lil BLK
NIC Kay
June 13, 7pm
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
FREE (Reservation Requested)
Accessibility: The Center is wheelchair accessible via a ramp on the front end of the building and the performance is located in a ground floor space.
June 14, 7:30pm
The Monster Bar
FREE (Reservation Requested)
Note: This performance is 21+.
Accessibility: Please note that The Monster Bar is not wheelchair accessible and the audience will have to navigate a narrow stairway to the lower level.
lil BLK invites you into a deeply personal exploration of Black and queer identity through the lens of NIC Kay’s lived experiences. This live experimental solo performance delves into moments of pain, loss, and the quest for healing. Set against the backdrop of a twenty-year shift in public attitude toward the LGBTQ community, everchanging queer cultures, and the evolving and reimagined landscape of the dancefloor–NIC Kay’s narrative unfolds with raw honesty and vulnerability, inviting reflection and connection with the audience. Prepare to be immersed in a journey that is equal parts intimate, thought-provoking, and deeply human.
Embark on a journey with lil BLK’24! This River to River presentation of NIC Kay’s first solo work will be a reimagined version of lil BLK, which debuted at Links Hall in Chicago in 2015. Trace lil BLK’s path from the prestigious 2018 American Realness Festival at Abrons Arts Center, New York, to its feature in the OTV’s (opentv) Bronx Cunt Tour, and captivating performances at AfroPunk Atlanta 2016, Creating Change Conference 2016, Buddies in Bad Times, Dixon Place, and beyond. Engage with the captivating narrative using #lilBLK.
“Profoundly personal and heart-achingly familiar.” - Maura NGUYỄN Donohue, culturebot
“To be unmoved by Kay’s work is to fail to understand not only its relevance to current events, but the power, significance and breath it provides a swelling push for Black, trans and queer freedom.” - Benji Hart, radical faggot
Performer & Designer: NIC Kay
NIC Kay is an artist-in-residence with LMCC's Extended Life Dance Development Program supported, in part, by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Presented in partnership with The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (The Center) and The Monster Bar.
NIC Kay is a performer, dancer, conceptual choreographer, and all-around artist who uses creative movement, performing arts history, and performance art theory to explore relationality and yearning. Their work has been presented Nationally and Internationally. They are currently an Artist-in-Residence at the Stone Quarry Art Hill Park in Cazenovia, New York.
NIC Kay is presented as part of the 2024 River to River Festival, with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels. Profoundly attached to the world of dance since its origins, the High Jewelry Maison strengthens its commitment with Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Guided by the values of creation, transmission and education, this initiative aims to support artists and institutions in presenting choreographic heritage, while also promoting new productions.
Since its launch in 2020, it has promoted numerous dance companies for their creations as well as the presentation of multiple performances around the world.
The program is complemented each year by major events, including the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival, whose first edition took place in London in March 2022.
This support further extends to awareness-raising actions focused on dance culture for the broadest possible audience, professionals and amateurs alike.