Photo by Jenny Guo (Top Left) and Pinn Chirathivat (Bottom Left and Right)/ The Choate News
Representing climate change, social barriers, and judicial discrimination, Movement Art Is (M.A.I.) performed an awe-inspiring piece with vivid imagery and symbolism last Friday, January 11, on the PMAC stage. Co-founded by renowned dancers Jon Boogz and Lil Buck (Charles Riley), M.A.I. is an organization that seeks change in the world by presenting social issues through intricate choreography and spoken word.
Di’Anna Bonomolo ’20, a student active in the Choate dance community, had requested for more guest artists that specialized in different styles of dance to perform at Choate.
“I did some research about them. The pieces [performed] express the struggles that people that are oppressed are facing today so a lot of sociopolitical issues in society such as racism, discrimination, and fetishization,” Bonomolo said. “The dance itself is really different than what we usually see. This style of dance is not like a hip-hop club, like what you can see everyday, or mainstream hip-hop. It’s a lot more technical.”
M.A.I. combines hip-hop, ballet, and contemporary dance with meticulous techniques that draws roots from the dancers’ own backgrounds. Co-founder Lil Buck, who comes from Memphis, is adept in “jookin,” a style of hip-hop dance that stems from Memphis’s street dance culture. Jookin puts emphasis on clean footwork and precise control over the body, which allows smooth and agile movements similar to ballet.
The organization also employs dramatic scenes that comment on environmental, political, or social issues. In their performance, M.A.I. focused on racism, hate, social constructs, and rejection of diversity in society. Characters wore distinctive costumes that included prison jumpsuits and construction worker vests as they presented stories of injustice and separation due to immigration or incarceration.
Ms. Kalya Yannatos, head of the Arts Department, invited M.A.I. to perform at Choate. She commented, “It felt timely. It felt like their message is ripe for this moment. I’m hopeful that their work will resonate with the students in a meaningful way. They’re young themselves — in their twenties, so I hope that their energy, their youthful, and their hipness would have an impact.”
“Not that we’re trying to hit anyone over the head with ‘think this’ or ‘feel that,’ but I think any performance is an invitation to check in with how you individually feel about whatever is being shared,” Ms. Yannatos continued. “If that inspires someone to recycle, or to think about police brutality or incarceration, that’s all it’s meant to do. It’s just an invitation to feel.”
One symbolic scene was when a block of light shone down onto the middle of a dark stage. The light depicted a wall that separated the two sides of the stage and widespread social barriers. The dancers mimed building the wall with brick and mortar, but after realizing that separation did more harm than good, they struck the wall in order to break through.
When the barrier was finally broken, shown by the light shattering and fading away, the dancers embraced each other warmly—and then two of them were dramatically shot. This powerful scene was voiced over by a haunting, recurring headline in America: “Police shoot and kill unarmed African American man.”
Lil Buck hopes that the M.A.I. performances will inspire and motivate people to pursue their passions with confidence and faith. He credits art for changing his life and encourages Choate students to stick to their dreams.
“In my personal experience, art has changed my life. My biggest dream when I was growing up was to be a background dancer and to see me just shoot straight past it and shoot for the stars and be where I am today… I realize that my dreams were too little,” Lil Buck said. “I want everybody to know that you can dream as big as you want. As long as you work for it, as long as you’re passionate, as long as you believe in yourself and believe in your art, your dreams may go past your wildest dreams.”
