Bessie Award Nominee | Princeton Fellow | UCLA Visiting Chair | Black Dance Methodology
Discover the groundbreaking work of mayfield brooks, 2021 Merce Cunningham Award recipient and movement-based performance artist who created the revolutionary dance methodology "Improvising While Black" (IWB). Host Daniel Burkholder, Milwaukee-based dance artist, conducts an in-depth conversation exploring brooks' interdisciplinary approach to Black dance, ancestral healing, and what they call "composting dance."
Featured Artist: mayfield brooks Bio Highlights
mayfield brooks is a singular movement-based performance artist, vocalist, urban farmer, and writer based in Lenapehoking (New York City). Their innovative work spans multiple disciplines while staying deeply rooted in the body and Black dance traditions.
Major Awards & Recognition:
2021 Merce Cunningham Award recipient from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts
2021 Bessie Award nominee for experimental dance film Whale Fall
2022 Danspace Project Platform artist
2022-23 Hodder Fellow at Princeton University
2024 Alma Hawkins Visiting Chair at UCLA World Arts and Cultures/Dance
2025 Creative Time Research & Development Fellow
Conversation Deep Dives:
"Improvising While Black" methodology - Revolutionary dance framework
Decomposing dance concepts - Decomposed matter of Black life in performance
Interdisciplinary performance practice - Movement, voice, farming, writing integration
This compelling artist conversations reveals how brooks defies artistic definition while maintaining deep roots in embodied practice. From their experimental film work to their innovative teaching methodology, discover how this dance artist is reshaping contemporary dance through Black cultural frameworks and ancestral wisdom.
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