Lauren Horn

“Renaissance Gyal” is a choreographic work, set on a cast of Black women, that explores the ways in which Black women have set a precedence for culture in America, while simultaneously being erased. Inspired by the renaissance, this piece frames Black creativity in movement, music, art and style as a continuous cultural boom deserving of both deference and celebration. In “Renaissance Gyal” the term Black unites and tells the stories of those of Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latino, Afro-American and African heritage who have come to live in America.

Since January of 2022 I have developed “Renaissance Gyal” in collaboration with three other dancers. After a successful eighteen-minute-long Works in Progress Showing of “Renaissance Gyal” at The Northampton Center For the Arts, I have begun developing this work into a sixty minute long evening length work ready for touring. If awarded this grant, these funds would go towards paying dancers at a rate of $20 an hour for bi monthly rehearsals.