Created by KSU Jazz Studies Instructor Chris Coles, in collaboration with Gregory King, assistant professor at the School of Theatre and Dance, the “Nine Lives” project is a 40-minute interdisciplinary multi-movement music and dance project inspired by the Charleston, S.C. church massacre.
The artistic work was developed to heighten awareness of ongoing racial injustice in America, the project debuted last week at the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival with a performance at the Akron Public Library Auditorium, followed by a panel discussion on race relations.
The piece is an alliance between trombonist Sam Blakeslee, animator Hannah Taddeo, choreographer Gregory King and emcee Jul Big Green.
On June 17, 2015, 21-year-old self-proclaimed white supremacist Dylann Roof murdered nine African Americans during a prayer service at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.
Listen to a WKSU interview with Chris Coles. View a video preview of the Nine Lives project at the KSU School of Music’s YouTube channel. For more information, visit the Nine Lives Facebook page.