Samantha Williams
To “Dream in Black Skin” is a multimedia performance of a five part song cycle that focuses on the experience of modern black women, written, composed, and performed by black female artists. The five songs all talk about universal human struggles through different aspects of the black female experience. They chronicle the journey from struggling to decolonize our own minds particularly in our attempt to embrace self love and black beauty, to handling exotification in relationships, to finding empowerment to share our perspectives, and to using our history of oppression and resilience to propel us into a future of freedom and possibilities.The performance integrates video projections and spoken word performances that highlight the themes of each song and seeks to create space for stories of black women within the classical music world, told by creative teams of color, that are accessible to diverse audiences. Through creating free online videos of the performance, I hope that this project will create an accessible entry point for teens and people of color into the world of classical music, who may not have previously found it relevant to them.
Library Mentor: Jason Imbesi