Gamal Brown
Columbus Dance Alliance is beyond thrilled to be able to feature a pillar of our Columbus dance community as our Spotlight Artists this month: Gamal Brown. A native of Columbus, Gamal studied dance at Wright State University and Jeraldyne’s School of Dance. As an independent artist, he built a production house, Onyx Productions, and produced ROHO: Spirit (2017), eight individuals ballets that provided the timeline for his dance biography. Gamal has been praised by other arts local organizations like Opera Columbus as, “the social justice choreographer” (2021) for his body of work drawing attention to legacies of racial and social oppression. In a review of Gamal’s work, The Colored Section (2018), his work was praised as “a form of activism where audience members are going to leave with something inside of them that will inspire them to do better and be better” (The Lantern, 2018). His work continues to challenge audiences to rethink the social, political, and cultural significance of dance. Recognition for this work includes the 2018 and 2019 Columbus Dances Fellowship sponsored by Columbus Dance Theater and the Greater Columbus Arts Counci, and the Autumn 2019 Community Arts Fellow from The Ohio State University African and African American Studies and Cultural Extension Center. Additionally, the King Arts Complex commissioned him to write, 20 & Odd (2019) in commemoration of the 400 years since the first documented arrival of enslaved Africans who came to America.
We posed a slate of questions to Gamal to gain some perspective on how he sees himself within our dance community and beyond. Take a look below at what he had to say:
Image Descriptions: (left to right) Black and white photograph image of male and female identifying dancers with arms wrapped around one another, dancing closely together. Black and white photograph image of male with eyes closed and arms drawing toward his face. Black and white photograph of female Turing to face forward with knees bent and hands clasped.
Photo Credit: Kyle Asperger Photography
Q: How would you describe your art?
A: As a choreographer, my work [passion] is to challenge audiences to rethink the social, political and cultural significance of dance. Over the years my art has morphed and aligned to work with social justice emphasizing the desperate conditions of BIPOC.
Q: What has your experience been making art in the Columbus dance community?
A: My experience has been tremendous! Like no other! I am appreciative of the amount of support from the dance community including patrons. Each dancer that I’ve engaged has demonstrated an earnest desire to create and a sincere willingness to breathe life into my vision. They are willing and informed artist that appreciate my aesthetic and artistic approach.
Image Descriptions: (left to right) Color photograph image of three dancers sitting in kneeling position with arms raised, elbows bent and palms facing forward. Color photograph image of two dancers performing a lift where the lifted dancer is held to the front of the other’s body with legs in pike position, ankles crossed. Color photograph image of solo female dancer seated with hands on knees and right leg lifted with flexed foot to the front of the body.
Q: You have voiced concern over the future of dance, especially in Columbus. One of the initiatives you are working on is what you have called pouring into the next generations of dancers in an effort to pass the baton for reinfusing dance in our community. Can you speak more about the importance of this to your work more broadly?
A: [deep sigh] My worry is that I am not doing enough to stimulate the level of interest to dance with persons to whom want to dance or, have but a twinkling of a desire to dance. I’ve worked with quite a few dancers in my tenure however, younger dancers are where the future rests. If we spend little to no time working with this demographic, we curse ourselves. It is also equally important to open the opportunity for those who have a dream deferred to dance; new to dance but limited by age or, experienced in dance but limited by what stage of dance they reside. I will be honest, I do NOT like to teach [dance]…I’m good at it but it is not my first love. However, it is now more obvious than ever that I have to lay down my comfortability and pick up the mantel of practitioner. I am ok with that!
Q: What are your hopes/dreams/desires for dance in Columbus, your dance or otherwise?
A: I hope that we claim our place as a cultural and artistic mecca for the country. A continued hope would be for performers from near and far would adamantly attest to the healing that, at the core, our city provides. I dream that Columbus examines its support of the arts and finds that it [Columbus] is blameless. I desire for the unknown artist to have the same resources that any acclaimed artist has because at one point the large was the small. We don’t get to Arthur Mitchell without having a Betty Robinson.
Q: What other Columbus based artists are you inspired by right now?
A: That list is LONG! Ok…dance inspirations are Goree Drum and Dance (Balla and Ndeye Sy), Thoissane West African Dance Institute (Suzan Bradford Kounta), Shelly Ridley, COMO, SeaBus, Flux and Flow (Russell and Filippo, Josh and Kelly Hines (Love your duet work!), Lee Edwards, Lawrence Lemon, my mentor and friend Alfred Dove, Donald Isom (I AM DANCE/OSU), Jason Moncrief, Momar Ndiaye (OSU), Dance ELITE (Samara Tillman), CDance - with both of my loves Carmen and Tomorrow, Tylon Fuller, Stephanie Mathurin, Gabby Stefura (CCS), Cherelle Brown, Brianna Rhodes, TrigNo, Candice Igeleke, Lori Lindsey, Kathy Estes. The aforementioned raise the bar for me at every turn. They always have a word of encouragement that provides me with the fuel for the next project, production, or even rehearsal to be better than the last. To be honest, people are what inspire me. You do not have to be labeled a dancer in order to invoke inspiration. Your story provides a narrative for me that turns into a ballet before our very eyes.
CDA is also excited to be able to promote and share LIVE on Instagram a workshop event that Gamal will be hosting this coming Friday evening, May 21, called “We Dance. This workshop is a new and ongoing series of classes led by Gamal, who has generously opened up five (5) spots for a few very lucky CDA community members to join. More about class from Gamal: “This gathering is for dancers who simply enjoy moving. This week our focus is 'passing on the torch' while discovering our ‘Why!’” This event will take place from 8-9:30PM EST. For more details, please visit our Facebook Event Page or simply sign up to attend using this Registration Form.
Image Description: Black and white photograph image of three female dancers holding hands and leaning away from one another to counterbalance their weight. Two dancers are standing on one leg with the other extended behind them and the other is squatting and leaning backward.
Photo Credit: Kyle Asperger Photography
Gamal has requested that in lieu of any financial support or contribution to his ongoing work that donations be made to Columbus Dance Alliance. To arrange this, please contact cdacolumbusoh@gmail.com. CDA extends its gratitude to Gamal for this incredibly generous gesture of support for our growing organization. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!