Nyama McCarthy-Brown Reflects on Her Year as Artist Laureate

In spring 2024 The Ohio State University's Artist Laureate Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown brought her new production "Dancing Stories: Comings, Goings, and Finding Home" to Ohio State's regional campuses in Lima and Mansfield, Ohio as well as special engagements at Miami University and The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show featured a collection of dances that uplift themes of identity, inclusion, and expanding ideas around who gets to dance. McCarthy-Brown presented two works with her cast of eight Ohio State dance majors and share a short dance film "Reflecting Rae" featuring BalletMet dancer Victoria Watford. The Mansfield show featured a collaborative performance with Ohio State dancers and dancers from the Richland Academy for the Arts. Dance Students of Meghan Mulcahy (BFA 2022) from Liberty Arts Magnet School collaborated with Ohio State dancers for the Lima performance. Pieces by graduate students in the Ohio State Department of Dance, Lucy Dillon and Kierra Williams, were also shared in this performance.

Cast: Meghan Bhanoo, Malaika Burke, Hattie Plinke, Larissa Rojas, Ariana Stone, Latifat Sulaimon, Eryn Toppin