The Black Lives Masquerade
SOMArts is proud to partner with Global Street Dance Masquerade artistic director Rashad Pridgen to present The Black Lives Masquerade on Saturday, February 25. Beginning at Zaccho Dance Theatre (1777 Yosemite Ave, San Francisco) at 3:00 pm, this site-specific performance will travel through the Bayview neighborhood to remember and honor San Franciscans who have been lost to police brutality and injustice. The performance procession will finish at the Bayview Opera House (4705 3rd St) with a community celebration and reception.
The Black Lives Masquerade was developed by Pridgen and an ensemble cast of performers as part of a year-long residency at SOMArts and will culminate in the creation of a full-body masquerade suit made specifically for the performance.
Incorporating contemporary street dance practices from around the world into the ancient tradition of masquerading, the Global Street Dance Masquerade reveals the influence of the African diaspora in traditional and contemporary dance techniques. The Black Lives Masquerade will honor lives lost in San Francisco and across the country due to police brutality and will inspire and challenge audience members to recommit to the struggle for racial justice.
The Black Lives Masquerade was developed by Pridgen and an ensemble cast of performers as part of a year-long residency at SOMArts and will culminate in the creation of a full-body masquerade suit made specifically for the performance.
Incorporating contemporary street dance practices from around the world into the ancient tradition of masquerading, the Global Street Dance Masquerade reveals the influence of the African diaspora in traditional and contemporary dance techniques. The Black Lives Masquerade will honor lives lost in San Francisco and across the country due to police brutality and will inspire and challenge audience members to recommit to the struggle for racial justice.
GLOBAL STREET DANCE MASQUERADE
BLACK LIVES MASQUERADE PERFORMING ARTISTS
Chinaka Hodge
Antione Hunter
Rashidi Omari
Chrisitian Pepin
Lantanya Tigner
Erica Wilson
Artistic Director
Rashad Pridgen
The Black Lives Masquerade is part of a series of performances made possible in part by a grant from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. Subsequent Global Street Dance Masquerade performances presented in partnership with SOMArts will include a site-specific masquerade in San Francisco’s Central Market neighborhood in April 2017 and a final performance at SOMArts in May 2017.
The Black Lives Masquerade is free to attend and will begin at 3:00 pm at Zaccho Dance Theatre (1777 Yosemite Ave, San Francisco). Volunteers will be stationed along the performance route to direct audience members. This traveling performance requires walking and standing for up to 1 hour on public sidewalks. Audience members with mobility concerns are encouraged to attend the community celebration starting at 4:00 pm at the Bayview Opera House (4705 3rd St, San Francisco).
Street parking is available near Zaccho Dance Theatre on Mendell St and Yosemite Ave, as well as near the Bayview Opera House on 3rd Street.
Zaccho Dance Theatre is also accessible via public transportation by taking the KT Metro line to Third St and Williams Ave. More detailed directions to Zaccho are available here.
