Touring 23/24 & 24/25
Suggested for Grades 9 and Up and Public Programming

Created by Dominic Moore-Dunson from Akron, OH

Co-commissioned by the National Choreography Center at the University of Akron

Aftermath explores the lives of four Black male characters after police violence has torn apart their community. This 60-minute cross-disciplinary work combines live jazz and hip hop music with Moore-Dunson’s choreographic style of “Urban Midwest Storytelling”. Seated in the round, the audience gets an intimate view of the healing process needed in many black communities today.

The creation of Aftermath was shaped by one-on-one interviews between Moore-Dunson and Akron community stakeholders, police officers, and criminal justice workers, as well as those outside the region. Presenters and audience members are encouraged to listen to the podcast inCOPnegro: Black & Blue before seeing the show as it offers context for the choreography, music, and spoken word.

Inspiration for this project came from Moore-Dunson’s own life experiences. He explains, “As a 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 the police?’, and the overwhelming answer was, ‘You just teach them to get home.’”

PRODUCTION CREDITS