Choreographers in the Commons Sipping Coffee

Abstract This chapter presents “Choreographers in the Commons Sipping Coffee,” which is a radio play in one act by three dance artists of color taking part in a multi-year tour through the American South. The show is about the pitfalls, slip-ups, and messiness of American service and presenting organizations attempting to implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. It addresses the disjuncture between antiracism and the promotion and proclamation, of diversity (i.e., representation for representation’s sake). The show also explores the labor of the dancer’s body and choreographic work as a way of tending to institutional goals and priorities. They reflect on the geographic significance of Alabama’s history of slavery, white supremacy, racial violence, Jim Crow, segregation, and federal funding used to assist in obliterating black neighborhoods through the building of highways. Ultimately, the artists discuss the unexpected: what is possible when hierarchical relationships between artists and organizations are disrupted and new possibilities and bonds emerge.