​Ajani Brannum (they/them) investigates the choreographies of life in the shadow of empire. (Where are we?) Through a fluid, shapeshifting performative practice, they observe the forces that persist - for better, for worse, for otherwise - in and through our living. (How are we?) Ajani draws heavily on the knowledges they inherit as a Black queer maker with southern roots, honoring and extending the ancestral wisdoms that animate their craft. (How do we?) By turns contemplative and irreverent, their work invites audiences to rehearse vital forms of sensing and relation. (Why?)

 

Ajani has created spaces of encounter with REDCAT, ODC, Human Resources Los Angeles, Materials & Applications, Highways Performance Space, Los Angeles Performance Practice, in classrooms, on tabletops and screens, and when no one is looking. Born in Anchorage, Alaska, they hold an AB in English and a Certificate in Dance from Princeton University, and a PhD in Culture and Performance from UCLA. They are also an alum of the Cecilia Weston Spiritual Academy, helmed by Jade T. Perry.

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Click here to view CV. Photo by Matt Savitsky.