Kehinde Wiley's A New Republic Inspires Dance Coming to Brooklyn Museum

    NEW YORK, NY, April 29, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Art of Legohn Dance Company is confirmed to perform at the Brooklyn Museum's First Saturday, highlighting Kehinde Wiley's: A New Republic exhibit on Saturday, May 2 at 8:30 p.m.

Inspired by the works presented in Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, Art of Legohn will present the company's first feature length dance performance, Leaders of the New School. Similar to the Wiley collection's combined sixty paintings and sculptures, the dance piece will raise questions of race, gender and emphasize the politics of African [American] representation throughout history. The Art of Legohn performance will reflect themes around societal pressures to conform and identity projection similar to Wiley's signature portraits of everyday Black men and women, drawing attention to the absence of African Americans from historical and cultural narratives.

Leaders of the New School takes a vibrant approach to illustrating Wiley's A New Republic, focusing on contemporary pan-African culture influence by pivotal revolutions in history. The performance piece will explore how Africans across the diaspora respond to conservative and exclusive traditionalism, with bold expression to insert and project identity. The prevailing theme of the feature is solidified with a "We are here" attitude. The performance, choreographed by the company's founder and artistic director, Yaminah Legohn, will include Contemporary, Hip Hop and Dancehall dance styles.

"My creative process for Leaders Of The New School, returned memories from what I was influenced by when I was younger. I am an 80's baby and a 90's kid from Los Angeles. When I first saw Wiley's work, it reminded me of the Black cultural elements of dance, music and fashion of the era that influenced me. So I used that connection to in my choreography to bring the characters to life and develop the storyline," Yaminah Legohn shares. "When I first moved to New York, all I did was visit museums and envision my art showcased within the museum walls. So, naturally, when the opportunity came about, I was [and am!] truly honored and grateful to both the Brooklyn Museum for this opportunity and to Kehinde Wiley for his art that encourages me to express the politics of Black culture, my confidence and passion through dance."

The Art of Legohn performance will be followed by a talk back and Q&A with the company, that will address the creative process of developing the piece [Leaders of the New School], translation of visual art to storytelling through [dance] movement, primary connections to cultural themes and messages explored in Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic.

Other acts for the May 2015 First Saturday program include music performances by Chargaux, DJ Juliana Huxtable, Hip-Hop artist Zebra Katz. Also, featuring an entertainment and activism installation by Browntourage and film screening of Jeffrey Dupre's Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace. Sponsors for the Brooklyn Museum's First Saturday program include Target, WNYC Radio and Yelp.

The May 2015 First Saturday event will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2015, with programs beginning at 5pm at the Brooklyn Museum, located at 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11238. The Art of Legohn "Leaders of the New School performance is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. General admission is FREE; tickets for the Art of Legohn dance performance is required. Tickets will be available at the Brooklyn Museum Visitor Center (in the Rubin Lobby) promptly at 5pm on Saturday, May 2. Note: Ticket lines often form 30 minutes before tickets are distributed.

To learn more about Art of Legohn please visit http://www.artoflegohn.com, visit the Art of Legohn Facebook Fan Page (https://www.facebook.com/artoflegohn), follow Yaminah Legohn on Twitter/Instagram at @YaminahLegohn and follow #ArtofLegohn. For Art of Legohn and Yaminah Legohn performance videos, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/yaminahlegohn. Downloadable images and other Art of Legohn NYC press assets are available at http://bit.ly/1yUhT3i. For all Art of Legohn booking and media inquiries, please contact Jasu Sims at [email protected] or at (646) 820.9859.

For more information about the Brooklyn Museum's May 2015 First Saturday lineup and/or Kehinde Wiley's exhibit A New Republic, visit http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/kehinde_wiley_new_republic/ . For press inquiries regarding the Brooklyn Museum and/or Kehinde Wiley's exhibit A New Republic, contact Fatima Kafele at [email protected] or at (718) 501-6331.

About Art of Legohn
Art of Legohn (AOL) is a visual and performance arts company founded in 2010 by movement director, choreographer and professional dancer Yaminah Legohn. The company is comprised of three (3) divisions, including dance, visual arts and music. The dance division of the company features a wide variety of dance styles, including West African, Dancehall, Hip-Hop and Modern dance. Art of Legohn performances have been features in the RAW Artists Showcase (Los Angeles and New York City), Choreographer's Ball/Carnival (Los Angeles and New York City) and visual arts have been exhibited at Fiyah Productions Dancehall Theater (New York City). The mission of Art of Legohn is to create and inspire others through art, dance and performance, both nationally and internationally. To learn more about Art of Legohn , visit http://www.artoflegohn.com.

About Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic
Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, is the Brooklyn Museum's first survey of Wiley's rich and prolific career, on view from February 20 through May 24, 2015. Comprised of approximately sixty objects, Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic highlights the range of the artist's work. The exhibition is an overview of the artist's prolific fourteen-year career, including his early portrait paintings, inspired by the artist's observation of street life in Harlem and set to the visual language of classical European portraiture, as well as his recent explorations in sculpture and stained glass.

Kehinde Wiley has received critical acclaim for his investigation of race, power, and the politics of representation, and his work has been lauded for giving new meaning to the social codes of gesture and dress, past and present, while challenging stereotypes about masculinity and class today, in America and around the world. Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic is organized by Eugenie Tsai, John and Barbara Vogelstein, curator of Contemporary Art, at the Brooklyn Museum. To learn more about Kehinde Wiley, visit http://www.kehindewiley.com.

About the Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is one of the most diverse, creative, and exciting urban centers in the world! The arts institution boasts an extensive and comprehensive permanent collection that includes ancient Egyptian masterpieces, African art, European painting, decorative arts, period rooms, and contemporary art. The museum is known for its intelligent, cutting-edge exhibitions and programs that reflect a fresh view of traditional and historical works as well as engagement with today's most important artists and artistic practices and ideas.

The mission of the Brooklyn Museum is to act as a bridge between the rich artistic heritage of world cultures, as embodied in its collections, and the unique experience of each visitor. Dedicated to the primacy of the visitor experience, committed to excellence in every aspect of its collections and programs, and drawing on both new and traditional tools of communication, interpretation, and presentation, the Museum aims to serve its diverse public as a dynamic, innovative, and welcoming center for learning through the visual arts. To learn more about the Brooklyn Museum, visit http://www.broolynmuseum.org.

About Yaminah Legohn
Yaminah Legohn is a passionate and dedicated choreographer, professional dancer, and performer of West African, dancehall/reggae, hip hop, jazz and modern dance styles. Before moving to New York, Legohn worked in Los Angeles as a choreographer and professional dancer with several artists, including Shakira, N.E.R.D, Tony Toni Tone, Lil Wayne, and B.o.B. and appeared on TV shows. She has worked in the Black Choreography Festival in the Bay Area, American College Dance Festival, Soul Nation Festival in Indonesia, Choreographer's Ball "Carnival" in Hollywood and New York, World of Dance, San Francisco International Hip Hop festival, and RAW Artists in Los Angeles and New York. Simply put, she lives to spread her love and passion for the arts. To learn more about Yaminah Legohn, visit http://www.yaminahlegohn.com.

# # #