A.I.M by Kyle Abraham premieres new work and honors Nina Simone in powerful evening of dance

Susan Bland

4 Mar 2025

Jamaal Bowman, right, and Keturah Stephen, left, dancers with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, wear all white and appear to gall together across the frame in front of a light grey background. — A.I.M by Kyle Abraham dancers Keturah Stephen (at left) and Jamaal Bowman move together. Photo courtesy of Alexander Diaz.

MacArthur Fellow and award-winning choreographer Kyle Abraham returns to the Moss Arts Center with his visionary, Black-led contemporary dance company A.I.M by Kyle Abraham for a powerful and evocative performance, featuring a piece set to the songs of Nina Simone and the premiere of a piece co-commissioned by the center, on Saturday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m.

Abraham’s unique vision and illumination of poignant and relevant issues set him apart from his generation of choreographers as a leading creative force in dance. A.I.M by Kyle Abraham extends this vision and amplifies surrounding artistic voices to share movement and community-based work with audiences around the world.

The company performs “If We Were a Love Song,” a series of poetic vignettes created by Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M and set to some of Simone’s most intimate songs. Melding the intricate qualities and musicality of Abraham’s movements with Simone’s seminal silky voice creates the atmosphere for this work. Composed primarily of solos and duets with versions created for both stage and screen, the work unfolds like a series of living portraits.

The mixed repertory program also includes “MotorRover” and the premiere of “2x4,” both by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M, and the new work “6 Lost labors,” created by choreographer Paul Singh.

Considered “one of the most consistently excellent troupes working today” by the New York Times, A.I.M provides multifaceted performances, educational programming, and community-based workshops around the world. The innovative work is galvanized by Black culture and history, features the rich tapestry of Black and Queer stories, and is grounded in a conglomeration of unique perspectives; it is described by Abraham as a “post-modern gumbo” of movement exploration. 

A.I.M is one of the most active touring dance companies in the United States, with an audience base as diverse as its movement vocabulary. Since A.I.M’s founding in 2006, Abraham has created more than 30 original works for and with the company. To expand its repertoire and offer a breadth of dance work to audiences, A.I.M commissions new works and performs existing works by outside choreographers such as Trisha Brown, Bebe Miller, Andrea Miller, Doug Varone, Paul Singh, A.I.M alums Rena Butler and Maleek Washington, and current A.I.M dancer Keerati Jinakunwiphat.

This performance is supported in part by gifts from Kelli Whitfield and Ruth Waalkes and Jeffrey C. Cole. Additional funding is provided by the Joe and Linda Hopkins Arts Enrichment Fund.

Related events

Immediately following the performance, hear from Abraham in an open post-performance discussion.

The center will host a movement workshop with community members ages 16 and up on Thursday, March 20, from 5-6:15 p.m. in the Cube. Geared toward all ability and skill levels, participants will have a company member as their guide. A.I.M by Kyle Abraham movement workshops emphasize four of the company’s core movement values: exploration, musicality, abandonment, and intuition. The opening warm-up sequence focuses on the fluidity of the spine, articulation, and core body strengthening and then builds up to challenging, creative, and invigorating phrase work. The workshop is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Dance majors from Radford University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts will also have the opportunity to explore A.I.M’s signature steps and expressive phrases in a class led by a member of the company.

Tickets

Tickets are $20-$55 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Venue and parking information

The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.