Dominic Moore-Dunson and Chris Coles, photo by Blaak Media
Frustrated. Tired. Filled. Empty. These were all things audience members felt after seeing the summer 2023 premiere of the dance-theater project “inCOPnegro: Aftermath,” which addresses police violence and is led by Akron choreographer Dominic Moore-Dunson. At the show’s end, the performers realized some audience members were crying — it hit them hard. Looking at how a community heals from police violence is what Moore-Dunson wanted from the piece; not to protest.
“This is about what happens to everyone else who’s dealing with the aftermath of these killings in their city because the rest of us are still here,” says Moore-Dunson, who was named one of the 25 to Watch in 2023 by Dance Magazine.
The project started in spring 2020 after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, which spurred Moore-Dunson, who has been stopped by police more than 40 times, to think about what he was going to tell his unborn Black son about police. He talked to Black police officers, presumptive next Akron mayor Shammas Malik, family members and more about issues surrounding police violence for his “inCOPnegro: Black & Blue” podcast. He brought together Black artists including saxophonist Chris Coles, hip-hop artist Floco Torres and dancers Kevin Parker Jr. and Matt Roberts, to workshop the dance’s characters. They’ve all had experiences with violence. Coles lost a friend to a drug-related shooting and another to a random shooting in Cleveland.
“You learn to be grateful because we’ve all survived it, and we can write about it,” says Coles. “It’s really difficult because you’re opening yourself up to this pain that is very familiar.”
The project came into sharper focus after Jayland Walker was killed by Akron police in 2022. The questioner character in the dance, played by Torres, is inspired by a Black Minneapolis police officer who didn’t know if she stood with the community or the police. The untrusting, played by Parker Jr. and Roberts, is a Black son inspired by a Garfield Community Learning Center football player who encountered a drive-by shooting. The protector, played by Moore-Dunson, is a Black father trying to protect his son. The mourner, played by Coles, is musical to illustrate cries from family members who had a loved one killed by police.
Moore-Dunson devised intentional choreography that conveyed emotion, so if the character didn’t feel safe and was threatened, they made small movements. Even Torres and Coles had choreography, along with performing spoken word and music, respectively. Coles played a grave site scene and took inspiration from John Coltrane’s “Alabama,” which was written after the Birmingham church bombing and sounds like mournful wailing.
“Saxophone lends itself to this ability to sound very guttural, almost like the human voice,” Coles says.
Toward the show’s end, Moore-Dunson’s character delivered a powerful monologue to the son.
“A lot of it’s about I can’t protect you because me, myself, am Black. But what I can do is protect your heart,” he says, “not let you get so cynical the only thing you see is darkness — that you keep some love, that you keep light inside of you.”
