The Breedlove's Pas de Duke

A dance suite performed in three tiny episodes—“Nesting,” “Nestling,” and “Nasty”—that chronicle the neurotic love/hate relationship between Cholly and Pauline Breedlove, characters from Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye. “Cholly and Mrs. Breedlove fought each other with a darkly brutal formalism that was paralleled only by their lovemaking. Tacitly they had agreed not to kill each other.” Each episode represents different stages in the Breedloves’ relationship including courtship, newlywed, and marriage but not in that order. Like Morrison’s novel the Breedloves story is performed out of order, starting from the moment they were newlyweds, then reaching back to when they first met, and then the audience is catapulted 

to the present day of the Breedloves viciously erotic married life. 

This work is performed across three dance genres, postmodern, contemporary, and Latin as well as some stage combat. Digital Projection will provide the required narration for each episodic transition and the lighting will guide the story line as the lights briefly fade to black and quickly fade in again between each new episode. The Breedlove’s Pas de Duke is a narrative piece that will resonate with any couple that has experienced extreme stages from high to low in their relationship yet managed to see it through. Ultimately, this piece speaks to the American culture’s normalization of intimate partner violence.

Music – Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye audible version, Daniel Caesar’s "Best Part," and Celia Cruz’s "Quimbara".