UNDERSCORED acts as a living archive of five generations of NYC club dancers. The evening length performance component of UNDERSCORED is a multi-generational collaboration with performers ranging in age from 28-80. Celebrating and investigating their connections to the club scene from the 1970s until today, this work features EAD ensemble members and three NYC club legends, Archie Burnett, Brahms "Bravo" LaFortune, and Michele Saunders. Audiences join the company in an exhilarating journey through deeply personal histories, rarely seen archival footage and, of course, decades of dancing through the culturally reflective styles of breaking, hip-hop, house, vogue, waacking and hustle. Initially set to premiere in October 2020, no one could have ever imagined that the very thing at the core of this work the club would be taken from us. Collaborating and dancing alongside club elders who have lived through the crack epidemic, the AIDS crisis, and who are now surviving and thriving through the current global pandemic, is life affirming beyond belief, their dancing bodies a testament to their resilience and fortitude. The pandemic kept ALL of us from gathering. Whether on or off the dance floor, UNDERSCORED is a reminder of how essential it is to connect to one another.

Before the performance at 7 p.m., join a panel of Atlanta’s finest dancers for a discussion about the city’s vibrant underground dance and music scene! The panel will be moderated by Deborah Conton; panelists include Frankie Freeman, Honey Rockwell, Orko, Brian Scarlett, and Rodney Williams. (Pre-show panel is included with your UNDERSCORED ticket purchase) 

The presentation of UNDERSCORED was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.

January 26, 2024 • 8 p.m. • Ferst Center for the Arts 

Ephrat Asherie Dance (EAD) is a dance company rooted in African American and Latinx street and club dances. Dedicated to exploring the inherent complexities of these dances, EAD investigates the expansive narrative qualities of various vernacular forms including breaking, hip hop, house and vogue, as a means to tell stories, develop innovative imagery, and find new modes of expression. EAD’s first evening-length work, A Single Ride, earned two Bessie nominations in 2013 for Outstanding Emerging Choreographer and Outstanding Sound Design by Marty Beller. The company has presented work at New York City Center, Art Power! at UC San Diego, The Apollo Theater, Columbia College, Dixon Place, FiraTarrega, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Joyce Theater, La MaMa, New York LiveArts, River to River Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Summerstage NYC, and The Yard, among others. For more information, please visit www.ephratasheriedance.com IG:@ephratasheriedance

"Asherie and her company are a sight anywhere they perform." -The Boston Globe