Lakaï Dance Theatre presents The Block: An Afro-Musical as part of the 2019–20 MIT Performing series. In The Block, the street becomes a stage for self-reflection on toxic masculinity, racial profiling, mental health, and violence, all as a means of community improvement. Through hip-hop and Afro-Diasporic movement styles, the performers challenge stigmas on black and brown vulnerability and the difficulties of asking for help. Developed from individual narratives of the director and performers, the script shares personal stories of hardships and triumphs experienced in a tough and violent yet ultimately creative and resilient urban community. The piece includes an original musical score composed by the company.
Lakaï Dance Theatre participated in a rehearsal residency for The Block at MIT in May 2019.
The Block is presented as part of the 2019–20 MIT Performing series, a prototyping and presenting series curated by Jay Scheib, professor for Music and Theater Arts, and presented by the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology, and supported in part by the Council for the Arts at MIT. MIT Performing promotes a research-based artistic practice and serves as a new platform for contemporary performance.
