At Pones, we use movement to express truth, challenge conventions, and inspire action. We believe dance remains one of the most powerful tools for motivating action toward social justice and collective transformation. MOVE was developed in response to the 2020 protests and the ongoing reality of systemic racism embedded in our culture, creative communities, and political structures. Today, MOVE builds on Pones’ long-standing commitment to socially engaged art by uplifting, resourcing, and funding independent artists of color whose voices shape our future.
Experience MOVE
MOVE is centered around communities and artists of color. It consisted of dance-infused works by actors, spoken word artists, musicians and dancers. The pieces are performed live and for free in public. Past performances include:
Do U Need Love?
“Do U Need Love?” focused on persevering through depression and uplifting one another through heavy times. Created by Savannah Sexton “ThinkSavy” and performed by Ndailor Sheriff, Asia Harrison, Haydyn Lillian Jackson, and Zoe Isabella Swope.
Of Nina
“Of Nina” was a new work by spoken word and movement artist Teisha Murray featuring Pones dancers, Kearston Hawkins-Johnson, Ashley Olivia Morton, and Carroll Wallace. The piece is an Homage to Nina Simone, and is a commentary on the dangers of celebrating oneself, when that self is not celebrated by society at large. To boldly take center stage while also navigating the parts of you that have been imitated or fetishised by that very same society. And to do so without apology. This piece was created in collaboration with the Cincinnati Art Museum and inspired by the works of Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick.
Say Their Names
The first installment of MOVE, “Say Their Names” is a 10-minute piece performed in three locations throughout the city of Cincinnati featuring Burgess Byrd, Ashley Olivia Morton, Darnell Pierre Benjamin, Nyjul Byrd, Ernaisja Curry, and Montez Jenkins.
Reconstructed from a 2016 piece entitled “Martha”, in which Pones collaborated with Michael Burnham on a dance/spoken word piece performed beneath the mural that memorializes the death of our planet’s last living carrier pigeon. In 2020, we are, again, mourning the loss of precious lives, knowing for sure we can’t dance away our pain, hoping our pain will guide us to a better future. We refuse to forget. We vow to move forward.
I’m Not Angry
Performed by Amari Samya, “I’m Not Angry” is the second installment of MOVE—a new platform for artists, performers, and collaborators to use their unique voices to raise awareness, to protest, to connect, to raise the vibration, to heal, and to fully explore the collective outcry we are all part of together.
Growth Equity Empower
Located on the corner of Vine and Green street in Over-the-Rhine, “Growth Equity Empower” is the third installment of MOVE. The creation of this new mural was part of Cornerstone Renter Equity’s Beautification Day event and also made possible by Elementz and Over-the-Rhine Community Housing.
Resilient
This collaboration with musicians Kyleen Downes, Tiyi Willingham, and Liz Wu and dancers Tabari Crook, Maliyah Gramata Jones, and Dom Vinegar, explores what it means to be resilient in the face of continual trauma. Getting our roots down deep, finding our pack to collectively roar with, and loving ourselves first are a few ways to restore and stay ready for the long road ahead.
Witness
A new music video for the song, “Witness”, celebrating Black joy and talking about the toxicity and comfort found in the many forms of love. This performance features vocal artists Terrae Howl, NaQuia Chante, with music by Fernando Perdomo, as well as dancers Tabari Crook, Courtney Duncan, Chantée Jordan, and Aiden Sims.
12 Commandements
This is part of a larger piece entitled “BLACK BOX” by Michael Coppage, a community impact project aimed at demystifying black men and creating authentic experiences that replaces bias and preconceived notions related to the term “Black.” The title/concept is a play on the 10 commandments in moral law. The number 12 being slang for police, these are the police commandments. The video shows how even when being compliant, that doesn’t necessarily guarantee you get to live through the experience.
Race in the City – Chapter 5
Commissioned by SOS Art, this piece is an artistic response to chapter 5 of the book “Race and the City: Work, Community, and Protest in Cincinnati, 1820-1970”, edited by Henry Louis Taylor, Jr.
Rainbow Box
Directed by Michael Coppage, “Rainbow Box” is a community impact project centering and amplifying the voice of Black LGBTQIA+ individuals by sharing their stories through a series of interdisciplinary offerings. The work is comprised of large format photographs, temporary and semi-permanent murals, audio from interviews and a choreographed recorded performance. The project unpacks the intersectionality of race, sexuality, and gender and serves both as a listening and education tool related to lived experiences, evolution of preferred pronouns, their definitions, and queer diasporic aesthetics. This project is meant to ground the subjects in their humanity and be a conduit for connectivity.
Quite Naturally
Pones presents Quite Naturally in conversation with, and in homage to the work of Charles White and the exhibition A Little Higher. Original choreography by Teisha Murray in conjunction with dancers Camille Jones, Ja’Nay Brown, and Ashley O. Morton.
A Call for Creatives
MOVE is an ongoing forum for artists of color to be paid to create work surrounding social justice issues. Proposals for future creations are accepted on an ongoing basis — submit your proposal here: https://forms.gle/i3eGPd1eeMBdZdN59
How You Can Help
If you feel passionate about this program and want to support Pones in our mission to amplify artistic voices of color, donate here or contact Kim Popa at kim@pones.org.
Pones Inc. 