the revolution will not be texturized
Choreographed by KHILA
Spelman Dance Theatre
Inspired by the 1960s-70s “Black is Beautiful” movement, The Revolution Will Not Be Texturized honors the radical Black Panther Party and the iconic “Soul Train” television show. These two cultural forces uniquely elevated Black consciousness in the U.S., while reclaiming Black identity and pride. Perhaps an unspoken allegiance, both affirmed natural hair textures and styles such as the “Afro.” The five dancers within this work personify the Afro’s hair strands whose choreographic relationships and interdependence mirror the complexities of the Black experience. Similar to the hairstyle, it is their fortitude that continues to uplift them and remain unbound.
khiladescope
Choreographed by KHILA
Spelman Dance Theatre
“KHILADESCOPE” is the embodiment of our personal attempts to break the societal algorithm we currently find ourselves living in. Mao Zedong once said, “Without a people’s army, the people have nothing.” Also known as the ‘KHILECTIVE’, the cast’s choreographic relationships and interdependence serve as a liberatory response to challenge hierarchical structures. KHILADESCOPE echoes the challenging process of Survival to Thrival amidst not losing your truest self while engaged in that process.
Full Performance Available Upon Request
(Runtime: 13 Minutes)
PASS US NOT: Holy Ghosted
Choreographed by KHILA
University of California Los Angeles - Glorya Kaufman Theater
PASS US NOT: Holy Ghosted, an evening-length group performance reinterprets Alvin Ailey's 1960 work Revelations through the lens of frustrations and aspirations that Generation Z members navigate in a “post-pandemic” United States.
Full Performance Available Upon Request
(Runtime: 47 Minutes)
THE FLOWERS THAT GREW FROM OUR TEARS
Choreographed and Performed by KHILA
Spelman College
Rooted in the Earth, daunting is the journey of a Black woman. She thought life, with its harsh grasp, was burying her underneath the soil. Unknowingly, it was actually transforming her. Even in the midst of her anguish, no cried tears were wasted. Each one was divinely crafted to water and strengthen her roots ultimately blooming her into greatness while allowing her to flourish resiliently.
“[the flowers that grew from our tears] was a poignant tribute, hallmark, and capstone to the internal narrative and exclamation of the black woman’s lamentation for her multiple roles as mother/healer; worker/ caregiver; widow/grandmother...This needs to be shown to multiple audiences. I thought this was a professional, exceptional work of art that pushes the envelope.”
Ruka White
Assistant Professor of Dance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee
“Clever use of cohesive gestural layered movement vocabulary laced with ancestral soul movement…[the flowers that grew from our tears] merges styles to generate a new genre. The vocabulary was carefully explored, as a result, the invention revealed a level of deep sophistication.”
T Lang
Associate Professor, Inaugural Chair of Spelman’s Department of Dance Performance and Choreography
UPCOMING PROJECT
Ode(2)Pac / ode to pac
COMING SOON - MARCH 2026.
ODE(2)PAC / Ode to Pac investigates rapper Tupac Shakur’s socio-political legacy and unapologetic spirit. Shakur took pride in representing the country’s youth culture before his untimely death in 1996; he was 25 years old. Through a dystopian lens, the work questions how movement can confront the persistent grief that we as people, but especially the youth, experience daily. How do we prepare ourselves to navigate a world that seems to be ending? In what ways must we pivot to ensure survival and self-preservation? Archival research (material and embodied) is used to have a modern day conversation with Shakur about his philosophy surrounding the necessary unity of the people.
March 20th and 21st, 2026 at 8pm
Georgia State University’s Rialto Center for the Arts
Support for the development of ODE(2)PAC / Ode to Pac is provided by Dance Canvas, Inc.