Alfonso Cid

Aliesha Bryan

Sacred Body, Sacred Sounds

This is not the only version of this piece that there will ever be. In it, I am exploring the compulsion to own things, to own people, what it looks like to own oneself and whether that's even possible. It is a tricky, tricky subject. For many months now, I have wondered how deeply to go into it, afraid for myself and also afraid in general because of the darkness I know could be found.

Some movements I choose, some arise from within me. And through all this, I wonder: what does it mean to be fully your own? Is that power? Each day, there seems to be a new rub; things grate on the body, the soul, the mind until it is all left raw. I did not start out so highly defended, but somehow I have become defensive in nature. In examining my "world view", I see that it is one of vigilance and protection, hyper awareness, where most of me is focused on remaining intact so I can actually live. Moving as a way of survival. Sacred Body, Sacred Sounds is my way of saying, "this is what I hold dear".

About Aliesha Bryan The work of multidisciplinary performing artist Aliesha Bryan (she/her) emerges from a rich tapestry of movement incorporating Flamenco and Spanish dances, dances of the African diaspora, contemporary styles and somatic-based movement approaches. Her performative work includes choreographic commissions and site-specific creations, including the conception and production of the first iteration of The Message, presented during the BlaktinX Performance Series at BAAD! Theatre, and its second reiteration at the Arts on Site Blackbox theatre. Aliesha has appeared on stages ranging from international festivals to more intimate venues, including The Hemispheric Institute and the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the African American Museum in Philadelphia and the Victoria Flamenco Festival in British Columbia. She is an advocate for social change through healing, and has been featured on BBC Podcast, The Reset, in Dance Magazine, and in Camille A. Brown’s series entitled Social Dance for Social Change. She is also the founder of Blackbird Dance Company and its Development Lab, a group of determined artists who endeavor to create powerful work that addresses pressing questions, always holding fast to the healing potential of art.

Aliesha Bryan, dancer & artistic director

Olyda "La Ola", singer & dancer

Ivan Max, guitarist

Alfonso Cid, singer & flute