Over 2023/24, Kyle Marshall Choreography (KMC) created the Julius Eastman Trilogy, a trio of dances embodying the visionary music, full life and legacy of singular composer Julius Eastman (1940–1990). The cornerstone of the Julius Eastman Trilogy is Femenine, an evening-length dance set to Eastman’s most joyous works. The minimalist 67-minute composition “Femenine” (1974) includes woodwinds, marimba, voice, vibraphone, piano, bass, and an ocean of bells. Dressed in non-binary, airy expressions, the cast of six Black and Brown performers create a community onstage through touch, lifts and close connections. The dance ebbs between joy, power and frustration of living on the margins of society. The movement’s queer architecture, groovy momentum and choreographic density matches that of the music, the intimacy of city living and disco culture. Through this 70-minute journey, we will move through the shadows of queer history, recognize the struggles of our present time, and glimpse a queer future full of power, trust and softness.
