San Francisco choreographer Robert Moses is marking his contemporary dance troupe’s 30th anniversary with a new work he calls “a meditation on the emotional, societal, racial, political, and gender-oriented expectations placed on all of us, with a specific focus at times on the experiences of Black men and African American diasporic concerns.”
Robert Moses’ KIN’s home season on March 14-16 at San Francisco’s Z Space includes the premiere of Moses’ “The Kennings” as well as new pieces by guest artists working in the company’s “New Legacies: One Acts” commissioning program.
“A kenning is the blending of two words that don’t usually go together, like ‘stowaway’ or ‘homeboy,’” says Moses, who also created the text and recorded sound for the dance. “I was thinking about our current climate and the way we shove some things together that wouldn’t necessarily go together—the lack of responsibility and the political climate or how we treat each other—and ‘The Kennings’ deals with that from an artistic place.”
Moses has described “The Kennings” as a “narrative impressionist anthology.”
The piece for 11 dancers reflects Moses’ belief that a way to achieve positive change is by bringing society to life through the body and word: “My idea initially was that there are a group of artists who are put into a camp, but only after they’ve been used to one point of view—not necessarily their point of view—so it squished two things together,” Moses says. “And the conceit is that someone has found writings from this period and these are excerpts from the writings of these artists.”
Moses says “The Kennings” isn’t specifically about him. And while it may be recognizable to audiences familiar with his work, it’s also different from the dozens of dances he’s created over the decades.
He says, “It’s recognizable because it’s full of energy, beauty and quickness. It’s a departure in that I’m doing the text, music and choreography myself. It’s a variation in that I’m working with things I’ve worked with over the years and conceptualized to bring a new reality to the work.”
Describing the genesis of his commissioning program, Moses says, “There aren’t a lot of opportunities for artists who work in the Bay Area to set their work on other folks in the Bay Area because of the costs. So the idea is to raise some money just to give people the chance to go into the studio without the headaches that don’t let you just think about the work.”
Pieces created by 2025 “New Legacies: One Acts” guest artists showcase the interplay between dance, music, sound and text. The three artistic teams include: choreographers Yayoi Kambara and Loni Landon working with playwright Janesta Edmonds and composer Angela Yam; choreographer Nol Simonse working with writer Jim Cave and singer-songwriter Lawrence Tome; and choreographer-writers Megan and Shannon Kurashige, sisters and co-directors of the troupe Sharp & Fine, working with composer Erika Oba.
“What’s interesting is that they are using elements that you would consider the same, but they are wildly different from different points of view,” Moses says. “Nol Simonse’s work is absolutely gorgeous, quirky and, in terms of its aesthetic, it’s sort of Baroque; Yayoi’s work is very down-to-earth and relatable; and Sharp & Fine’s work is kinetic and at the same time the kind of thing that makes you go, ‘Whoop!’—you think a little bit about what you just saw.”
The weekend program might also include an excerpt from a RMK dance presented during the recent Black Choreographers Festival in San Francisco: “It’s a very short piece that was well received and it’s very different so we might add that just to increase the breadth of things,” Moses says.
Reflecting on his long career while answering a query about his source for artistic inspiration, Moses concludes, “I’m in my 30th year, so the person who has had the most impact on me in the last 30 years is me, looking at this particular work and considering what I’ve done and having a chance to look back at all the dances, music and collaborators.”
Robert Moses’ KIN’s 30th Anniversary Season performances are at 7 p.m. March 14-15 and 2 p.m. March 16 at Z Space, 450 Florida St., San Francisco. For tickets ($15-$55) visit https://www.zspace.org/kennings.
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