UCLA Department of Worlds Arts and Cultures/Dance MFA Upstarts 2024 Series Presents:
PASS US NOT: Holy Ghosted
Dates: April 26 & 27, 2024
Live Performance
Venue: Glorya Kaufman Hall, Glorya Kaufman Dance Theater (Room 200)
Ticket Price: Free. To RSVP for this event, please click here.
Description:
Aquilah “KHILA” Ohemeng, choreographer/director of PASS US NOT: Holy Ghosted, is currently an MFA Candidate in UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures/Dance Choreographic Inquiry program. PASS US NOT: Holy Ghosted embarks on the Philadelphia native’s choreographic and directorial debut here in Los Angeles. The work is in conjunction with UCLA WAC/D’s MFA Upstarts Series 2024 and will take place in Glorya Kaufman Dance Theater on Friday April 26th and Saturday April 27th, 2024 at 8pm. All are welcome; admission is free.
Reimagining Revelations, PASS US NOT: Holy Ghosted, an evening-length group performance reinterprets Alvin Ailey's 1960 work Revelations through the lens of frustrations and aspirations that Generation Z members navigate in a “post-pandemic” United States. Ohemeng uses archival research (written and embodied) to converse with the use of traditional African-American spirituals in Revelations’ soundscore and their original meanings and connotations. Ohemeng states, “Despite the historical and continued oppression of Black bodies, these songs’ composition foregrounds themes of struggle and endurance that we still experience today. As we all navigate this thing called “life,” such lyrics have the potential to become inclusive with recognition of the context and circumstances that caused them to arise.” She adds, “With a young and racially diverse cast, I am interested in how my generation is dealing with struggle, depleted hope, and communal healing. In this work, the performers share their experiences and grievances in order to be in conversation with these iconic songs, identifying what’s real for them.” PASS US NOT: Holy Ghosted reenvisions Revelations’ movement aesthetics through a unique blend of African diasporic dance forms including hip-hop/street dance with Ailey’s notable fusion of ballet and modern movement.
Following April 26th’s performance, there will be a reception with light refreshments in the Kaufman Courtyard. After April 27th’s performance, there will be a moderated artist talkback, moderated by Miguel Guttierez, an award-winning choreographer and WAC/D Associate Professor.
To RSVP for this event, please click here.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Aquilah Ohemeng is a multidisciplinary choreographer whose work is layered in movement, filmmaking, and writing. She uses an experiential and multicultural lens rooted in the African Diaspora and its movement aesthetics, Black Studies, Womanist theology, and social justice to investigate historical narratives, contemporary culture, identity, and modes of resistance. Her various choreographic works have been selected, featured, and/or commissioned within exhibitions ranging from Colby College’s Museum of Art in conjunction with the Zanele Muholi: Sonymama Namayama, Hail the Dark Lioness exhibition to Spelman College’s Forty Years of Black Feminist Fire celebration and most recently, UCLA’s 2022 International New Wight Biennial. She has been a featured guest performer in works by the renowned Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and SZA. In addition to having taught dance technique and theory at prominent institutions such as Syracuse University (formerly as adjunct faculty), Spelman College, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and UCLA, Ohemeng has mentored and worked with Philadelphia, Metro-Atlanta, and Boston youth. Ohemeng received her formal dance education from Spelman College, where she earned a B.A. degree in Dance Performance & Choreography, while minoring in Spanish. Currently, she resides on unceded Gabrielino/Tongva territory presently known as Los Angeles, California completing her Master of Fine Arts in Choreographic Inquiry.
Please check out her Instagram Page @aokhila to stay-up-to-date on this work and her future projects.
About the Company
KHILA LLC. is a Los Angeles-based company that conceives and supports projects for artists and performances. Specializing in areas such as choreography and executive direction, we focus on building and capturing stories that are imagistically striking and timeless. Our company’s approach is longevity-oriented, committed to fostering community through meaningful collaboration and embracing a multiplicity of perspectives. Led by founder Aquilah Ohemeng, she has hybridized her various creative practices, experiences, and expertises into KHILA LLC; a polymathic incubator for artistic exploration, growth, and ingenuity.
Website: www.bykhila.com
MEDIA CONTACTS
Aquilah Ohemeng: aokhila@g.ucla.edu
Ginger Holguin: gingerholguin@arts.ucla.edu