BALLET NATIONAL DE MARSEILLE

Initiated by Lasseindra Ninja, as part of her creation in the new program Childs Carvalho Lasseindra Doherty for the Ballet National de Marseille, the BNM invited Rashaad Newsome to realize a short film with Lasseindra Ninja and the dancers from the BNM. Long-time collaborators and friends, Rashaad and Lasseindra created this film to challenge the naive idea that sharing space and culture results in shared privileges and resources. Even with the best intentions, these creative endeavors can still erase cultural workers’ significant contributions to the practices they produce. This is a tightrope that is all too familiar to BIPOC creatives and one that both artists have navigated throughout their careers, with Newsome presenting his works in white-dominated museums and galleries and Lasseindra teaching and performing in white-dominated studios and companies. Albeit difficult to maneuver, when done successfully, it can create space for transgression, a goal which both artists are committed to. For those who cannot get on board with that, well…You can’t come no more! You can’t sit no more! You can’t take no more!