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White Space (Avant Premiere)

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

A dancer (Mykiah Goree) lies on the floor with fingertips lifted over their braids, gaze lowered. Their body is painted black to the shoulders, revealing brown skin above the paint against a gray background.

Mykiah Goree, White Space, choreographed by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M, photo by Carrie Schneider.

 

Questioning form and expectations and jostling between theatrical and somatic ideals of confrontation and conversation, White Space is a new evening-length work. The performance features 11 captivating dancers in a restless and thought-provoking world fueled by a vast movement vocabulary consisting of Kyle Abraham’s signature blend of classical and contemporary dance with a hip-hop underbelly. 

The work brings together acclaimed composers, Jason Moran and Nico Muhly, for a haunting new collaborative score that pierces the heart of choreographer Abraham’s newest dance. 

The original score, written for two pianists on a single piano, echoes with hip-hop driving the collision of reality and idealism.

White Space marks the second time Abraham is collaborating with world-renowned visual artist, Glenn Ligon, on scenic design. Other collaborators include noted costume designers, Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung, and longtime lighting collaborator, Dan Scully. 

"Kyle Abraham has a mission — and it’s bigger than himself. He likes to spread the love with his company, A.I.M., and, in doing so, broaden the viewer’s experience of what a dance concert by a choreographer-led company can be." -Gia Kourlas, The New York Times
“For almost 20 years, the inclusive modern dance company has brought thought-provoking movement rooted in Black and queer history and culture to the forefront…” -Freya Drohan, Vogue
 

PROJECT SUPPORT 

White Space was supported by New Music USA’s Organization Fund in 2025-26, with additional commissioning funds provided by the O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation.

White Space is co-commissioned by Jacob's Pillow, LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura, PEAK Performances at Montclair State University, with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels. White Space was created in part during a Pillow Lab residency at Jacob's Pillow, made possible by support from the Vivienne Jones Endowment Fund at Jacob's Pillow.

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About

Kyle Abraham (Founder and Artistic Director, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham; He/Him)

A portrait of Kyle Abraham, bare-chested

KYLE ABRAHAM (Founder and Artistic Director, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham; He/Him) has premiered his work to international audiences and acclaim since 2006. Abraham has been profi led in CERO, Document Journal, Ebony, Harper’s Bazaar, Kinfolk, O Magazine, Paper, Surface, Vanity Fair, Vogue & Vogue UK, W Magazine, among many other publications. He was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production (2025 – An Untitled Love at Sadler’s Wells); the Rose Prize for International Dance nominee (2025 – An Untitled Love); and is the proud recipient of a National Dance Critics Award for Choreography (2024 – Are You in Your Feelings / Alvin Ailey Dance Theater); Dance Magazine Award (2022); Princess Grace Statue Award (2018); Doris Duke Award (2016) and The MacArthur Fellowship (2013). In addition to performing and developing new works for his company, Abraham has been commissioned by a wide variety of dance companies, including American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The National Ballet of Cuba, New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, and The Royal Ballet. In 2024, Abraham premiered three new works to much acclaim, the evening-length work, Cassette Vol. 1 in Hamburg, Germany; Mercurial Son for American Ballet Theatre in October and in December, “Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful” at the Park Avenue Armory, which Jennifer Homans of The New Yorker called an “Extraordinary Dance Memoir.” In 2025, Abraham premiered new works to acclaim including “2x4,” “Wrecka Stow” for ABT as part of Misty Copland’s farewell performance and is the choreographer for the new Xtravaganza musical. Abraham also choreographed Copland in the Cynthia Erivo short-form fi lm, “No Good Deed” as part of the Wicked: For Good promotion. Abraham has led and curated several performance series including the Danspace Project (2024 / 50th anniversary season) and Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City (2023, 2022), among others. In 2020, Abraham was the fi rst ever guest editor for Dance Magazine. He serves as the Claude and Alfred Mann Endowed Professor in Dance at The University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance (2021-2026). Abraham sits on the advisory board for Dance Magazine and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the inaugural Black Genius Brain Trust, and the inaugural cohort of the Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab, a partnership between the Prada Group, Theaster Gates Studio, Dorchester Industries, and Rebuild Foundation.

A.I.M

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham has, for nearly two decades, been at the forefront of contemporary dance, becoming one of the most acclaimed touring companies in the world. Celebrating its 20th anniversary throughout 2026, the company exemplifies “lush movement, infectious music and magnetic dancers..." as noted by The New York Times. A.I.M has been featured in Vogue, Essence, among many other publications, and was on the April 2025 cover of the Harper’s Bazaar. The company is described as a “postmodern gumbo” with an ardent voice and artistic process informed by robust conversations with people from diverse perspectives. A.I.M performs works by Abraham as well as new and existing works by choreographers who have influenced Abraham’s artistry. A.I.M is based in New York City.
For more information, to get involved, or to purchase your A.I.M merchandise, please visit http://aimbykyleabraham.org. Follow A.I.M on Instagram @aimbykyleabraham and Kyle Abraham on Instagram @kyle_abraham_original_recipe