A.I.M By Kyle Abraham Presents Requiem: Fire In The Air Of The Earth This Month

Choreographer and MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham and pioneering producer and composer Jlin have come together to create a new work exploring death, reincarnation and Black Futurism through a reimagining of Mozart's Requiem in D minor, in Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth.

10 dancers from Abraham's company - A.I.M by Kyle Abraham - dressed in costumes designed by British fashion designer Giles Deacon take the stage to the electronic composition by Jlin. Jlin is one of the most acclaimed experimental electronic artists of the 2010s and has transformed Mozart's score into an electronic opus that commemorates ritual and rebirth.

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham is a Black-led contemporary dance company with the mission of creating a body of dance-based work galvanised by Black culture and history.

In addition to performing and developing new works for his company, Kyle Abraham has been commissioned by a variety of dance companies including two recent commissions for The Royal Ballet. Optional Family, a divertissement premiered in May 2021 as part of ROH's 21st Century Choreographers program, which premiered in March. He now returns to London and returns to Sadler's Wells for the first time since 2015, with this new work.

Kyle Abraham said: "We ended our three-year tour of Pavement at Sadler's Wells in 2015, and I'm thrilled to return with Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth. Where Pavement was very much rooted in present day realities and the hardships we've endured throughout history, this work soars in a hope and acknowledgement of our powerful futures. With a vibrant score by composer Jlin, costumes designed by British fashion designer Giles Deacon and my longtime lighting and scenic designer Dan Scully, we're creating a world inspired by mythology, reincarnation, folklore and Black Futurism in a way that I hope allows audiences to dream with us."

Jlin said: "Collaborating with Kyle on Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth was a profound experience. I composed the music during COVID working with Kyle over Zoom instead of in the studio. And during this process, Kyle and I became close - like family - not just collaborators. I am very proud of the work we did together, and I hope audiences will feel the essence of Mozart's "Requiem in D minor" through my score."

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