This week at “Pride Week,” dancer, choreographer, director and producer Anthony Kashim Turpin breaks out from his dance troupe, the AKAstudios, gets his cool day at the Gay pride celebrations Saturday in New York helping to spotlight a stand to what participants see as new pressure on gay rights and rights for Black Lives Matter movements.
As a leader of Philadelphia’s, New York City’s and Jersey City’s Ballet and Hip Hop dance, theatre and choreography trend, choreographer Kashim Turpin had four weeks to create and perform a new work of dance with LGBT's community activist and organizers before its national gay events.
In addition Turpin as well as other artist gathered for celebration and reminders about how the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, Missouri united due to the face of violence and inequality constantly raising its ugly head against a community because of who the community may love, how the community may look, or who the communities are sexually.
It’s not at all rare for major ballet and other style of dance performers like Kashim Turpin to go whole souled with a performing style that’s edgy and fashionable creating dance by a man.
Turpin has set out for several years to change the view that Black Male Ballet Dancers can’t hold their own in new or old competition performance.
In an industry that struggles to accept black dancers, especially Black Male Classical Dancers, it takes a lot of guts for a male to appear welcoming both sisters and brothers while dancing to music at a stage in NYC.
Of nearly 100 performers, Turpin chose to create new dance works, set it on a carpet walk, and premiere his dance performance for free on June 24th, 2017 in New York City.
Gay Pride Week paying close attention to updates, after a week full of anguish, despair and frustration for the black community, the topic of police brutality and how it disproportionately affects African-Americans has once again hit mainstream media.
In the span of a week, both Philando Castile’s and Alton Sterling’s lives came to an end at the hands of police officers. During a traffic stop for a supposed broken taillight, St. Anthony officer Jeronimo Yanez shot Castile, known as Phil to his friends and to students at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School. Phil reportedly let the officer know he had a gun – which he had a permit for – in hopes of avoiding an altercation, according to the Washington Post. His girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, recorded the interaction, because as she told ABC’s Good Morning America, “I knew they wouldn’t see me as being the person telling the truth. I knew by recording, I would be able to have my side brought to the table.”
As Castile’s loved ones, NYC, Gay Pride community, Black Lives Matter group and the black communities as a whole continue to reel, there’s been an outpouring of support.
Denouncing police brutality in any form, especially in the form of attacks against the Black community is a long time battle to be involved in.
Powerful images of dance, music and fashion, dancing barefoot in the NYC Park may help to demonstrate that artist such as Kashim Turpin and friends are serious about representing uplifting humanity using choreography and professionalism to pave the way.
