INSPIRIT Dance: What We Ask of Flesh

See the premiere of choreographer Christal Brown’s evening-length dance and installation, inspired by the writings of poet Remica Bingham-Risher, as well as Brown’s caregiver journey with Alzheimer’s and dementia and her explorations of legacy. The artists’ bodies become instruments that question, connect, and dismantle the tangible and intangible histories present in us all. This soulful, profound performance is a physical examination of the capacity of human life and the intricacies of the mind.

The event combines personal narratives from the cast, a live soundscape by Farai Malianga and Deborah Felmeth, media design by Scotty Hardwig, costumes by Trebien Pollard, lighting by Jennifer Fok, and the world-building of dramaturg Arielle Brown. A Middlebury dance faculty member, Brown goes by many titles: mother, artist, educator, disciple, and coach.

What We Ask of Flesh includes an interactive installation with rehearsal videos and interviews with the collaborators; hanging scrolls featuring the dancers’ writings; a spiritual practice of “ancestor plates,” an offering of nourishment to our past, present, and future selves; and a custom-designed tarot deck. Audiences are invited to write and draw their memories and ancestors’ names on a scroll that will travel to each venue on the tour, creating a tapestry of collected memory.

Stay after for a post-show talk-back with the Alzheimer’s Association of Vermont.