About the Work

Truth from Shadow is an evening-length work comprised of three pieces that chronicle Ke’ron’s journey of self-actualization and empowerment [as a Black Trans Femme]. It explores the limitations, possibilities, and contradictions of nurturing intimacy, connection, and community. Grounding in theories related to shadow work, affinity spaces, and collaboration, the work extends the tradition of dance theater to create a multidisciplinary symphony that weaves together original soundscore, lighting design, poetry, and choreography.

The first piece, “my masc, my shadow,” reflects on Ke’ron’s experiences of navigating intimacy in both physical and virtual queer spaces and critically examines the confusing nature of hook-ups in gay culture as a childhood sexual abuse survivor. The duet combines a suspenseful original score with moments of sensual partnering, revealing the limitations of connection when the underlying need to be seen and known is masquerading as an insatiable sexual desire.

“Liminal Woman” follows, tracing Ke’ron’s experience of gender transition through a solo section and a trio. Movements fraught with fear give way to tender moments of intimacy where beautiful trans+ bodies flow and intertwine freely. The piece examines the feelings of isolation, belonging, and community brought about by moving towards a more authentic expression of self.

The work concludes with “Silver Moon,” which investigates personal and communal empowerment for femmes through the figure of the witch, a feminine archetype often vilified and ostracized. It asks: How can community serve as a source for individual and collective power, especially for those who are marginalized by social norms?

Truth from Shadow moves from the idea that the personal is political. It draws on Ke’ron’s experiences to facilitate conversations around universal human needs for love, acceptance, belonging, and genuine self-expression. It does so against the sociopolitical backdrop of the US where Queer, Trans+, Black, and Femme people are increasingly marginalized and demonized. Truth from Shadow champions a story of queer resilience and invites audience members to consider their own journey to well-being as well as their community’s.

This work will premiere as part of Mare Nostrum Element's Emerging Choreographer Series 2024 at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center on Tue, Feb 27th & Wed, Feb 28th at 7:30pm. Learn more and buy tickets HERE.

Artist Statement by Ke'ron J. Wilson

As a trans-femme mystic, I am choreographer, musician, photographer, poet, and advocate. My creative journey is deeply rooted in the spiritual and radical aspects of art-making within community, aiming to decentralize singular perspectives and foster collaboration. In this process, I prioritize care, compassion, relationships, and rigorous self and social reflection.

I alchemize my experiences to create transformative spaces that unite trans/femme and BIPOC individuals, celebrating our diverse power and the joy of community healing. Engaging in Emergent Strategy, I immerse myself in all facets of the creative process, from directing and choreography to costume and sound design. By exploring various artistic mediums, I unearth and craft memories intertwined with the world my team and I are building.

To enrich my artistic lineage, I draw inspiration from multi-hyphenate afro-queer artists like Shamel Pitts, Ms. Z Tye, and Terrell Villiers. Through leading meditations, interviews, and round-table discussions, I delve into affinity spaces and catharsis as tools for healing, activism, and liberation. This holistic, multidisciplinary approach nurtures authentic relationships with different dimensions of my work.

About the Choreographer, Ke'ron J. Wilson

Ke’ron J. Wilson (she/they) is a community oriented movement artist, choreographer, model, actor, musician, poet, and healer currently based out of New York City, NY. Born in Lakeland Florida, Ke’ron began her dance training at Harrison School for the Arts and Florida Dance Theater. She went on to graduate from Sam Houston State University with a BFA in Dance (2019) where she performed work by Sidra Bell, Manuel Vignouelle, and Joshua Peugh. Her career began as a founding member of Elijah Alhadji Gibson’s Social Movement Contemporary Dance Theater and as a recurring guest choreographer for Pilot Dance Project.

Recently, Ke’ron has worked closely with Shamel Pitts as a TRIBE artist, most notably appearing in a global PRIDE campaign with Calvin Klein (2022) and as a part of his “BLACK series” (2023). Her choreography has been supported by WADEintoActivism/NYU Tisch’s PRIDE residency (2023) and MNE’s Emerging Choreographer’s Series (2022) - as their returning choreographer (2023) and as an alumni choreographer (2024). She has also appeared on the Tamron Hall Show with Sonya Renee Taylor and on the New York Fashion Week runway as a model for Bad Binch Tong Tong’s SS24 collection.

Meet Collaborator, Gabby Gubitosi

Gabby Gubitosi (he/they) is a trans dance artist based in New York City. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA he graduated from Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts 6-12 and went on to graduate from Eugene Lang College at The New School in 2022 with a BA in Contemporary Dance and Politics. He has worked with many brilliant artists and choreographers including Nia Love, Rebecca Stenn, Mariana Valencia, David Thomson, Joanna Kotze, Marcel Dzama, and Vanessa Walters. Gabby has performed in multiple works by Ke’ron Wilson since 2023 including Body Composition (In the Key of Spirit), Liminal Woman, and my masc, his hands. He also co-choreographs with collaborator and dance artist Daniela Garcia-Arce. Gabby is currently a Teaching Artist Apprentice at New York City Ballet’s Education Department.

