No Boundaries: Dancing the Visions of Contemporary Black Choreographers

No Boundaries: Dancing the Visions of Contemporary Black Choreographers celebrates the depth and diversity of style and vision in the field of modern dance. Several of the nation's leading contemporary African-American choreographers, including Bebe Miller, Donald McKayle, Reggie Wilson, Andrea Woods, David Roussève, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar set original and historical works on soloist Gesel Mason, for the purposes of this unique project. Ms. Mason has also been commissioned to create works for this project, thereby encompassing almost seven decades of choreographic vision. These artists demonstrate the diversity of work by, for and about African-Americans; their visions push Black Dance in America beyond stereotypes and color boundaries.

Gesel Mason, Artistic Director of Mason/Rhynes Productions and Gesel Mason Performance Projects, created NO BOUNDARIES in part to challenge conventional notions of Black Dance as dances based in the Ailey tradition or Horton technique, as African dance, or as Negro Spirituals. By touring the work of artists of regional and national significance, NO BOUNDARIES exposes audiences to the work several choreographers in one evening. Video segments are seamlessly integrated between the solos, allowing audiences to hear the artists describe, in their own words, their creative process, cultural influences, and perspectives on Black Dance. The combination of video footage and live performance reveals an aspect of the artist and access to their work that is rarely experienced in a traditional presentation of their work.