STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos presents CIRCLES CIRCLES is an evening length dance work in response to white supremacy and its effects in Black lives today. Combining dance, visual arts, and an original soundtrack, the work presents snapshots of popular culture through Choreographer Staycee Pearl’s lens as a mid-career Black woman. Featuring an ensemble of 5 dancers, CIRCLES offers a path to self reclamation. The visual arts component will be developed by Bekezela Mguni and Staycee Pearl, drawing from their experiences as Black women. The soundtrack is being created by Herman Pearl in collaboration with a diverse roster of Black Female and Queer club music artists.

Live experimental music and stunning visuals set the scene for sym., a deeply atmospheric dance and sound experience inspired by Octavia Butler’s Fledgling. In collaboration with acclaimed Visual Artist Barbara Weissberger and Musicians Sadie Powers & Bonnie Jones, SPdp&SS explore Butler's mysterious universe of vampires and humans to examine symbiosis, gender identity and race as it relates to contemporary culture. **sym was commissioned by the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Pittsburgh, PA. Premiere: April 12, 2019 Staycee R. Pearl / Lead Artist Herman B. Pearl / Sound Designer/Engineer Barbara Weissberger / Visual Arts/Set Designer Performers: Jessica Marino, LaTrea Rembert, Joy-Marie Thompson, Dava Huesca, Quaba Ernest sym. is made possible by the generous support of the Dance Initiative Artists In Residence program, Pittsburgh Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, the Opportunity Fund, & the Lift Grant.

sol. draws from the Soul music of the late 50s to mid 70s to create an expressive sound and movement experience steeped in the emotional, funky, rhythmical qualities of the genre. Incorporating the upbeat, athletic movements and flavor of Soul with a contemporary vocabulary, SPdp dancers groove and vibe to a rich assortment of immersive music that has been expertly curated, mixed, and reworked by Soy Sos. A celebration of soul music, the sounds and expressiveness of sol. are meant to evoke the visceral reactions of joy and nostalgia for audiences world-wide. Premiere: June 7, 2019 / pearlPRESENTS Dance Festival (Pittsburgh, PA) Staycee R. Pearl / Lead Artist Herman B. Pearl / Sound Designer/Engineer Athena Flournoy, Cemiyon Barber, Chandler Bingham, Dava Huesca, Indigo Sparks, Jessica Marino, Joy-Marie Thompson, LaTrea Rembert, Lauren Horn, & Quaba Ernest / PERFORMERS www.spdpandsoysos.com