PEARLARTS MOVEMENT & SOUND

About

PearlArts Movement & Sound (formerly STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos) harnesses the power of contemporary dance, immersive soundscapes, and creative self-expression to engage audiences in genre-bending experiences that generate joy, creativity, and a sense of collective being. Under the visionary leadership of choreographer Staycee Pearl and sound designer Herman "Soy Sos" Pearl, PearlArts Movement & Sound's work probes themes of personal expression, race, freedom, and gender to immerse audiences in unforgettable experiences.

NDP TOUR SUPPORT AVAILABLE.

#PearlArts #PentacleRoster

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Repertory

CIRCLES: going in (2021)

(NDP Fee Support Available)
Running Time: 60 minutes, no intermission.
Choreography: Staycee Pearl
Sound Designer/Engineer: Herman B. Pearl
Music Collaborators: DJ Haram, DOTGOV, Geña, Ixa, Kha’DJ, Kilamanzego, Madame Dolores, Meejah, Queen Jo, Yah Lioness
Visual Collaborations: Bekezela Mguni, Kitoko Chargois and sarah huny young
Lighting Design: Eve Bandi
Costume Design: Emily Vallozzi
Set Design: Rob Hackett

Black Joy. Femme. Cycles of Life and Love.

CIRCLES: going in is a full-length dance work celebrating #BlackGirlMagic. Layering dance, visual arts, with pulsing beats and bass lines, the work presents snapshots of popular culture through choreographer Staycee Pearl’s lens as a Black woman. With an ensemble of five dancers, CIRCLES: going in is a colorful, unapologetic, and daring path to self-reclamation. Central to the work is an original sound score of hip-hop, house, techno and ballroom music samples mixed throughout the performance – bringing the joy, spontaneity and uncensored freedom of self-expression from the club to the stage.

CIRCLES: going in is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Kelly Strayhorn Theater, The Joyce Theater, and NPN. CIRCLES: going in was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Co-commissioning Partners are Kelly Strayhorn Theater, August Wilson African American Cultural Center, and The Joyce Theater. The development of CIRCLES: going in is made possible in part by the National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron (NCCAkron). CIRCLES: going in is supported in part by The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh Fund, Heinz Endowments, and The Opportunity Fund.

sum of y’all

PREMIERING Fall 2025
Running Time: 60 minutes (no intermission)
Choreography: Staycee Pearl in collaboration with company dancers
Concept Collaborator: Marvin Touré
Music Director and Co-Composer: Herman Pearl
Collaborating Musicians: James Johnson III, Erik Lawrence, Eli Namay, Mark Micchelli

What do we add up to as a community? Staycee Pearl’s newest creation invites audiences to reflect on the delicate impermanence of community. Tracing back to memories of historically Black spaces that have been erased over time, sum of y’all highlights the constant and inevitable state of expansion, change and transformation.

A compelling movement work, layered within a multimedia stage installation, sum of y’all draws parallels between gentrification and patterns found in the cellular structures of the human body. Set to an original score by jazz musicians James Johnson III, Erik Lawrence, Eli Namay, Mark Micchelli and co-composer Herman Pearl, the score unfolds as dancers flock, disperse and reassemble in blurred unison.

Virtual Programming

VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS

Contact Pentacle For Details.

Engagement Activities

Beginning/Intermediate/Advanced Contemporary Technique
Led by Choreographer Staycee Pearl or company dancers, this class focuses on developing techniques for moving efficiently and expressively, with consciousness, strength, and grace. Special attention is given to cultural specificity in relation to contemporary dance technique. Classes begin slowly, with a guided improvisation focusing on inner musicality and breath. Center and across the floor exercises gradually guild to a dynamic phrase. Running time: 90 minutes.

CIRCLES Workshop
PearlArts Movement & Sound has developed a progressive technique and performance training practice used to access individuality for meaningful physical expression. In this workshop, company sound designer, Herman Pearl DJs his mixes live, centering the company’s musical collaborators, as instructors guide students into the beat, expanding from center to the edges of their bodies in an improvisational warm up. Company instructors then use those ideas in technical practice, and teach repertory phrases taken directly from CIRCLES: going in. Running time: 60 minutes.

sum of y’all Workshop
PearlArts Movement & Sound has developed a progressive technique and performance training practice used to assess individuality for meaningful physical expression. In this workshop, company sound designer Herman Pearl DJs his mixes live, centering the company’s musical collaborators, as instructors guide students into the beat, expanding from center to the edges of their bodies in an improvisational warm up. Company instructors then use those ideas in technical practice, and teach movement generation exercises, and repertory phrases taken directly from sum of y’all. Running time: 60 minutes.

Lecture Demonstration
Lecture/demonstrations offer audiences, including dance students and non dancers alike, community groups, seniors, and more, an informal performance while providing a sneak peek at PearlArts Movement & Sound’s creative process. Lec/dems can be adaptable to meet the needs of the presenter and audience interests. NOT Full company. Length 20 min with 10 min for Q&A or 50 minute with 10 min for Q&A.

Sound Design for Dance
Co-founding artistic director Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl will share sound design strategies and methods specifically used to create the sound for sum of y’all. Additionally the class will cover the collaborative process across the disciplines of sound, music and dance. Students will get hands-on access to the tools used in the performance including Ableton Live, control surfaces and custom channel strips/macros designed for the project. This class is designed for high school thru college age students specifically interested in sound design and audio engineering. The venue for the class must be equipped with a full range sound system, large video monitor or projection setup, work table and access to power.

Pre and Post-performance discussions available upon request.

Press

"costumes that included platforms and platinum wigs, “CIRCLES: going in” became an uplifting spiral perfect for counteracting the pandemic blues."

Dance Currents
PearlArts Movement & Sound (formerly STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos) named "10 who are raising the dance bar(re) in Pittsburgh in 2019"

Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"We discovered so many parts put together with uncommon ease by [Staycee Pearl] whose range has become something to behold."

Dance Currents
"[PearlArts' dancers] flowed barefoot through choreography that combined elements of ballet with African-inspired dance, yoga and hip-hop."

Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Herman (Soy Sos) Pearl’s thoughtfully crafted soundscape for CIRCLES: going in was the driving groove to the work."

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