kNoname Artist / Roderick George
At outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage: Aug 15
Event Dates
About
kNoname Artist/Roderick George
August 15, 2024
Pillow Debut
The outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage hosts the dance company kNonAme Artist for a special one-night-only performance on August 15. This performance includes a “Choose What You Pay” ticketing option, with a suggested ticket price of $25.
Founded in Berlin and now based in New York, kNonAme Artist is the company created by Roderick George, an accomplished American dancer and choreographer who has performed with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and abroad with Basel Ballet/ Theater Basel in Switzerland, Goteborg Operan DansKompani in Sweden, and The Forsythe Company in Frankfurt, Germany.
At the Pillow, George will present an excerpt of The Missing Fruit and Venom (short version adapted for the outdoor stage).
Venom is a work inspired by the lasting impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the present events of the erasure of the LGBTQIA+ community, exposing how the queer community faced silencing, isolation, being forced into hiding, and death through fear, media, and ‘God’s reckoning,’ while at the same time finding ways to uplift each other using the underground nightlife as a sanctuary. As a queer Black man from Houston, Texas, George recognizes that his existence lies on the backs of these individuals and pays homage to the power and grace of his community.
The Missing Fruit explores how the manifestation of racial and public health violence affects Black Americans and other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)communities through an interdisciplinary artistic production rooted in contemporary dance. First conceptualized during the most recent #BLM protests, The Missing Fruit examines the experiences of BIPOC communities, particularly addressing their struggles to combat oppression and death, financial insecurity, and health vulnerabilities while making space for Black joy to thrive.
George is the recipient of the inaugural Jacob’s Pillow Men Dancers Award given to a choreographer of any gender expression who creates an innovative work danced by male or male-identifying dancers to be performed at Jacob’s Pillow in honor of the spirit of our founder Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers.
