History
In 2009, Makini and Jermone Donte Beacham began an artistic relationship, initiated by Makini’s interest in Donte’s sharply rhythmic approach to J-Sette. J-Sette is a call-and-response dance form originated in the early 80’s by Black southern US majorette lines at various historically Black colleges. Leagues of Black queer femme men, prohibited from trying out as majorettes, would create competitive teams to practice the form in gay clubs and pride parades. Choreographic phrases are extremely set, confidential until they publicly premiere, and strategically “call”ed by a captain to be “respond”ed to by their squad. Searching for satisfaction and subversion within J-Sette’s team-oriented call-and-response structure, the Let ‘im Move You series houses Makini and Donte’s projects together.
About the series
Largely built around duet structures, series performance works have been presented in black box theaters, white box gallery spaces, large museum halls, queer club and party spaces, and outdoors in historically and/or predominantly Black neighborhoods. The series also includes visual installation work that is intended to be presented in partnership with performance work. The latest (and possibly final) performance work in the series is This Is a Formation, performed by 7 dancers, a DJ, a lighting designer, and a variety of new friends in tour locations to which the work is invited.
Let ‘im Move You: A Study (2013/2016 revision)
Major interests for these explorations included rhythm, pattern, and attention. In addition to research in the studios of the Alte Post, Jumatatu and Donte also used movement as a way to agitate social codes in gay bars and clubs in Köln.
Let ‘im Move You: Intervention (2016)
Jumatatu Poe and William Robinson formatted their work, Let ‘im Move You: This Is a Success into a street intervention, first performed three times in three separate locations in Philadelphia on Sunday, June 26, 2016.
Let ‘im Move You: This is a Success (2016)
This work explores notions of African-American exceptionalism as expressed through middle class, Black American values reiterated in the J-Sette form. It explores the artists’ respective relationships to Blackness, gender and queerness through movement and living experiences.
Let ‘im Move You: This is a Formation
About This is a move. This is a deep [...]
Let ‘im Move You – Installation
About Installation is an open-ended collection of installation works [...]
This Is an Invitation (2023)
About LET 'IM MOVE YOU: THIS IS AN INVITATION, [...]
