The Unofficial Guide to Audience Watching Performance

The Unofficial Guide to Audience Watching Performance is an evening-length autobiographical dance, the culmination of Philadelphia-based breakdancer Raphael Xavier's 30 years of experience in hip-hop genres. Xavier, a 2013 Pew Fellow, plays with the rhythms of rap, break dancing and narrative to draw parallels between the performer's body and the stage itself. The new work, directed by Ralph Lemon and featuring poet Leigh Nelson, deconstructs Xavier's lyrics and breaking technique and, through rap cadences delivered as conversations, gives audiences insight into the maturing practitioner's life journey as well as a context for viewing the artist's work.

The Unofficial Guide to Audience Watching Performance received support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and was originally presented by First Person Arts.