Eleo Pomare and the Black Arts Movement

Abstract This chapter traces Eleo Pomare’s journey as a radical dance artist who fuses performance with political resistance during the Black Arts Movement. Born in Colombia and raised in Panama and New York, he embraces dance as a tool to confront racism and assert Black identity. He rejects traditional training in Germany, leads choreographic experiments in Amsterdam, and creates powerful works that address urban life and colonialism. On returning to Harlem, he joins artists who launch street-based cultural projects like the Black Arts Theater/School (BARTS) and the Dancemobile, bringing art directly to Black communities and challenging Eurocentric norms. Finally, the chapter highlights Pomare’s unrelenting drive to provoke, educate, and empower through dance, as he extends his mission for justice from Harlem to South Africa, always using his art to amplify the voices and struggles of Black people worldwide.