The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts will present a world premiere by the contemporary dance company A.I.M by Kyle Abraham on Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m.

The mission of A.I.M (Abraham in Motion) by Kyle Abraham is to create a body of dance-based work that is galvanized by Black culture and history. Informed by — and made in conjunction with — artists across a range of disciplines, the work entwines a sensual and provocative vocabulary with a strong emphasis on music, text, video, and visual art.

The program features the world premiere of If We Were a Love Song, a stunning dance exploration of love set to a soul-stirring Nina Simone soundtrack.

“This is dance at its best – Kyle Abraham is a master storyteller and every piece he presents will move the viewer. He strikes a unique balance between traditional and street dance, between stillness and motion,” said Peter Van Heerden, executive director of the Quick Center. “Kyle Abraham’s mission is to spread love, and we think our audience will love this performance.”

Kyle Abraham’s choreography has been commissioned and presented throughout the United States and abroad. He is a 2013 MacArthur genius grant recipient, 2018 Princess Grace statue award recipient, 2017-18 Joyce creative residency artist, 2016 Doris Duke award recipient and 2015 City Center choreographer-in-residence.

Abraham began his dance training at the Civic Light Opera Academy and the Creative and Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He continued his dance studies in New York, receiving a BFA from SUNY Purchase, an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Washington Jefferson College. He served as a visiting professor-in-residence at UCLA’s World Arts Cultures in Dance program from 2016 to 2021. In 2021, he was named the Claude and Alfred Mann Endowed Professorship in Dance at The University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. 

The Quick Center thanks WPKN for serving as a sponsor of the performance. Tickets are now on sale on quickcenter.com at $35 for the general public and $25 for Quick Members. For more information, contact the Quick Center Box Office at 203-254-4010, Monday through Friday, from 12 to 5 p.m.