Black Light is a multi-year collaborative performance directed by Minnesota-based dancer-choreographer, Alanna Morris (formerly Morris-Van Tassel, City Pages' Artist of the Year, Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" and 2021 McKnight Choreographer Fellow). This work explores birth, creation, death, and life transitions while honoring noble ancestry. It ventures into the nobility of black-ness; the divinity of feminine creative energy; and the harnessing of sensual expression. Black Light a re:Search performance is a natural world-inspired expression of interwoven local and global identities.
This event will be captioned, with other accessibility services available upon request.
Please note: This work contains frontal nudity and may not be suitable for persons under the age of 16..
“After years of astounding performances with TU Dance, in which her emotional bravery matched her aesthetic integrity, Alanna Morris-Van Tassel ventured out on her own. And what a debut it was. In her solo, Yam, Potatoe an Fish! she delved into notions of home, displacement, race, and memory to create a personal cultural history that rang with universal truths. She found inspiration in her family’s migration from the Caribbean to Brooklyn, as well as her grandmother’s Yoruba-influenced Spiritual Baptist faith. Through her own body—athletic, articulate, and full of grace—she generated a movement vocabulary infused with muscular power and soul-soothing prayer.” —City Pages, Best Choreographer 2019
“Yam, Potatoe an Fish! Former TU dancer Alanna Morris-Van Tassel stepped into the realm of dance-making with gusto, using her considerable gifts as a performer to fuel her choreographic voice.” —Star Tribune, Best of Dance 2018
“Wherever you find her, Morris-Van Tassel embodies the power of dance to create deep and lasting connections where words cannot.” —Dance Magazine, “25 to Watch”