Ronald K. Brown EVIDENCE to Perform at The Wallis

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts will present Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE, performing its distinctive blend of contemporary and African diasporic traditions on October 8, 9 and 10, 2026, for three performances only, in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

Known for work that feels both grounded and spiritual, EVIDENCE creates performances shaped by rhythm and history, and defined by its physical clarity and emotional precision. Brown's choreography transforms sound into movement and memory into presence, creating work that resonates long after it leaves the stage.

The Wallis program includes four works - Tender Warriors; Clear as Tear Water; Upside Down and Come Ye. Upside Down (1998) opens with the premonition of community mourning. The dance depicts a race with an underlying impetus that drives the individual towards their destiny. The score begins with Malian vocalist Oumou Sangare's 'Kun Fe Ko' (The Uncertainty of Things), a song which states that the destiny of a child is in God's hands.

The remainder of Upside Down is set to Fela Anikulapo Kuti's song of the same title. The dance calls upon the loss of a community member as a rite and cultivates solidarity. The imagery of the ascension and passing on of one soul, reflects the idea that one's destiny is to the self. Victoria Looseleaf in Fjord Review wrote, “The dancers were riveting. And why not? The high-voltage movement language drawn from parts of the African diaspora that Brown has made his own, merging the emotional with the dynamic—and one that has been a hallmark of the choreographer through the years—should be bottled for all to experience … this Afro-Disco-esque piece rocked.”

Max Roach 100/Tender Warriors (2024) Created as a part of the nationwide centennial celebration of the iconic drummer, composer and activist Max Roach, this work explores the Afro-Cuban rhythms in Roach's 1961 album “Percussion Bitter Sweet.” Like Roach, Brown was raised in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn and draws from his African-American cultural roots. He also traveled to Cuba in 2001 where the dance, music, and culture inspired him to incorporate more Afro-Cuban music and vocabulary in his work.

Clear as Tear Water (2006) was choreographed for Toni Pierce-Sands in 2006 as part of Toni Sands' McKnight Fellowship, based upon a poem penned by Ronald K. Brown and offering a meditation on love as one's place in the world.

Inspired by the music and sociopolitical legacies of artists/activists Nina Simone and Fela Kuti, Come Ye (2002) is a multimedia work that utilizes Brown's signature style of kinetic storytelling. Through African, Caribbean, modern, ballet, and social dance styles, the work summons warriors, angels and activists dedicated to the pursuit of liberation and peace amidst the struggles of human conflict. Come Ye is a call to all those living in fear, all those willing to fight for their lives, and ultimately, for peace.

Gia Kourlas in The New York Times wrote about Come Ye, “Through a mix of modern and West African dance, Mr. Brown contrasts powerful unison lines with fleet-footed jumps that pull individuals fiercely away from his meticulous groupings. In the work he pays tribute to the fortitude of activists, and his choreographic structures reflect that, seemingly transforming nine dancers from ordinary folks into peace-seeking deities.”