Photo by Cheyenne Bostock of Bostock Images
THE WORK
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York is the community where I was born and raised. As an African American in a predominantly black neighborhood in the ‘80s and ‘90s, my work embodies Hip-Hop vernacular from that era blended with the movement I inherited. Growing up in a black musical family, interacting with people in my community, and the evolution of Hip-Hop culture have all influenced the essence of my movement style, choreographic process, and philosophies on embodied experiences. Additionally, my work shares an alternative point of view: a black woman whose perspectives sit at the intersections of Hip- Hop and Contemporary forms.
— Cheri L. Stokes
Around the Way Gurl
NEW WORK IN DEVELOPMENT
Photos of Cheri L. Stokes at the BAX Space Grant Sharing (December 2023)
Who are the girls from around my way? What is my connection to them?
How have these women influenced Hip-Hop?
“Around the Way Gurl” (working title) uses Bed-Stuy Block Party dance vernacular as a movement investigation to study the women of Bed-Stuy, celebrating and highlighting their cultural significance to the community of Brooklyn, NY and Hip-Hop culture (during the 1980’s and 1990’s). Using autoethnography and stories from the community to inspire movement and text, this work examines the ways in which the duality of femininity and masculinity, intergenerational movement aesthetics, innate movement patterns, generational and community values, and Hip-Hop culture have all influenced both my identity and the women from my neighborhood during that era.
“Around the Way Gurl” combines my history and lineage with Hip-Hop culture (principles, movement, non-verbal/verbal communication, music, neighborhood) to share my rich story of growing up in Bed-Stuy. This multidisciplinary project will include improvisational exploration and storytelling through an African Diasporic lens, deconstruction of Hip-Hop vocabulary, and a re-examination of the traditional gestures and languages from my community.
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“Around the Way Gurl” is currently in development with the generous support of
Reference Photos below by Jamel Shabazz
DA BLOCK
In DA Block, the audience goes on a journey through which they experience my personal history growing up in Brooklyn, NY, during the emergence of 1980’s and 1990’s Hip-Hop culture. Through projections, texts, and high energy solo and ensemble work, the audience sees facets of Hip-Hop, Dancehall, and cultural aspects of African-American family history, all of which have influenced the essence of my movement style and choreographic perspective.
Photos by Thomas J. Stokes & Meagan Helman
DA BLOCK Videos
DA Block Trailer
DA Block at STooPS Annual Art Crawl (2021)
Additional Works by Cheri
Fused (2016)
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop (2016)
Yuda (2014)