dance theatre X/charles o. anderson's artistic mission

i create kinesthetic dance epics that take the african diaspora as their starting point.  i am committed to investigating and testing the boundaries of traditional and contemporary african movement.  my goal is to create work that gives testimony in movement similar to the way it has been given in words by african-american oral and literary traditions, by slave narratives and by folk practices.  testimonies can give praise and they can boast; they can also attest to suffering and injustice.  the ultimate goal is to move the audience, to create an immediate and responsive connection between those who tell and those who listen.

i developed my approach to choreography while a dancer for ronald k. brown and while studying with the late ulysses dove.  the music of nina simone and prince have also greatly influenced me, as well as the literary works of james baldwin and toni morrison.  these models have helped me create works that bear witness to black gay identity and strive to physically articulate w.e.b. dubois' concept of african-american double-consciousness. 

i am committed to working with casts of male and female dancers of diverse nationalities, socio-cultural backgrounds, and personalities.  i seek dancers who not only have strong technique but are also generous of spirit and interested in investing themselves physically and emotionally.  their diverse narratives and cultural frameworks can inform my choreography just as much as african-derived movement.  i also seek collaborations with musicians and visual artists who expand the vocabulary for how culture can be communicated in performance.

-charles o. anderson