The Unseen
The Unseen is a real-time motion capture performance on ice showcasing, celebrating, and honoring Black figure skaters of the past and present.
In 1946 A group of self taught Black Figure Skaters came together to produce a show called Harlem on Ice, however little is known about them today in the public eye. The Unseen seeks to uncover, revitalize, and archive this history, while connecting this to the stories of Black Figure skaters today.
This work is in collaboration with Ice Theater of New York, and has received initial funding from NYSCA and MapFund
The first iteration premiere at Onassis ONX in 2022.
Please contact LaJune McMillian for more information : lajunex0@gmail.com
Articles about the Unseen :https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2022/12/22/the-unseen-an-exploration-of-black-figure-skaters-debuts/
Articles about Joseph Vanterpool and Harlem on Ice
https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2021/03/axels-at-apollo-theater-joseph.html
https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-harlem-on-ice-tour.html
Phase One
This iteration presents two abstract performance documentaries - one of Joseph Vanterpool, a figureskater and artist from the 50’s , and Theron James, a trailblazing figure skater today.
How do we navigate and heal by accessing the unseen? How might we honor and channel the stories of our ancestors as an embodied experience, and how can we save that information for generations to come? The soundscape for the performance integrates interviews from the skaters, as well as from their families, and skating world to serve as an abstract documentary and live archival process of Black Movement in the world of figure skating.