Disnegatif and the Cinematic Labors of Black Dance

Abstract This chapter examines how stop-motion animation, with its stuttering aesthetic and temporal gaps, reveals what is absent or ineffable in the representation of black embodiment. Rawls introduces the concept of disnegatif to explore the gestures and meanings lost between frames, proposing a choreographic methodology that resists positivist logic and foregrounds partial, unstable selfhood. Drawing on the work of Saidiya Hartman and other scholars, the chapter positions black performance as a redress to historical rupture and a space where movement resists closure. Through both live and animated performances, it shows how stillness, repetition, and disruption can reframe our perception of black bodies and histories. Finally, the chapter argues that disnegatif functions as a method of resistance, rupturing dominant visual logics and inviting a more open-ended, affective engagement with black performance.