The Commons Crit: How Anthony [Otto] Nelson Finds Victory and Healing Through Movement - INDY WEEK
“The key to teaching movement, Nelson says, is “…Realizing, everybody is different and every body is different…”。。。
Iyun Ashani Harrison (center) with Giovanni’s Room dancers Anthony Otto Nelson Jr. (left) and Martin Skocelas-Hunter (right). Photo by Alec Himwich, Courtesy Harrison.
“The Pleasure and Pitfalls of Creating Ballets Based on Contemporary Literature”- DANCE MAGAZINE
“In his adaptation for his company, Ballet Ashani, Harrison saw a chance to create dialogue about the book’s themes by situating Baldwin’s characters in a world that reflects his own—and many others’—experiences, without losing the specificity of its plot.”
The team behind The Commons: Southern Futures, pose for a portrait during a rehearsal at the CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio. Photo by Angelica Edwards.
‘The Commons: Southern Futures’ Festival Draws Community Members Into Conversation - INDY WEEK
“A dancer who curates his lived experiences in a queer Black body by interrogating the notion of authenticity within the ballroom culture concept of “realness”—flawless portrayals of human forms and social roles that dancers cannot otherwise access for themselves—in Nelson’s Self Untitled. “。。。
“Will of the Father” - Photo by Jade Wilson
Johny Lee Chappman III [Right] / Otto [Left]
“‘Troublesome Presence’ at the Arts Council”- UP&COMING WEEKLY
“The exhibit, as far as the artwork that is featured inside of the art gallery, includes paintings, sculptures, videos, mixed media, photography, spoken word, poetry and movement,” said Metoya Scott, public relations manager at the Arts Council. “The exhibit features 19 pieces by 13 black North Carolina-based artists, and it is an amazing exhibition that is very thought provoking.” 。。。
“Will of the Father” - Photo by Jade Wilson
Johny Lee Chappman III [left] / Otto [Right]
‘Honoring Grief, Envisioning Change in Mutuality’ & ‘Dialogic Truth-Telling and Imagination’ - Dept. of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill
These live conversations are imbued with a “heaviness in the land,” as dancer and embodied researcher Nelson describes it,9 and with this question of “what weighs on the melanated mind,” as poet Chapman explores.10 In other words, these experiences are not new, and witnessing how intergenerational trauma manifests 。。。
Anthony Otto Nelson, Jr. on the set of “Crisis Materials” at Dix Park in Raleigh, N.C. with a mylar flag and wreath created by Stacey L. Kirby. Photo by Julia Wall.