Disability, Minority Leaders Take Center Stage at ‘Intersections’ Dance Show

Ellice Patterson has seen some progress in the dance world’s embrace of inclusiveness.

But it’s been slow going.

“Overall, through time, I have noticed the culture shifting into being a bit more welcoming of a variety of identities," said Patterson. This includes people who identify as queer, transgender, indigenous or people of color in lead roles, she said.

“I’ve seen a lot of change. And at the same time, not as much change as I’d like to see.”

For people with disabilities, like Patterson, progress has, in fact, been painfully slow in the highly competitive world of dance. That’s why about nine years ago Patterson founded her own dance company, Abilities Dance Boston, after facing a lack of opportunities around the city while seeking modified dance choreography.

“I identify as a Black, disabled, queer woman, and so I can’t separate parts of my identity,” she told Sampan during a recent interview. “We all come with multiple identities and experiences.”

Later this month, her company will debut the world premiere of “Intersections V5,” April 17 and 18 at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge. Through dance, video and music,

“Intersections” will highlight racial equity and disability justice and shine a spotlight on four disability rights figures, past and present: Casandra Xavier of Boston, an assistive technology trainer for the deaf-blind, writer and disability and civil rights activist; Dr. Baiyina Muhammad, associate professor of history at North Carolina Central University; Claudia Alick of Oakland, Calif., a theater artist and inclusion expert; and the late Tom Wiggins, a blind pianist, who was born into slavery in the mid-1800s.

IN STEP: From left, Ellice Patterson, founder of Abilities Dance Boston; rights advocate Casandra Xavier; and musician Andrew Choe. Photo by Adam Smith

“Part of our work is to continue pushing who belongs in dance, who should be telling the stories that we’re telling. How do we authentically tell those stories and have that resonate with folks like us and not like us?” said Patterson.

The show will combine ballet and modern dance movements with scores by Abilities Dance Boston’s director of music Andrew Choe.

Telling the stories of the four through dance movement and music required research and careful consideration as well as creativity and artistic interpretation, said Patterson and Choe.

Creating scores for the show meant finding ways to help the audience and the dancers alike, said Choe, who was trained at Berklee College of Music and started playing piano as a young child.

“Let’s say if we work with a deaf dancer, a deaf dancer might be able to feel the lower registers of sound in terms of vibration, so incorporating more lower sounds in the music could be helpful in that regard, too. So it’s also thinking of those elements, and talking through all of those different elements and different things to incorporate in the music,” said Choe.

“I am so looking forward to this,” said Xavier about her being honored at the dance show. Xavier, 36, said she’s excited to have her story explored through the performing arts.

“Being African American and being disabled is an obstacle course from birth,” she said. “You can use it to do something really good if possible, or you could allow people … to make you feel really bad.”

But, she said, “You don’t choose to be disabled and you don’t choose your race. I am not ashamed of either.”

Indeed, Xavier has been vocal around many disability and civil rights issues, recently criticizing the city of Boston for a “shameful” lack of accessibility on sidewalks after snow storms and in general.

“I would say movement-wise and storytelling-wise, we definitely try to share as much of their lived experience as we can in the eight to 10 minute pieces,” said Patterson. “We also highlight video interviews we’ve had with our living honorees beforehand, so that we can show the audience who these folks are, show the nuances behind what they’re thinking, how they’re moving in the world, how we kind of translate that into movement. And it’s not a hero’s journey where someone is able to overcome or get to that ‘prize’ of assimilation, but to highlight the wins and the losses that someone might experience in their journey, and how all of that has kind of shaped who they are and how they are pushing the field forward today. Andrew (Choe) does a great job musically in showing those nuances musically through different instruments and then different genres to be able to better match the movement with the music.”

“Intersections” will include audio descriptions for the blind and visually impaired and captions and American Sign Language for the deaf and hard of hearing. Strobes and other flashing lights will not be used.

“You don’t necessarily leave the show feeling happy-go-lucky,” said Patterson, “but you leave it feeling like, ‘I didn’t know about this element’ or ‘This part really resonated with my lived experience and I feel seen and or inspired to learn more.’”

“Intersections” is slated for April 17 and 18 at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge and will be live-streamed. Tickets will be sold on a sliding scale.