Meet Collaborator, Kabirah Lewis

Kabirah began her professional dance training in middle school at Center for Modern Dance Education(CMDE) located in Hackensack, New Jersey where she trained mostly in ballet, and many different Modern Dance disciplines. For high school Kabirah attended Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey to major in dance. As a high schooler, Kabirah was also a student at Alvin Ailey’s The Ailey School in Manhattan, attending school year, and summer courses in the Junior/Pre-Professional Division to further advance her training. After graduating Kabirah moved on to join the Certificate Program of the Professional Division at the Ailey School for one year of study. Throughout the course of Kabirah’s training, and growing career she has been blessed to grace the stages of the Lincoln Center, The Apollo, New Jersey’s Performing Arts Center(NJPAC), Ailey Citigroup Theater, United Palace Theater, Newark Symphony Hall, and various other performance venues. She hopes to grace many more stages, and anticipates all the places her love for exploring her gift of dance takes her.

Meet Collaborator, Henry Leef

Henry Leef is an emerging movement artist and performer in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from West Virginia, they began training at the Academy of Arts at January’s in Modern, Contemporary, Dance-Theater, and Jazz. They continued their training at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where they received a BFA in Dance with a minor in mathematics and a heavy concentration in performance studies. There, the performed repertoire by Bill T. Jones Arnie Zane Co., and the Trisha Brown Dance Company choreographed and directed several performed works that explored the movement’s relationship to text, media, lineage, and identity. Additionally, they have studied under dancers and choreographers Kayla Farrish, André Zachary, Laja Martin, Netta Yerushalmy, and Sebastian Arababanell.

Meet Collaborator, Noelle Nations

Noëlle Nations (she/her) is a dance artist based out of New York City. She began her dance training in the Bay Area with award-winning dancer and choreographer Erin Yarbrough-Powell and traveled to work with choreographers Sean Curren and Gregory Dawson.

She is currently finishing her dual undergraduate degree at The New School in Contemporary Dance and Psychology and is set to graduate in May of 2024. During her time at The New School, she performed work with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Mariana Valencia, Joanna Kote, and Beth Gill.

Her mission as an artist and mental health professional is to merge trauma healing and movement in performance spaces and personal healing practices. She approaches art and personal mental recovery and maintenance from a body-based viewpoint. “Movement is the Medicine” is the sentiment she embodies in every aspect of her vocation, artistic expression, and life.

Meet Collaborator, Babou Sanneh

Babou Sanneh is a first-generation Gambian-American dance artist and model from New York, Sanneh is currently a dancer at the Metropolitan Opera and a model/commercial dancer with MSA. Sanneh has performed works by Martha Graham, Bill T. Jones, Johannes Weiland, Victor Quijada, Linda Celeste Sims, Glenn Allen Sims, and others. Sanneh has appeared in HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness, in the world premiere of Doppleganger at the Park Avenue Armory, and in campaigns for Telfar and Burberry. Sanneh is a recent graduate from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College.

Meet Lighting Designer/Collaborator, Lucca Del Carlo

Lucca Del Carlo (he/him) is a graphic designer and video artist from São Paulo, Brazil. He specializes in transmedia, mixing cinema techniques, concepts of architecture, visual arts, light & video design and technology. Integrating those into the direction and creation of scenography, immersive environments and visual live shows. In his view, all ways of visual communication have interlacing points, not only using technology but also using human emotions and its related censorial illusions. Del Carlo’s specialty is mixing it in new ways to inspire and break common patterns in visual art expression.

Ig: @luccadc

Meet Sound Design Collaborator, X O’Neal

X O’Neil (They/Them) is a composer, producer and musical artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Known under the moniker Jasper Jones, their music is a fusion of rock, folk, and pop, with their highly anticipated debut album set to release later this year.

X's recent endeavors include crafting original scores for independent short films, most notably 'Boy Parts,' a collaborative effort where they not only composed but also co-wrote the film, earning a nomination for the Cannes Short Film Corner 2023.

Beyond their creative pursuits, X is deeply committed to music education. They recently lent their expertise to a songwriting workshop alongside renowned artist Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief) at the School of Song.

In every facet of their career, X O’Neil embodies a passion for pushing boundaries and creating meaningful experiences through music.

Meet Dramaturgical Collaborator, Carlee Sachs-Krook

Carlee Sachs-Krook is an educator, researcher, writer, and dramaturg working in the field of dance. She holds a BFA in dance from Sam Houston State University and an MA in American Dance Studies from Florida State University. Drawing on her embodied experience as a mover and a groover in popular and concert dance contexts, she shimmies between research and praxis related to dance, dramaturgy, pedagogy, and social justice. Her written work has appeared in Dance in US Popular Culture (ed. Jen Atkins), The Dancer-Citizen, Dance Informa Magazine, and The Tallahassee Democrat. She has presented original research at the national Popular Culture Association conference and the Ringling Museum in Sarasota.

About Mare Nostrum Elements

Mare Nostrum Elements (MNE) is a non-profit arts organization based in Queens, NY. Each year, MNE produces the Emerging Choreographer Series (ECS), an intensive crash-course in self-producing; offering rehearsal space, compensation, career development consultations, and professional mentorship to selected choreographers.

In 2024, Mare Nostrum Elements is taking a new venture to deepen our support for the NYC dance community and uplift our Emerging Choreographer Series (ECS) alumni. ECS 2024 will support 6 alumni choreographers by pairing them with presenting venues and providing them resources to produce 30-45 minutes of work in a split bill format. Xianix was selected to be part of this pilot program in partnership with El Barrio's Artspace PS109.

Mare Nostrum Elements, Inc. is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Truth from Shadow by Ke'ron J. Wilson

By Mare Nostrum Elements, INC

Truth from Shadow by Ke'ron J. Wilson

Evening Length Work for Emerging Choreographer Series 2024