San Diego Tribune
By Marcia Manna
January 23, 2020
Choreographer and artistic director Kyle Abraham wants the dancers of his company A.I.M (Abraham in Motion) to develop an important skill — and it’s more about the mind than the body.
The New York-based troupe is already visually captivating, technically skilled in what Abraham defines as a gumbo of movement styles, seamlessly linking classical ballet and contemporary dance techniques with hip-hop swagger.
It’s not enough. Abraham asks that his dancers be “emotionally present,” a quality that summons a sense of shared humanity.
“I think the goal is to be connected with each other,” says Abraham, a MacArthur Fellow (2013) and a Doris Duke Artist Award-winner (2016) who describes himself as an “outspoken, black, gay, American man.”