Nearly Sighted/

Unearthing the Dark

(Gibney, 2018)

A dancer is wearing green neon lines on a black costume in a black space; you can see green lines on their body but can't make out much else. In this image, it looks like one leg is extended behind the dancer.
A dancer is wearing green neon lines on a black costume in a black space; you can see green lines on their body but can't make out much else. In this image, one arm and one leg are extended.
A dancer is wearing green neon lines on a black costume in a black space; you can see green lines on their body but can't make out much else. In this image, it looks like the dancer is bending down to pick something up.
A dancer is wearing green neon lines on a black costume in a black space; you can see green lines on their body but can't make out much else. In this image, it looks like one leg is extended in front of the dancer.

About

In Nearly Sighted / Unearthing the Dark, Kayla explored the gaps and knowledge that exist between what we perceive, how we interpret, and what we understand in a sight centered (performance) world. The Audio Descriptions in the show are delivered live by people who become an integral part of the piece. Their tone, style, and point of view as a playwright, an actor, and a certified Laban instructor are made ‘visible’, finding humor and insight in their subjectivity. Kayla’s dancing, entangled and chasing the literal light, mirrors the exhaustion of having a sight impairment in a visually obsessed world, and offers the possibility of accepting the darkness, and the faith that the light will come when it comes.

Credits 

Choreography by: Kayla Hamilton in collaboration with Azure D. Osborne-Lee, Nicole Y. McClam, Lamin Leroy Gibba, Crystal U. Davis, Francine E. Ott, Christal Brown, and Ja me Dzandu

Performed by: Kayla Hamilton, Nicole McClam, Azure D. Osborne-Lee, and Lamin Leroy Gibba 

Audio Description by: Nicole Y. McClam, Azure D. Osborne-Lee and Lamin Leroy Gibba

Video Design: Jessica Ray

Dramaturgy: Shawn Rene Graham

Music: Various artists with 911 call written / recorded by Denae Hannah and Autumn Scoggan

Special Thanks: Jerron Herman, Italy Welton, Denae Hannah, Alice Sheppard, and every other black woman that I have shared space, time and energy with.

There are four performers; one is draped across a chair, one is lying on the ground, one is standing and extending a hand, and one is lounging on the ground, resting on a hand, with knees bent.
There are three performers walking across a stage, each has their right arm and hand extended.
There are two performers on black marley; one in the background is laying back with a right arm extended in the air and the performer in the foreground is in something close to a push-up position.
There are two performers in a sort of embrace; the one holding the other performer is laughing and the one being held has their arms in front of their chest.

Press 

A dancing image of Kayla Hamilton, a milk chocolates colored Black person. She has her left foot behind her in the air as she looks to the right.

Arika

Nearly Sighted/Unearthing the Dark

“Kayla Hamilton practices what she preaches. A fulcrum between disabled and non-disabled dance, a fiercely thoughtful artist, and a generous soul: these are those qualities that endear Kayla to the world. By enlarging and enlivening our awareness of sightedness, she offers us vastly fresh pathways to liberation in our own bodies. In her work is an undercurrent of freedom and that freedom is palpable and intoxicating as she dances. Ultimately, Kayla establishes a world where our body is celebratory. With resonate humor and precise pauses, her work cuts to our core.”

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