The Dance Complex Presents Christal Brown Weeklong Boston Residency with THE OPULENCE OF INTEGRITY

The Dance Complex will host a week-long residency with Choreographer Christal Brown, bringing her Dance Company INSPIRIT to the Julie Ince Thompson Theatre for performances of "The Opulence of Integrity," March 31 - April 2, 2017.

Residency activities offered by Ms. Brown and INSPIRIT Dance Company throughout the week before the performances will include two master classes, open dialogues about the work, and other opportunities to engage with the company. A post-show dialogue on Friday, March 31 and a pre-show dialogue on Saturday, April 1 will be facilitated by Peter DiMuro, Executive Director of the Dance Complex.

Inspired by the life and legend of Muhammad Ali, the performance incorporates elements of boxing, hip-hop, martial arts, and modern dance to an original sound score by Farai Malianga, and include artistic exploration with the Boston dance community. Students from Boston Arts Academy, Brookline High School and Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School will showcase their work before each The Opulence of Integrity performance, presented on Friday, March 31, 8 PM; Saturday, April 2, 8 PM; and Sunday, April 2, 7 PM. Tickets are $34 - $12. Tickets: http://opulence.bpt.me/ For more information visit dancecomplex.org.

"The Opulence of Integrity" is a four-movement, evening-length work inspired by Ali's career as a boxer and social activist, and his life as a public martyr and as a mortal human being. Brown notes, "The work deploys an eclectic movement vernacular to illustrate the turmoil of a life infused by divinity, yet misinterpreted by humanity." The performance also explores the inner struggle for identity as it pertains to men of color in the United States, with an intimate look at the trappings that continually inhibit freedom. Brown dedicates the work "to her father, brother, and uncle-who fought but did not win-and to her own son, whose battle has not yet begun. To be born branded by history, burdened by responsibility, and inspired towards greatness requires a committed heart and an opulence of integrity."

Christal Brown is a choreographer, educator, performer, writer, and activist. She received her BFA in dance and minor in business from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Brown has toured domestically and internationally with companies including the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and Urban Bush Women. She is also the founder and executive director of INSPIRIT, a performance ensemble and educational conglomerate dedicated to bringing female choreographers together to collaborate and show new work, expanding the views of women of all ages. The Opulence of Integrity represents a departure from INSPIRIT's milieu-and her first foray working with an all-male ensemble. Brown has also launched a nationwide youth initiative for teen girls called "Project: BECOMING" and developed a codified technique called "Liquid Strength." She has been a past resident artist of Dance New Amsterdam, Movement Research, and Tribeca Performing Arts Center, and is currently an assistant professor of dance at Middlebury College.

INSPIRIT and The Opulence of Integrity at The Dance Complex are made possible with support from NEST grant from New England Foundation for the Arts.

Photo credit: RoBert Mayer

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