Marc Bamuthi Joseph/The Living Word Project
/peh-LO-tah/—a futbol framed freedom suite . . .
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Joseph’s words can take an audience’s breath away, then coax out sighs, exclamations of approval, and finally drawing them to their feet.
—The SF Bay Guardian
Developed with and directed by Michael John Garcés and choreographed by Stacey Printz, with original music by Tommy Shepherd. Presented in association with the Chicago Humanities Festival
- Inspired by soccer and the artist’s first generation American experience, Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s
/peh-LO-tah/—a futbol framed freedom suite . . . actively intersects global economics, fandom culture across borders, and the politics of joy. The work was initially conceived during Joseph's first trip to South Africa, when the nation was preparing for the 2010 World Cup.
Along with spoken word poetry by Joseph, /peh-LO-tah/ features interdisciplinary performances by Amara Tabor-Smith and native Chicagoan Traci Tolmaire as well as original music by Tommy Soulati Shepherd with selected vocal arrangements by Yaw Agyeman of the Black Monks of Mississippi. Filmed imagery from Joseph's travels to South Africa and Brazil and video projection designed by visual artist and long-time collaborator David Szlasa accompany dancers who perform the movements of soccer players fused with hip-hop and modern dance as well as folkloric dances of South Africa and Brazil. The distinct physiologies and expressiveness of the dancers' bodies offer a powerful meditation on egalitarianism “choreographed to the rhythm of the beautiful game.”
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes
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Accessible Events
- FRI, OCT 6, 7:30 PM
OPEN-CAPTIONED PERFORMANCE
Post-Show Talk
- FRI, OCT 6
Stick around after Friday’s performance for a post-show discussion with the performers. The talk is led by Yolanda Cursach, MCA Curator of Performance.
About the Artist
Considered "one of the most influential people in dance today,"
Joseph's commissions include Black Joy in the Hour of Chaos