New York Public Library Presents Davalois Fearon Dance Virtual Theater Premiere Of KERNEL

New York Public Library (NYPL) Eastchester Branch will present a screening of the first iteration of "KERNEL" recorded at the 26th Arts for Arts Vision Festival followed by a Davalois Fearon Dance Community Dance Workshop (DFDCDW) at 2 pm Saturday, Dec 17, 2022, at the NYPL Eastchester Branch located at 1385 East Gun Hill Road, Bronx, NY 10467.

"KERNEL" is a fusion of American contemporary dance and Afro-Jamaican dance forms, such as Kumina and dancehall, that features music composed and performed by Mike McGinnis with dance choreographed and performed by Davalois Fearon. "KERNEL," a Brooklyn Arts Council 2022 Awarded project, was born out of Stephen Petronio Company 2021 Bloodlines(future) Program commission of "Finding Herstory." It is the second solo from "The Finding Herstory Project.​" ​"The Finding Herstory Project​" looks at cross-cultural movements, mainly stemming from the African diaspora.

Audience members are invited to enjoy the " KERNEL " screening in the library's Community Room and stay for a workshop led by the 2022 Bronx Council on the Arts Dance Fund and Bronx Recognizes It's Own (BRIO) awardee Davalois Fearon. The DFDCDW will feature the evolution of Dancehall from Kumina to Ska to Reggae and Dancehall from 1940 to the present day. "KERNEL" is inspired by Africanist dance forms such as reggae and dancehall that have contributed to Fearon's establishment as an artist and the American dance landscape.

In addition, The Davalois Fearon Dance Virtual Theater (DFDVT) Virtual Premiere of the Arts for Arts Vision Festival 26 performance of "KERNEL" followed by an episode of "Time to Talk with Dava" will take place on Saturday, December 17th, at 7 pm.

"Time to Talk with Dava" is a discursive series that highlights structural racism within dance, academia, and society at large. This series utilizes both arts and informed discourse to increase awareness of the racial disparities that occur socially, environmentally, and academically. The episode will feature a virtual dance along in which participants are invited to explore the underpinning Afro-Jamaican movement vocabulary of "KERNEL." This will be the third "Time to Talk with Dava," and the third DFDVT virtual premiere following the successful premiers of "Time to talk in 2020, For C.J. in 2021.

"The onset of COVID-19 has brought on dark times for many of us. The light in the darkness has been my ability to continue to create despite the immense amount of setbacks experienced due to COVID. Researching and developing "KERNEL" has been a shining light in my life." - Dava.

Visit davaloisfearon.com/virtualtheater for tickets.

DFDVT is the company's response to the devastating effects of COVID-19. The virtual theater was created to support the company's commitment to creation, performance, and community engagement despite pandemic restrictions. DFDVT is a digital platform for new and work-in-progress performances, social and educational initiatives, hosting classes and workshops, and archiving the company's work. It allows DFD to fulfill its mission of pushing artistic and social boundaries while cultivating the next generation of dance artists through a virtual platform that supersedes time, and location isn't dependent on a fee structure and avoids potential exposure to COVID.