Black Love is Revolutionary is an interactive performance being developed by Roni Nicole Henderson and Cedric Umoja. This performance engages the audience in movements meant to challenge the historically violent undertones of revolution by recentering black love as an elemental aspect of change-making. Given the current and continuous attacks on our safe spaces, as well as on the black body, we must find refuge in one another. A gaze that humanizes, an embrace that restores, our greatest asset is in making the series of simple choices that, when all lined up together, engender love.

Each performance or movement marks some aspect of Umoja and Roni’s journey together, some labor sown to build a solid relationship. The series continues to evolve as the artists do…as individuals and a unit. Participants will have an opportunity to share feedback regarding the performance and reflect.

BLACK LOVE IS REVOLUTIONARY AT THE HAMMOND’S HOUSE

The Artists will perform a series of new site-specific movements through the hallowed halls of the Hammond’s House Museum. The deep and rich history of the space will lend its legacy as an institution to intimate moments, projection, and a live performance, which will engage the audience in acts of transparency and acceptance, all set to songs that have helped Umoja and Roni fall and stay in love. Video projection throughout the space will add the nuanced textures that a love story needs. We will capture intimate moments in the Hammond’s House and then project them during our live performance as a means of “zooming in” on the details that reflect the work it takes to maintain a relationship.