Under the direction of Samuel Pott, the New Jersey-based Nimbus Dance Works focuses on the intersection between high-level dance and innovative ways of involving communities and audiences. The solo seen here exemplifies the pioneering work of Pearl Primus, who titled it “A Man Has Just Been Lynched” at its 1943 premiere. Billie Holiday had already made “Strange Fruit” a hit when she first sang it in 1939. While sometimes performed in silence, the dance was so passionately performed that it cast a harrowing spell over audiences whether the text was heard or simply implied.
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