.................DEIDRA BRAZ
DOC.................AARON FRAZIER
DRE DON.................ANDRE REDMAN
DROID......................RAFAEL BURGOS
KARNAGE................QUAMAINE DANIELS
REGG ROC...............REGGIE GRAY
SCORP......................DWIGHT WAUGH
SHELLZ......................SHELBY FELTON
SLICC........................DERICK MURRELD
TYME.........................GLENDON CHARLES
TOUR & RESIDENCIES
Sesc Vila Mariana São Paulo (2019), La Villette Paris (2018), Sibiu International Festival Romania (2018), Holland Festival (2017), Ruhrfestpiele (2017), Princeton University (2017), Park Avenue Armory (2017), Marseille Festival (2016), Napoli Teatro Festival (2016), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (2016), Dartmouth College (2016), Brisbane Festival (2015), Park Avenue Armory (2015, premiere)
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$5.00
Te Rauparaha Arena
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Wheelchair accessible
Suitable for Years 9-13. Contains scenes of guns and gunfire.
Duration: 2hrs (incl. pre-show discussion)
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