New Dates Announced for PUSH Premiere

[updated 1/19, 4 p.m.: All three performances of The Motley Experiment have been cancelled.]

Some readers may recall that The Motley Experiment was scheduled for its world premiere performances at the end of March of 2020. Those performances by Raissa Simpson’s PUSH Dance Company, like many other performances that month, had to contend with cancellation due to the lockdown conditions imposed as a reaction to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost two years later, Simpson’s full-length multimedia dance work will finally be given its premiere.

The work was conceived as an exploration of the efforts of Jazz Age painter Archibald Motley. The narrative is structured around the experiences of a very light-skinned Black woman passing for white in social settings during the height of the Harlem Renaissance of the Twenties. The choreography involves ten dancers performing in a digital landscape, which is structured around the display of five of Motley’s paintings. Multi-instrumentalist Idris Ackamoor has prepared a score for this performance, and the music will be performed live by Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids.

The Motley Experiment will be given three performances taking place at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 19, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 20. The Bayview Opera House is located at 4705 3rd Street. This is located a short walk from a stop for the Muni T line between Newcomb Avenue and Oakdale Avenue. Ticket prices for all performances are $10, $25, and $50 for for general admission. Sales are not yet being processed; but there is a Web page with a hyperlink, which will be updated when tickets are available. Those wishing to purchase tickets may wish to examine the online checklist for COVID safety. This must be completed within 72 hours of the performance being attended and, as of this writing, requires reporting the date of the most recent Test Results but not any information about vaccination.