Performing Arts

“Powerful dance explores issues of race” – Boston Globe

“Ms. Myer is a master weaver” – New York Times

“It was a memorable experience I came away wishing that many more people could see it, especially schools, and especially with the opportunity for the students to have a dialog with the artists.”
– Andrew Straussman

THECOMPANY

Beheard.world’s performing arts group is composed of modern and hip hop dancers, as well as Spoken Word artists. We have a long history of collaborating with jazz, hip hop and classical musicians while focusing on social justice themes related to equity and racism. In 2011, the company began turning basketball courts in economically challenged neighborhoods into open air theaters, where large-scale performances rarely if ever occur.

These free events are being continually presented in Boston, which is our home base and hub. We have also toured across the Northeast, the deep South and Mid-West, and also regularly perform on traditional stages, including Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, the Harlem Gatehouse Theater, colleges and museums.

THEPERFORMANCES

Invisible: Imprints of Racism

An hour-long piece that has toured across the country with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts that lyrically explores the embedded emotional challenges of overcoming racism in America. The work continues to tour and each performance is followed by a facilitated discussion with the audience.

Shift

Shift mixes Bach with East Coast hip hop, utilizing the work of the company’s modern dancers, poppers, and krumpers. Counterpoint, canons and improvisations give audiences a direct experience of how iconic cultural differences can be both celebrated for their singularity and common ground

Hoop Suite

The beheard.world troupe performs on a basketball court in the Franklin Field Public Housing Development in Dorchester, MA. The company continues to perform in underserved neighborhoods as it tours, always partnering with local organizations to help support community-building.

Company Reel

Sample the additional breadth of beheard.world’s performances on stages and in public spaces in this short clip, featuring artistic direction from Anna Myer and generative collaborations with the company’s nine dancers and three poets.