Characterized by pausing, snapping, gliding, bone breaking, hat tricks, animation, and contortion, flex is a form of street dance that has evolved from the Jamaican bruk-up found in dance halls and reggae clubs in neighborhoods of Brooklyn. From the pages of The New Yorker, to the small screen in dance competitions and music videos and even on the big screen at the Tribeca Film Festival, flex culture has risen into the mainstream lexicon and created an entirely new movement vocabulary in post-modern dance.

This electrifying phenomenon is showcased at the Armory in a new project that elevates the art form from street battle to performance art. Featuring a crew of 20 dancers from the very neighborhoods in Brooklyn where the movement first took shape, this newly commissioned work breaks common stereotypes of street dancers, showcasing their unique artistic abilities and quality movement while tapping into untapped places of expression and storytelling. In a powerfully inclusive staging by visionary director Peter Sellars and flex pioneer Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray, this dynamic production serves as a social commentary that utilizes resistance and empowerment to take the art form further and in turn, find a profound sense of humanity.

FLEXN CONVERSATIONS: RACE AND THE CITY
Join us prior to performances for free public conversations with young people, public figures, educators, and community leaders. They will discuss some of the most pressing issues explored in FLEXN, including making neighborhoods safe for play, solitary confinement, “broken windows” policies, and reforming the juvenile justice system. Conversations begin one hour prior to the performance

CAST AND CREW
A Collaboration of Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray, Peter Sellars, and Members of the Flex Community
Lighting Sculpture & Lighting Design: Ben Zamora
Sound Design: Garth MacAleavey
Costume Design: Gabriel Berry
Music: Epic B
Performers: Ace (Franklin Dawes), Android (Martina Lauture), Banks (James Davis), Brixx (Sean Douglas), Cal (Calvin Hunt), Deidra (Deidra Braz), Dre Don (Andre Redman), Droid (Rafael Burgos), Droopz (Jerrod Ulysse), Karnage (Quamaine Daniels), Klassic (Joseph Carella), Nicc Fatal (Nicholas Barbot), Nyte (Ayinde Hart), Pumpkin (Sabrina Rivera), Sam I Am (Sam Estavien), Scorp (Dwight Waugh), Shellz (Shelby Felton), Slicc (Derick Murreld), Tyme (Glendon Charles) Vypa (Khio Duncan), YG (Richard Hudson).

Commissioned by Park Avenue Armory

Photo: Stephanie Berger

Support for Park Avenue Armory’s artistic season has been generously provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Booth Ferris Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Shubert Foundation, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, and the Leon Levy Foundation.

This production is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.