Call it “Boyz oN The Stage!”
A dance piece inspired by the film “Boyz N The Hood” will bound into the Brooklyn Academy of Music for five performances starting on Nov. 1. “Pavement” will feature six male dancers who do battle on a stage designed to look like a neighborhood basketball court — but there are two women who will draw audience attention — one onstage and one off.
The show’s lone female dancer said that choreographer Kyle Abraham created her role with a unique power that strays from the popular damsel-in-distress narrative.
“I believe that the audience will view the only woman dancer as a source of strength,” said Tamisha Guy, a Brooklyn native. “Kyle often mentions that the reason he chose to include only one female in the work is because in the film — within each major scene only one woman was present and she often adds a warmth, comforting, loving, and sometimes aggressive feel throughout the work.”
And off the stage, the show will be introduced by another woman: Guy’s childhood friend, supermodel Damaris Lewis. Lewis, who began her career in dance, said that she relates to Guy’s character in the dance.
“As the only female in the group — she carries the dance with all these men beside her and that speaks volumes about female power,” said Lewis. “It speaks to the times right now because we are used to being the only one in male spaces.”
During the hour-long performance, the male dancers use hypermasculine moves that draw on contemporary dance, hip-hop, and ballets. The music for the alternately aggressive and slow-paced dances will include blues music and opera.
Choreographer Kyle Abraham chose “Boyz N The Hood” as the inspiration for the piece because the film reminds him of his own life growing up in gang-ridden Pittsburgh.
“A lot of what came out of that film was centered around my middle school years — I lived in one gang’s area and went to school in another gang’s neighborhood,” said Abraham, founder of the dance company Abraham.In.Motion.
The way the film tackles crime, police brutality, and gentrification mirrors the challenges affecting minority communities today, he said.
“That was part of my journey, and it’s such a powerful film — a time capsule for what’s happening in urban America,” he said.
Although “Pavement” was choreographed in 2012 and draws on a movie from 1991, its depiction of race and gender issues is up-to-the-minute, said a representative for the show.
“I think that’s something really special about Kyle — he makes people bring up questions about race and gender. He’s not confirming stereotypes — he’s challenging them,” said Hillary Kooistra, manager for the dance company Abraham.In.Motion.
“Pavement” at BAM Fisher [321 Ashland Pl. between Lafayette Avenue and Hanson Place in Fort Greene, (718) 636–4100, www.bam.org]. Nov. 2–5 at 7:30 pm. $25. Special benefit performance Nov. 1 at 7:30 pm, $75–$1,000. For tickets to the Nov. 1 performance, contact hilla
