Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents the World Premiere of a Works & Process Commission Les Ballet Afrik: New York is Burning by Omari Wiles

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, presents the World Premiere of a Works & Process Commission, Les Ballet Afrik: New York is Burning by Omari Wiles, on Sunday and Monday, March 29 and 30, 2020 at 7:30pm.

In 1990, the documentary Paris is Burning was released to critical acclaim. The film chronicled New York City Drag Balls, Ball culture, and Voguing in the 1980s, capturing the elaborately structured Ball competitions and showcasing rival houses. Beyond the Ballroom, each house served as surrogate families for young Ball-walkers who faced rejection from their biological families for their gender expression and sexual orientation. The Voguing that took place at these Balls has entered mainstream culture in the years since, serving as a touch point for a multi-leveled exploration of a queer African-American and Latino subculture.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary and to pay homage to Paris is Burning, Omari Wiles, founding father of the House of Oricci, presents New York is Burning, a Works & Process commission made in and for the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed theater at the Guggenheim. Performed by his company, Les Ballet Afrik, New York is Burning will bring the Ballroom to the Guggenheim and feature Wiles’s AfrikFusion, a style that fuses traditional African dances and Afrobeat styles with House dance and Vogue.

In conjunction with these performances, on March 27 Art After Dark at the Guggenheim will feature music by a DJ from the House of Oricci and pop-up dance performances by Les Ballet Afrik.

The development of New York is Burning was supported in part by Kaatsbaan’s UpStream® Residency.

TICKETS & VENUE
$45, $40 members (unless otherwise noted)
$10 TodayTix Lottery and student rush tickets one hour before performance, based on availability (student tickets for those under 30 with valid ID)
Priority ticket access and preferred seat selection starts Dec 10 for $500+ Friends of Works & Process and Guggenheim members at the Associate level and above.
For more information, call 212 758 0024 or 212 423 3587, Mon-Fri, 1-5 pm, or visit worksandprocess.org.

Peter B. Lewis Theater
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street
Subway: 4, 5, 6, or Q train to 86th Street
Bus: M1, M2, M3, or M4 bus on Madison or Fifth Avenue

Lead funding for Works & Process is provided by the Ford Foundation, Florence Gould Foundation, the Christian Humann Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Evelyn Sharp Foundation, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ousmane Wiles began his training in various African dance styles at the young age of 6. He then joined his Father and Mother – Marie Basse Wiles and Anthony Olukose Wiles – in the family company: The Maimouna Ketia School of African Dance, taking on the role of Assistant Director by the time he was a teenager. Having trained and worked with master African Dancers, Mr. Wiles’ understanding of the different cultures, rythms, and dances create the strong foundation on which his excellence stands. Venturing further into his skillset, Ousmane also has trained in other styles such as Hip-Hop, Modern, House and Vogue, affording him the chance to work with artists such as Rashaad Newsome, Janet Jackson, Goldlink, Beyoncé, John Legend, Ephrat Asherie Dance, Jidenna, Maleek Berry, Jennifer Husdon, Forces, and Naomi Campbell, just to name a few. Ousmane has been published in Dance Magazine’s “top 25 to watch,” Korean Vogue, British Vogue, The Observer, and The New York Times. Mr. Wiles is best known as Legendary Omari NiNa Oricci, Founder of The House of Nina Oricci, and Creative Director of his company LES BALLET AFRIK.
 
Works & Process at the Guggenheim
Described by The New York Times as “an exceptional opportunity to understand something of the creative process,” for 35 years, New Yorkers have been able to see, hear, and meet the most acclaimed artists in the world, in an intimate setting unlike any other. Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to generations of leading creators and performers. Most performances take place in the Guggenheim’s intimate Frank Lloyd Wright-designed 273-seat Peter B. Lewis Theater. In 2017, Works & Process established a new residency and commissioning program, inviting artists to create new works, made in and for the iconic Guggenheim rotunda. worksandprocess.org.