Grab your passport, NYC! Something rhythmic, thought-provoking, and profound is happening in the Arts District of Jersey City.

Currently mounted at Nimbus’s Firmament Gallery + Boutique is  “Sometimes I Wander…” an exhibit displaying the photography of Life Magazine’s first Black photographer,  Gordon Parks, and staff photographer at The Source, Chi Modu. The gallery, which regularly features local and Black art,  showcases images of Blackness, Americana, and Community: Hip Hop. Made possible through the generosity of The Gordon Parks Foundation, Cheryl and Christopher Mack of the Bridge Art Gallery and Sophia Modu of Chi Modu Global LLC, these images, rich with movement, life, and poignance, are filtered through the hand and eye of Black documentarians of whose historical context, significance, and social impact can not be ignored.

Among the many stunning images on display, standouts include Chi Modu’s iconic “Notorious B.I.G.” and “PAC,” both of which capture the essence of their subjects with incredible depth and nuance. Additionally, Gordon Parks’ “American Gothic” challenges viewers to consider time as a continuum of past and present, with the potential to inspire a radical Black imagination and shape a brighter future.

I found myself pondering,

“What does it mean for Black People to define themselves?”

And answering,  

“It means… liberation. It means humanity.”

photo of Chi Modu’s “Notorious B.I.G.” and “PAC” and panelist (right to left) Cheryl Mack, Dawn Marie Bazemore, Sophia Modu, Jeffery Dessources, and Kira Joy Williams

The panel discussion following the opening of the exhibition, both academic and simultaneously down to earth, conjured discourse of the power of imaging Blackness as a radical attempt at expansively defining the diversity inherent to Black communities — paying close attention to highlighting the historical Blackness of Jersey City. The panel was moderated by curator Cheryl Mack and included NJCU professor Jeffery Dessources, choreographer of “The New Tide” Dawn Marie Bazemore, photographer and scholar Kira Joy Williams, and curator of Chi Modu’s works Sophia Modu. Through the discourse of these brilliant minds, we learned of the connection between this exhibition and the dance program, IGNITE, that would take place later in the evening. Nimbus Dance Artistic Director Samuel Pott and Bazemore had a conversation about the premiere of her work “The New Tide.” During their conversation, they came up with the idea of organizing an evening of photography and dance. This led to the creation of “Sometimes I Wander…” and IGNITE in 2024. It’s interesting to note that Samuel Pott first met Chi Modu at the local church where Nimbus Dance began its journey, further confirming this event as a rondo of sorts for the company.

Inspired by the photography of Gordon Parks and premiered in 2023 at Nimbus Dance, “The New Tide” was the spark that ignited the evening. Authentically Black, Bazemore approaches her choreography as a Black dance, in which she does not sift through the integers of her Blackness to create her work but rather takes the approach that her Blackness is already enough— and she already qualified to create work about Black experiences she knows. Indeed, a stride toward liberation, I found her work to be tender, multiplicitous, and familiar. Set to a mixed score by Sam Cooke,  Gordon Parks’ iconic photography was brought to life by the dancers interpreting the work. I asked company dancer Caleb Mansor about the methods he used to address Bazemore’s artistic intentions for “The New Tide,” and he shared that Bazemore empowered all of the dancers to use their interpretation while dancing. He went on to state that his approach to working with a choreographer is rooted in “the dancer and choreographer meeting to produce the story.” A hermeneutic phenomenon indeed, all dance is reliant upon the intersubjectivity of all participants in the work, including the witness or viewer. One such interpretation was a trio by Nimbus dancers Catherine Escueta, Shayla Hutton, and Victoria Santaguida bringing to life Parks’ fashion photography. With dynamic rhythmicity and distilled clarity, the dancing trio was distinguished from (but not disaffiliated from) the whole of the work. Bazemore’s aesthetic prowess, myriad and neat, brightly cast the sail for the entire evening at Nimbus. 

Courtesy of Nimbus

Artistic Director Samuel Pott previewed the first 2 sections of “Firebird,” a work set to premiere in 2025 with the New Jersey Symphony on their mainstage. The work takes multiple inspirations. Of course the Russian folktale of the firebird, but also the tale of Icarus. Having sat down with Pott to discuss the work, it became evident to me that the quintessence of “Firebird” is the metaphor of flight as freedom, and the fashioning of wings as the fight for liberation. Curated amongst what I had previously experienced in the evening and knowing what was to come, the traditional American lore of flying Africans as a metaphor for liberation was drawn to the forefront of my memory. This meaning, one of many to be gleaned, was amplified when Tamir Rios donned wings in his solo at the end of the excerpt. 

Photo by Kelly Fletcher

Last on the bill was “Incite/Insight,” a world premiere by Roger C. Jeffery featuring world-renowned hoofers and New Jersey residents Maurice Chestnut and/or Jason Samuels Smith, knockout percussionist Winard Harper, and Nimbus Dance. If the motif of liberation was not loud enough, it is exalted in this multidisciplinary work. The work described by rehearsal director and company dancer LeighAnn Curd can be understood as a “dialogue between rhythm and modernity.” In my opinion, the performance showcased modernism in a discursive manner. The hoofing in the performance expresses Africanist rhythmic patterns through percussion passed down through Black communities. This is juxtaposed with the sinuous contemporary modern dance, which has historically been a response to the classicism of Ballet.  Maurice Chestnut’s tapping is, in the words of the late Arlene Kennedy, “clean and crystal clear,” I found myself sweating with excitement as he interrelated with Winard’s superb jazz percussion and the expansive dancing of Nimbus Dance. 

Photo by Martina Milova

Hop on the PATH for 15 minutes and go see art with a great purpose.  The show runs at Nimbus Dance’s Theater from March 16 – March 24.

Thank you, Hannah Weeks, Samuel Pott, LeighAnn Curd, and Caleb Mansor, for taking the time with me to contextualize IGNITE.