The Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Dance at Princeton University presents i, heresy, a new multi-media dance work choreographed and directed by Princeton senior (Aniyah) Storm Stokes. Performances are February 29 and March 1 and 2 at 8:30 p.m. at the Hearst Dance Theater in the Lewis Arts complex on the Princeton campus. The event is free and open to the public; advance tickets are encouraged through University Ticketing. The Hearst Dance Theater is an accessible venue with wheelchair and companion seating in the front row and mezzanine. An assistive listening system is available. The February 29 performance will be open captioned. Guests in need of other access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at least one week in advance at LewisCenter@princeton.edu.
Cast members of Storm Stokes’ new work i, heresy in rehearsal for performances on February 29-March 2. Photo credit: Jon Sweeney
Combining dynamic and percussive movement, body casting, and live projection, Stokes’ capstone work speaks to the ontology of the Black spirit ‘in liberation’ from the oppressive constrictions of colonial religious traditions. Utilizing the body as the site of liberation, Stokes’ work deconstructs movement vocabularies and plaster-like casts over and again to uplift Afro-Futurist visions of circularity and queer time. i, heresy is a movement and material art embodiment of Stokes’ independent research for her major in the Department of African American Studies, which concentrates on deconstructing white supremacist ‘prescriptions’ for living embedded in Black liberation theology to reimagine a Christian spiritual reality that does not perpetuate anti-Blackness or further marginalize femme and queer persons. Specifically, Stokes both authors original choreographic scores as a method for translating themes from Black studies into complex and distinct movement pathways, structures, and narratives; and employs her personal movement aesthetic and vocabulary which she developed during her extensive improvisation and choreographic practice as a student in the Program in Dance, her independent practice creating score-based, installation and site-specific work as a contributing artist of the Black Arts Collective, a student-run visual arts group at Princeton, and her intensive summer 2023 research project studying at numerous international festivals such as Orsolina 28, b12 Festival, and ImPulsTanz Festival supported through the Lewis Center’s Alex Adam ’07 Award. Stokes additionally collaborated with fellow Princeton senior and sculpture artist Julia Stahlman to create a formula and production process for the casts featured in the piece that Stokes and Stahlman plan to continue developing as Stokes launches a multi-media, installation-based practice following graduation in May.
The cast members of i, heresy are Mary Burdick ’26, Makenzie Hymes ’26, Pippa LaMacchia ’26, Gisele Sonnier ’27, Jadi Wang ’26, and Taylor Yamashita ’24.
Before pursuing an A.B. in African American studies and dance at Princeton, Stokes was an avid race relations advocate, community servant, and dancer in her home community of metro Detroit. Outside of coursework and her aforementioned practice, Stokes has served as a board member and curriculum developer for the Princeton Prize in Race Relations and was the 2020 recipient of the prize, worked as a head fellow in the Princeton Program in Writing’s Writing Center, worked as a research associate for the Ida B. Wells JUST Data Lab, and participated as publicity manager, choreographer, and dancer for diSiac, a student-run dance company.
Stokes is being advised by faculty member Davalois Fearon. Lighting design is by faculty member Tess James, music direction by Lewis Center Resident Music Director and Composer Vince di Mura, with guest artist Mary Jo Mecca as costume advisor.
The Program in Dance, now in its 53rd year, and has grown to include five full-time and nine adjunct faculty and offers 23 different courses serving more than 400 students each year with a curriculum that includes introductory courses, courses suited for dancers at the pre-professional level, as well as courses in dance studies and interdisciplinary contemporary practices. Seniors earning a certificate in dance (a minor starting with the Class of 2025) undertake a course of study and performance, co-curricular classes, technical hours, and an independent project such as choreographing a new work, performing a new or repertory work by a professional guest choreographer or faculty member, or a work of dance scholarship.
Visit the Lewis Center website to learn more about the Program in Dance and the more than 100 public performances, exhibitions, readings, screenings, concerts, lectures, and special events presented by the Lewis Center each year, most of them free.
