Touring 23/24
Suggested for Grades 9-12, college and adult audiences

Created by Dominic Moore-Dunson from Akron, OH

Co-commissioned by the National Choreography Center at the University of Akron
Dominic Moore-Dunson’s inCOPnegro is an evening length dance-theatre work and podcasting project exploring the concept of “safety” through the lens of storytelling, parenthood, and police relations in Black communities throughout America.

The project aims to peel back the stories of individuals on both sides of the “blue line” while Dominic, a new Black father, looks to answer the question, “How do we raise our children in a world where their safety is in threat every day?”

Highlighting an all-Black cross-disciplinary cast of four artists, inCOPnegro and its companion podcast, inCOPnegro: Black & Blue, will be an intimate piece for audiences high school and older.

ARTISTIC Mission

To create space for families to conduct in-depth conversations about the concepts of safety and our current climate of police relations in America.

From the artist

“As a 31-year-old Black man, I have been pulled over by police no less than 45 times in my life. Then after the death of George Floyd in 2020, as a father-to-be, I realized for the first time I didn’t only have to worry for my own safety, but that of my unborn son. I began reaching across my network asking Black parents, “How do you teach your kids about police?”, and the overwhelming answer was, “You just teach them to get home”. The organic interviewing process sparked the idea of interviewing Black officers, Black parents, city councilmen, etc. about police relations and ultimately, what do they believe I should tell my son about police?”

The result of an 18-month interview process will be an evening length dance-theatre work featuring an all-black cast (2 dancers, a jazz musician, and a hip-hop musician) and an accompanying podcast called inCOPnegro: Black & Blue. The podcast will feature 8 interviews giving the audience the most dynamic look into our conversations about public safety.