Did You Know? A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

Instead of taking the studio to Zoom as many dance companies did at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Abraham took a different approach—working on An Untitled Love by instead holding conversations surrounding movies and TV shows that featured Black characters and stories. This helped his dancers embody their characters and avoid stereotypes. Abraham received a 2022 Bessie Award nomination for the work.

Abraham currently sits on the advisory board for Dance Magazine and the artist advisory board for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He was recently announced as a 2022 Dance Magazine Award Honoree, and in 2020, was selected to be Dance Magazine’s first-ever Guest Editor.

In response to the continued and heightened war on Black people in this country, the dancers of A.I.M have come together to create A.I.MforChange—an initiative that seeks to share a multitude of resources that support and advocate for the betterment of the Black community.

Off the stage, Abraham choreographed the music video for Sufjan Stevens’ Sugar (2020), the feature-length film The Book of Henry (2016) for acclaimed director Colin Trevorrow, and early in his career served as a choreographic contributor for Beyonce’s 2013 British Vogue cover shoot.

Growing up in Gary, IN, just 20 miles from downtown Chicago, Jlin is now one of the most prominent female producers of the current generation. While music has always been a part of her life, thanks to her parents, she also worked as a steel mill worker in her hometown.