@CPR | The R.E.A.C.H. Collective: Matriarch

ABOUT
Matriarch is a full-length, two-act concert dance work that centers Black women and the roots they plant within families, lineages, and communities. Grounded in the belief that legacy lives in the body, Matriarch invites audiences to reflect on inheritance, memory, and what it means to be held—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—by those who came before us.

Blending original choreography, spoken word, and the voice of a guest choreographer, Matriarch weaves concert dance and storytelling to create an intimate, community-rooted experience. Movement serves as both archive and offering, revealing how Black women carry wisdom, grief, joy, and resilience across generations.

Act I: Received
The first act explores perception, acceptance, and the ways in which we receive the world and one another. Through layered movement and narrative, Received examines how grief can surface in many forms—quiet, explosive, tender, unresolved—and how it shapes our understanding of self and lineage. This act asks audiences to sit with what has been passed down, both the visible and the unspoken, honoring the complexity of inheritance without rushing toward resolution.

Act II: I Know You
The second act shifts in tone and energy, using the full spectrum of emotion to move toward recognition and celebration. I Know You is rooted in clarity—not as a punishment, but as power. Here, the work embraces joy, release, humor, strength, and connection, affirming the beauty of being seen and known. The act culminates in a collective celebration of Black womanhood, community, and the freedom that comes with understanding one’s place within the lineage.

Together, the two acts create a journey from reflection to affirmation, from receiving to knowing. Matriarch is not only a performance—it is a communal experience that honors the past, acknowledges the present, and gestures toward a future shaped by clarity, care, and connection.

CREDITS
Performers: Sophia Addison, Najah Aldridge, Amira, Davis, Tyra Millines, Gryffin Tate, Darren Justice, Brianna Stennett, Paige Stewart and Alyssa Wheeler

Choreography: Dominique M. Fontenot

SUPPORT
The R.E.A.C.H. Collective is a sponsored artist with The Performance Zone Inc (dba The Field), a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization serving the arts community. Contributions to The Field earmarked for The R.E.A.C.H. Collective are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. For more information about The Field contact: The Field, 228‬ Park Ave S, Suite 97217, New York, NY 10003, phone: 212-691-6969. A copy of our‬ latest financial report may be obtained from The Field or from the Office of Attorney‬ General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

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Host or Publisher CPR- Center for Performance Research