what is D UNDERBELLY?

D UNDERBELLY derives its name from the ‘underbelly’ of a slave ship; excavating the legacies that surface from the depths of our cultural experiences.

An underground interdisciplinary network of artists of color founded by Baraka de Soleil,  D UNDERBELLY emerged circa 1996/7, initially as a performative forum for exploring the multi-layered dimensions of culture as it relates to societal notions of “blackness”. Invested in interdisciplinary experimentation through the excavation of ‘new work’ and communal exchange, D UNDERBELLY rigorously explores the ever-fluid relationship between music and movement; weaving text, multimedia elements and environmental configurations in order to encapsulate the complexities of the diaspora. Moving onto Brooklyn, Ny and cultivating connections in Chicago, Austin Tx, northern California and internationally, this network continues to evolve; embracing & interrelating with Latin, Asian and Native/Indigenous traditions and forms. This hybrid is rooted in the theatrical jazz aesthetic carried forward by theater artist & collaborator Sharon Bridgforth, Dr Omi Osun Joni L. Jones along with other acclaimed artists including Laurie Carlos, Helga Davis, Daniel Alexander Jones and Marlies Yearby.At the core of this network currently are artists: Baraka de Soleil Francine Sheffield Sojourner Wright Awilda Rodriguez-LoraPROJECTS include: Out of Africa & Beyond Un-slave diaries Basking in Negritude Vive La Intersections Revolutionary Acts Non Je Regrette Rien Receding ‘emories Koool-aid Luv Odyssey N This Hous First Dark Drama Childr’n of “O” S’Kin DeepCURATORIAL: Studies N Black Live Deep N FlowCurrently in development: Water Moves the Soul UN- renderedartists within the network of D UNDERBELLYwho have been a part of the development of a project since its inception in 1996/7* Christal N. Brown Chanon Judson Daniel Givens André Austvoll Manelich MinnifeeGeoff Albores Pene McCourty Margaret Morris Usry Alleyne Leann Johnson Rachel Bernsen Sonja Parks Laurie Carlos Rafael Sanchez Nikki Patin Akil Davis Joe Wilson Chevon Stewart Aole T. Miller Christa Bell Gesel Mason Mameri Blue Valerie McCleod-Katz Nicole Mitchell Jada Odom Sunder Ashni Sharon Bridgforth Natasha Diamond Walker Aixa Kendrick Anitrice Anderson Delano Jean-Pierre Matt Morgan Yaa Asantewaa Channie Waites Sandra Jean Gaillard Mutale Kanyatta From 1996 – 2010 D UNDERBELLY’s projects have been informed by this notion of liquid legacies: the passing on of traditions through the body the passing down of ancestral memories the body becomes the container for this information the body fills with the pain of slavery, the passion of love, the struggles of the human spirit, the labor of identity this passing on is liquid, thick, porous, moving into the core of our muscles utterly still and yet cascading over our hearts into the depths of our being resounding in our inner ear made vocal through outer words igniting our souls with legacies we know legacies we don’t want to know legacies we take on D UNDERBELLY is an urban rite of RE-remembering: a rite of embodying the dignity of a people the memory of a nation like song it propels us into states of ecstasy and fear empowering us to truly bask in the multiplicity of colors, emotions and expressions that have permeated our culture these legacies are liquid because they continue to flow through us around us up and down our spine titillating our minds with thoughts of FREEDOM!

Mission

D UNDERBELLY seeks to act as a catalyst for shifting perceptions; demystifying racism and recognizing the underlying contributions indigenous people from the Latin, Asia, Native and African diaspora have made to this new world culture.

http://www.dunderbelly.com