Shamel Pitts, a former company member of Israel’s iconic Batsheva Dance Company, praised for his “magnetic focus” by The New York Times, is bringing his first solo work BLACK BOX: Little Black Book Of RED to APAP showcase.

BLACK BOX: Little Black Book Of RED is an enigmatic performance/installation featuring a solo dancer. Buoyed by his trademark expressive movement, Pitts employs spoken word, evocative lighting, and video to construct a personal, poetic narrative about the search for identity and striving for survival amidst impermanence. Performed in a confined space in nearly pitch-black darkness, the work features recordings of Pitts’ ruminations jotted down during his travels with Batsheva Dance Company. Obliquely referencing the flight data recorder, BLACK BOX transcends traditional travel journal format, becoming instead a record of – in a nod to Nina Simone – as a “young, gifted and Black” artist, thriving in constant motion.