No seat belt: Christal Brown's "The Opulence of Integrity"

Fight scene from The Opulence of Integrity
(photo by Sophie Bufton)

Superman don't need no seat belt.

--Muhammad Ali

This weekend, choreographer Christal Brown presents The Opulence of Integrity, a multimedia ensemble work inspired by the public life and inner searching of boxing's outspoken superstar, Muhammad Ali. And, yes, you will see some fiery dancing here--most notably, Brown's solo for Timothy Edwards. Brown's rigorous choreography for her male cast--she does make a few superb, if brief appearances--gets the most out of every body. Farai Malianga's soundscape exerts its own unrelenting pressure, giving a sense of what it must feel like to be a complex, thoughtful man caught in the media spotlight, in the vise of multiple external expectations, and in the unholy muck of American racism and politics. Far from didactic, The Opulence of Integrity is an entertaining and stimulating hour of performance, not only, as Brown intends, a tribute to Black men but an excellent showcase for dancers like Edwards, Danté Brown and Ricarrdo Valentine.

Text: Patrick Washington

Lighting: Yu-Chen (Nick) Hung

Costumes: Aya Shibahara

See The Opulence of Integrity tonight at 8pm or tomorrow at 3pm at Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts on the LIU Brooklyn campus. For details and tickets, click here.

Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts
One University Plaza
Flatbush Avenue (between Dekalb Avenue and Willoughby Street), Brooklyn
(map/directions)