"Black means beautiful, Black means bold, Black means Courageous. It means a past rooted in survival and the dreams and hopes
of those who came before me. Being black means at times being disregarded, belittled, hidden. Hidden in the Black, in the
Black of my skin, in the Black of the space around me and in the Black of time. There is how I see myself and how society sees
me. The two do not always align but I learnt to scream louder "in the Black" for the part of me that is misunderstood and sits
anchored in the beauty of my black skin, my culture and my heritage."
Inspired by the experiences of choreographer Monique Smith-McDowell, "In the Black" is the account of a journey through life
marked by negative connotations linked to skin colour. And the constant evolution of the need to justify, transform and shape
one's place in society. At the same time, it is a search for inner beauty, a desire to rise above negativity. The voices on
the outside are silenced and the community on the inside is listened to. We remember who we are and what we represent.
An animalistic body with a contemporary flair moves through space, depicting emotions felt by members of the black community
as they grow and develop into adults. A journey through different stages of life - the Majestic Being, the Beast and the
Butterfly - combines music, poetic audio description and choreography into a rollercoaster of emotions.
“Black means beautiful, Black means bold, Black means courageous. Being black means a past rooted in survival and the dreams
and hopes of those who came before me. Being black means at times being disregarded, belittled, hidden. Hidden in the Black,
in the Black of my skin, in the Black of the space around me und in the Black of time. There is a difference in how I see
myself and how society sees me. The two seldom align but I learnt to scream louder IN THE BLACK, for the part of me that is
misunderstood and sits anchored in the beauty of my Black skin, my culture and my heritage.” Inspiriert von den
Lebenserfahrungen der Choreographin Monique SmithMcDowell, ist In the Black die Geschichte eines Lebens, das mit den negativen
Konnotationen der Hautfarbe konfrontiert ist. Es spiegelt die konstante Entwicklung des Bedürfnisses wider, den eigenen Platz
in der Gesellschaft zu rechtfertigen, zu transformieren und zu gestalten. Gleichzeitig ist es eine Suche nach innerer
Schönheit und den Wunsch, sich zu erheben. Stimmen von außen werden zum Schweigen gebracht, die Community im Inneren wird
angehört. Wir erinnern uns, wer wir sind und was wir repräsentieren. Ein animalischer Körper mit zeitgenössischem Flair bewegt
sich durch den Raum und stellt die Emotionen dar, die Mitglieder der Schwarzen Community während und in der Entwicklung ihres
Heranwachsens teilen. Eine Reise durch verschiedene Lebensabschnitte schafft eine emotionale Achterbahnfahrt, die durch Musik,
poetische Audiodeskription und Choreographie spürbar wird.
