Inside the Pillow Lab:
A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

Inside the Pillow Lab:
A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

November 12, 2020 at 7pm Eastern | Screened on YouTube

Kyle Abraham, the “best and brightest creative talent to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama” (OUT Magazine), and his company, A.I.M, will build two new works during their residency. An Untitled Love was originally set to premiere during summer 2020 as an evening-length work set to the music of D’Angelo and The Vanguard; Abraham will also develop an untitled work scheduled to premiere in summer 2021. “The Pillow evokes a natural sense of camaraderie and inspiration,” says Abraham. “This residency couldn’t have come at a better time. With the realities and fears surrounding COVID-19 and the vast uncertainties faced in the performing arts, this residency gives my dancers and me an opportunity to create, to build and find each other again.”

The mission of A.I.M is to create an evocative interdisciplinary body of work with a sincere provocation of cultural pride and history. Born into hip-hop culture in the late 1970s and grounded in Artistic Director Kyle Abraham’s artistic vision, the goal of the work is to delve into dance-based storytelling that addresses personal history through movement hybridity and abstraction. Through live and pre-recorded performances, education, and community-based workshops, A.I.M is a righteous representation of black art and culture. As an organization, community and artistry work in tandem as a way to lift and highlight our voices while making the space to see and recognize voices beyond our own.

Artistic Director Kyle Abraham is a recipient of the Princess Grace Statue Award (2018), Doris Duke Artist Award (2016), MacArthur “Genius” Grant (2013), and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award (2012). In addition to his own company, Abraham has set work on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland, among others.

“This residency gives my dancers and me an opportunity to create, to build and find each other again within a language that is so near and dear to us: Dance. The Pillow evokes a natural sense of camaraderie and inspiration. And during our 10 days on the grounds, we will revel in that.“
—Kyle Abraham

This event is produced in collaboration with