Drawing from contemporary dance, ballet, and hip-hop, A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham’s program at The Granada Theatre on May 12 was an evening full of surprising delights. The UCSB Arts & Lectures presentation was themed around “all things love, pride, and history,” said Abraham, the company’s artistic director, and featured three works, all with live music on stage: 2×4 (2025), If We Were a Love Song (2021) set to the music of Nina Simone, and The Gettin’ (2014), which drew inspiration from jazz legend Max Roach’s seminal album, We Insist! Freedom Now Suite.
The first piece, 2×4, used geometrical shaping and colorful, flowing costumes in a playful way, with dynamic weaving patterns and angular shapes juxtaposed with moments of stillness.
If We Were a Love Song was a series of sensual vignettes, primarily solos and duets.
The Gettin’ was a multimedia piece with six dancers and music by Roach that was originally intended to be released in 1963 to mark the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. It was actually released in the fall of 1960 due to the severity sparked by the sit-ins in Greensboro, NC, and the urgency of the growing civil rights movement, and Abraham has said that it “was created to live in a skin well aware of the cyclical hardships of our history, and the very present fear of an unknowable future.”
The reverse order of the program, from Abraham’s 2025 work back to 2014, really shows the trajectory of the company and what he called the “postmodern gumbo” of his work in an onstage discussion afterward with UCSB Theater and Dance Professor Ninotchka Bennahum.
“This program, for me, in some ways is honoring not only where we are going, but where we are coming from. In a lot of ways, the last work,The Gettin’ from 2014, a work made in collaboration with Robert Glasper, reimagining Max Roach … [it] is the first of my work with a visual artist in that way, and Glenn Ligon, who did the scenic design, the piece in the middle, If We Were a Love Song. … We were really curious about finding a vocalist who could embody in a new way, some of Nina’s songbook, and so we’ve had several different vocalists over the time.”
‘If We Were a Love Song’ by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M. | Photo: David Bazemore 
‘If We Were a Love Song’ by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M. | Photo: David Bazemore 
‘If We Were a Love Song’ by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M. | Photo: David Bazemore 
‘If We Were a Love Song’ by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M. | Photo: David Bazemore
Crystal Monee Hall was the featured vocalist at the Granada and her interpretation was gorgeously unique, but still echoed Simone’s distinct vocals.
An interesting note about Abraham’s creative process, he said he films about 90 percent of the choreography on his own body and then sometimes sends it directly to individual dancers and sometimes works with a movement translator, Stephanie Terasaki, who learns the material and then teaches it to the dancers.
Speaking about his method, Abraham said, “I don’t know if it is about power and control, but rather about trust and vulnerability. I don’t think that my answers are the right answers all the time, hopefully some of the time, but if I thought they were always right, I would never ask for people’s opinions. I would not be the maker that I’m interested in being, or the human being I’m interested in being.
“The thing that I think gets taken for granted with the exchange between a dancer and a choreographer, or a dance teacher and a dancer, is really the vulnerability that exists on both sides. When I am making the work and sharing it with the dancers, I’m basically telling you, this is my journal entry. These are the things I’m feeling, these are the things I’m scared of, these are the things that bring me joy.”
His work brought me joy as well. For more information on A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham see aimbykyleabraham.com.
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