Techmoja Dance & Theatre Company to Present World Premiere Of SEABREEZE

Techmoja Dance & Theatre will present the 2027 premiere of Seabreeze, an ambitious new original production conceived by Kevin Lee-Y Green that brings to life the extraordinary and largely forgotten history of Freeman Beach-Seabreeze-once one of only two beaches in North Carolina where African Americans could gather, celebrate, and build community during segregation.

Blending history, music, storytelling, and movement, Seabreeze is envisioned as a sweeping theatrical experience that resurrects a vibrant coastal community whose cultural influence still echoes today.

Originally acquired in 1855 by Alexander Freeman and Charity Freeman, free people of African and American Indian heritage, the land that became Seabreeze grew into a thriving Black-owned resort by the 1920s. For decades, Black families from across the region traveled there each summer to relax, gather, and celebrate life along the Carolina coast.

At a time when Jim Crow laws restricted nearly every aspect of public life, Seabreeze offered something rare: joy, freedom, and cultural expression.

Wooden dance floors stretched toward the ocean breeze as jukeboxes blasted the latest rhythm and blues hits. These gatherings nurtured a vibrant social dance culture where Black dancers pioneered early forms of the Carolina Shag-a style that would later be widely popularized in white beach communities without acknowledging its Black origins.

Among those who witnessed the electrifying dance culture of Seabreeze was Malcolm Ray 'Chicken' Hicks, a white teenager who gained access to the community's dance floors. Hicks later carried the style to Myrtle Beach, where it grew into a mainstream phenomenon. While Hicks was eventually inducted into the Shaggers Hall of Fame, the Black dancers who pioneered the movement at Seabreeze remained largely uncredited. Seabreeze seeks to reclaim and illuminate that history.

The production will feature a live band, amplifying the sounds of mid-century rhythm and blues that once filled the resort's open-air dance halls.

The creative team includes costume design by Terrill Williams and lighting design by Pi Starsong, and will feature original compositions by Sherome Amoire Clay. Additional collaborators to be announced in the coming months.

Seabreeze's decline began in 1954 when the devastating Hurricane Hazel destroyed much of the community's infrastructure and displaced families who had built lives there for generations. Beach erosion accelerated after the 1952 opening of the Carolina Beach Inlet, shrinking the shoreline and further destabilizing the community.

By the 1990s, many of Seabreeze's historic structures had disappeared. Yet the spirit of the place endures through oral histories, family traditions, and annual gatherings such as Freeman Beach Heritage Day.

With Seabreeze, Techmoja aims to transform those memories into a powerful shared experience-one that celebrates resilience, honors overlooked cultural contributions, and invites audiences to rediscover a pivotal chapter of coastal Carolina history.

The world premiere is scheduled for 2027, and while tickets are not yet on sale, anticipation is already building around what promises to be one of the region's most significant new theatrical works.

Audiences are encouraged to follow Techmoja Dance & Theatre Company for updates, behind-the-scenes previews, and early ticket announcements.

Because some stories are too important to remain forgotten-and Seabreeze is ready to bring one of them back to life.