Find Your Way Back Exhibition

Performed and created by an ensemble of students from the University of Houston's Department of Theatre & Dance, the Performance + Identities class, and Houston artists, Find Your Way Back is an interdisciplinary exhibition featuring dance, music, visual art, theatrical performance, film, and education on the history of House music. House music, an electronic dance genre created by Black and queer DJs in the 1970s and 80s, is the heartbeat of this exhibition, affirming, celebrating, and investigating its signature four-on-the-floor beat, physical freedom, and the interconnectedness of community.

Find Your Way Back centers the drum—an African cultural practice and tradition that plays a vital role in the physical and spiritual life of many West African cultures. This unifying rhythm connects us all through ritual, and evolves into House music’s iconic four-on-the-floor beat. The exhibition highlights three pivotal movements in the development of House music: the Black Power, Queer Liberation, and Feminist movements. It celebrates community and serves as a love letter to all those who came together, seeking connection and release under the twinkling disco ball lights, years ago.

Bradley Atuba
Director, Find Your Way Back
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Scholar in Residence, University of Houston

Featured Artists

• Director: Bradley Atuba
• Lead Choreographer: Harrison Guy

• DJ/Assistant Choreographer: Yung Chris 
• Assistant Choreographer: Shayla Martin
• Sound Designer: Robert Meek
• Drummer: Cedrick Ogunrinde
• Costume: Joan Staunton
• Cast: Bradley Atuba, Abiatou Sidibe, Kamden Magee, Teshiria Spelman, Christopher Nicanor, Mia Vigil, Julia Campos, Reijon Liboon, Lillian Adams-Tolden, Samuel Brown, and Ilana Janniere  
• Stage Management: Vivian Andrews and Fatma Shaheen

Host or Publisher Bradley Atuba