Nobody Knows Our Names
This piece was entirely inspired by (and makes use of) a crackly church recording of James Baldwin’s 1963 speech ‘The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity’. The first time I ever heard it, I ran to my friend, the Brooklyn-born rapper/composer/conscious emcee The Real Mike Wilson, and asked him to weave his music through my favorite sections of the speech. Later we had jazz percussionist Christian Lee come in and improvise over it all. We went back and forth like this for six months, until finally the full Nobody Knows Our Names was performed at konverjdans: III at The Mark O’Donnell Theater in Brooklyn, New York, on May 31 & June 1, 2019.
In a performance review of the piece in The Dance Enthusaist, Cecly Placenti wrote:
Mangulabnan’s Nobody Knows Our Names reflects on the struggle of artists to maintain their integrity and identity. . . . six dancers both assert and question themselves. Expanding and recoiling, solos are joined by duets and trios in a show of solidarity before dissolving again into private explorations. Costumes of muted grey-blue add to the feel of quiet reflection, and the starkly lit stage sets a somber mood.
The theme of joining and leaving persists as the dancers orbit, coming closer and closer to meaning with each spiraling torso or imploring leg extension, but never quite reaching it. With the gentle touch of a friend, Zięba joins Cortney Key in a supportive duet that says, Here I am. I see you. I understand. Arachnid unison dancing leaves each performer bound by a shared quest and yet detached.
Choreography: Tiffany Mangulabnan
Text: “The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity” by James Baldwin
Original Music: The Real Mike Wilson
Live Percussion: Christian Lee
Dancers: Peter Cheng, Cortney Taylor Key, Tiffany Mangulabnan, Jordan Miller, Amy Saunder, Łukasz Zięba
Lighting Design: Conor Mulligan
Videography: Sergio Carrasco