Part I - Yesterday

YESTERDAY portrays the dehumanizing brutality of slavery in America. Shackled in chains, the dancers illustrate the fierce need to flee captivity as the bungee pulls them back into bondage

World Premiere at Hostos Center for Arts and Culture in the Bronx in 2018

Part II - Today

TODAY tackles the disparity in the criminal justice system and its effect on African-American families. Chains hang above like dark clouds as TODAY to confront the current racial climate.

World Premiere at Little Island in 2022.

Part III - Tomorrow

TOMORROW asks artists and audiences alike to envision a future that many of us do not believe is possible and plot a course to get there. With the use of customized trampolines, we depict liberation on Black bodies, the very joy that is taken away from Black people at an earlier age than our white counterparts. During TOMORROW, the chains literally break and fall.

Originally presented at Chelsea Factory in New York City in 2024.

Choreography | Christopher Rudd

Music | Tariq Al-Sabir

Intimacy Direction | Sarah Lozoff

Dramaturgy | Phaedra M. Scott

Lighting Design | Ross Kolman

Dancers | Mikaela Brandon, Leon Cobb, Amina Konaté, Cori Lewis, Joni McDonald, Sierra Christine Sanders, Ezra Swift

About RudduR Dance

RudduR Dance’s mission is to use contemporary ballet and theatricality to create performances reflective of society. At a time when stating that Black Lives Matter is controversial, RudduR empowers Blacks and sometimes, quite literally, lets them fly.

RudduR Dance investigates themes of the human condition and emphasizes that which unites us. The Company seeks to increase awareness and appreciation for American dance and culture by presenting original works both nationally and internationally. We strive to provide access to dance in society broadly, and in communities of the African Diaspora particularly.

RudduR Dance is fiscally sponsored by Daniel Lewis’ Miami Dance Futures and Pentacle’s Unique Projects.

Creative Team

Meet the Artists

Board

Ronnea Derby

Karen Derby

Crystal Gopman

Christopher Rudd

Staff

Executive Artistic Director | Christopher Rudd

Chief of Staff | Daan Bootsma

Assistant to Artistic Director | Joni McDonald

Advisory Board

Daniel Lewis

Lara Murphy

Emily Waters

Ruth Wiesen

Foundation and Residency Support

Support for the commission and development of WITNESS was provided by The Apollo Theater.

Support for WITNESS was provided by Danse Mirage Foundation, Inc.

WITNESS is developed as part of New Victory LabWorks at The New Victory Theater in New York City.

This work is made possible with commissioning support from Playhouse Square Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.

WITNESS is made possible thanks, in part, to:

The Harkness Foundation for Dance

Arison Arts Foundation

New York State Council on the Arts

Works & Process at the Guggenheim

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council

Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone

New Music USA

The O'Donnell Green Music & Dance Foundation

The Café Royal Cultural Foundation

First Republic Bank

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park

Brooklyn Academy of Music

The Center for Ballet and the Arts

Howard Gilman Foundation

Chelsea Factory

Individual Support

Collaborator Circle

Myrna Chao

Artist Circle

Jason A. Vaz

Sponsors

Nicola Johnson

Whitney Stevens

Barbara Tober

Janet Rollé

Patron

Odell Mays

Donors

Ruth Wiesen

Elizabeth Von Habsburg

Dennis Edwards

Graham Daw

Karen Derby

Kara Moore

Michael Findlay

Michael Royce

Mike Lozoff

Ben Johnson

Chelsie Smith

Leslie Sternlieb

Liz Manne

Supporters

Julie Hord

Everton Rudd

Rozanne Rudd

Jodi Sklar

Lisa Jones

Brian Frank

Laura​​​​ Montross

Barbara Lezcano Scoot

Daphne Hargrove

Ilir Shtylla

Nehprii Amenii

Adrian Falcone

Jessica Patz

Kimberley Falk

Randolph Ward

Simon Fox

Nadezhda Gennadevna Vostrikova

Jacques Bataille

Jasond Thomas

Friends

Karen Malki

Kyle Breen

Matt Mullen

Sarah Starkweather-Platt

Andrea Gutierrez

Bonnie McCune

Cheryl Cook

Anna Belous

Gregory Watson

Ida R. Sandness Rahman

Kelly Robbins

Razi Rahman

Sarah Benvenuti

Melissandre Bourassa

New Collection

Your purchase of this special edition directly supports RudduR Dance's groundbreaking WITNESS trilogy debut!