How does art encourage us to move and be moved? Experience the role of art as a catalyst for movement—embodied, political, and social—with artists from Consuming Kinetics Dance Company as they respond to selected portraits in The Outwin: American Portraiture Today. The dance performance will open the conversation among artist, subject, and viewer and invite us to consider our relationships to one another.

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Learn more about the CKDC dancers and the artworks they chose to respond to

Kevin Lee

theboysdon’tplaynicewithanyone, portrait of april and june by David Antonio Cruz

When I look at this painting I instantly see a mother-and-daughter relationship. Not just any mother-and-daughter relationship but a relationship where there is a similarity in life stories. Kind of like two strong characters from the TV show Pose, Electra and Blanca, who are chosen family—mother and daughter—in New York City’s ballroom culture.

When I look at the one who is sitting up I see a strong, powerful presence. She is very confident and knows exactly who she is. When I look at the one who is hung over the couch I see a person who is still struggling to figure out who they are. As someone who identifies as gay, I have personally been in both of these places. I once struggled with my identity, but now I am a strong, confident, proud Black gay man.

Cyrus Coble

CSPG: Southway Zoo — Tropical Boyz by Michael Vasquez

When I first saw the portrait, what captivated me more than the vivid colors and depths of detail were the facial expressions of the two men in it. After reading the context I realized why these expressions felt so ingrained my own life and past. The face of one, welcoming his brother home from prison, reminded me of my best friend welcoming me home from my own incarceration. The expression of the man returning home felt so melancholy, so apathetic, so...fatigued.... The board in his hand reminds me of the vices I once held onto just as the man might be holding his. The addiction, malice, and greed I once fell victim to. This work not only inspires me to maintain belief in my own character but to also be the welcoming friend to those in need and to those dealing with their own crucible.

Ana Nishioka

Sasu and Kasei by Swoon

I was drawn to this portrait because it resonated with my own identity on multiple levels. My response encapsulates my deep admiration for other women—artists, breakers of glass ceilings, mothers—who continually define success for themselves in a world that too often tells us who and how to be without our input. Sasu and Kasei speaks to me as someone who is half-Japanese, California-born, and now living in St. Louis. As representations of Japanese culture are far less prevalent here than in my home state, I find myself particularly drawn to any reflection of the culture that has deeply shaped who I am. Finally, Sasu and Kasei also centers motherhood, and although I am not a mother, I come from a long line of tenacious women who have fought for their independence and sacrificed their dreams so that I may live out mine.

Izzy Perry

Just Below by Anna Garner

I was drawn to this portrait by its movement motion. I have never seen a video-based artwork before, which I thought was really interesting. When I first glanced at the work I noticed the perfect wall around and under the figure was being destroyed by her own hand. That really resonated with me because I feel like I sometimes destroy my reality with how much I overthink and let my uncertainties get in the way. Everything around me can be perfect, and opportunities can be handed to me on a silver platter, but if I’m not sure what’s going to happen, I’ll back down from taking that opportunity. The same thing can be said for relationships that might arrive in the near future. I’ve gotten better at not destroying my own world and taking the necessary steps to trust my own intuition rather than my anxiety.

Jazzmon Thomas

Portrait, number 1 man (day clean ta sun down) by Sheldon Scott

Seeing the image of a kneeling man picking the hull of a rice grain was very fascinating to me. As I watched Scott picking the rice it made me think of my ancestors picking cotton in the South.

Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Scott’s work being performed for approximately 13 hours long captured grit in a very authentic way. The determination and endurance of his work is very admirable. My biggest takeaway from his work is that life is a marathon, not a sprint, and great things take time.

Jessica Pierce

Self-Portrait by Natalia García Clark

To me, this portrait speaks to new beginnings, where, while one may perceive an ever-increasing distance, somewhere, elsewhere, someone perceives the opposite. In my own life, I've struggled with the notion of moving forward, moving toward something, if the only way to do so is by moving away from something else. In most cases, one cannot be done without the other. To make space for something new is to take space from something old. We are constantly swapping out old states of being for new ones. This work is a reminder of perspective, and that although, at times, I may have to detach, say goodbye, let go, etc., I'm also simultaneously emerging, becoming, beginning.

About Consuming Kinetics Dance Company

CKDC is a 501(c)(3) professional dance company that offers a wide variety of dance classes to the public for every age and every technical level in addition to its annual performances. CKDC believes that dance is a universal language that connects us all and that movement is fundamental to the development of personal well-being, serving as an authentic outlet for creativity and expression. CKDC is committed to providing accessible outlets for the community to engage in movement arts and to maintain a diverse environment that honors equality, equity and compassion.

Arica Brown, Artistic Director

JP (Jessica Pierce), Videographer and Editor

Jeff Allen, Videographer

Photos by Dave Moore Photography

Featured artworks

David Antonio Cruz, theboysdon'tplaynicewithanyone, portrait of april and june, 2018. Oil and latex on wood, 9 7∕8 × 48". Collection of the artist. © David Antonio Cruz.

Michael Vasquez, CSPG: Southway Zoo — Tropical Boyz, 2016. Acrylic and acrylic spray paint on canvas, 57 7/8 x 84". The Dean Collection. © Micahel Vasquez.

Swoon (Caledonia Curry), Sasu and Kasei, 2017. Block print, screenprint, gouache, and cut paper, 83 ¼ x 63 7/8 x 13 7/8". Collection of the artist. © Swoon.

Anna Garner, Just Below, 2016. HD video, 4:12 min. Collection of the artist. © Anna Garner.

Sheldon Scott, Portrait, number 1 man (day clean ta sun down), 2018 (premiere 2019). Performance with rice and HD video, approx. 13 hrs. Collection of the artist, courtesy of CONNERSMITH. © Sheldon Scott.

Natalia García Clark, Self-Portrait, 2017. HD video, 5:59 min. Collection of the artist. © Natalia García Clark.