CHICAGO—The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago welcomes choreographer-performer Nora Chipaumire with her most recent artistic investigation of the black body, Africa and the self,portrait of myself as my father (“father” is crossed out in the title), co-commissioned by the Dance Center. Performances are October 20–22, 2016 at the Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

 

Performed by chipaumire, Senegalese dancer Kaolack (who danced with Compagnie Jant-Bi for many years) and Shamar Watt, the evening-length portrait considers the African male through the lens of cultural traditions, colonialism, Christianity, liberation struggles—and how these ideas might impact the African family and society on a global scale. portrait is timely in its examination of black maleness as it asks, “What is it about the male body, which happens to be black, that we are afraid of?” The work takes place within a boxing ring and invites the audience to sit close as well as at a distance in witnessing the performance. portrait premiered in April 2016 at Montclair State University.