Marking his debut as a director and choreographer, Yusuf Nasir takes a life’s work in dance to create THE SHOUT, an experiential dance concert. Taking a bold look inside the human mind and exploring the unresolved grey areas of madness, addressing past and present social and cultural issues, THE SHOUT aims to resonate with the individual mindset of each viewer, a personalized confrontation of the private, repressed emotions we trap within ourselves that keep us all dancing on the line between sane and insane.
Set to the incredible sounds of Swedish house music, with genre bending alternative, R&B and pop, THE SHOUT offers a dynamic dance performance fusing numerous styles, techniques and genres and features 21 of Los Angeles’ most celebrated and brilliant up and coming young dance artists.
I spoke with Yusuf Nasir this morning by phone as he readies for the second night of his weekend premiere performances. Take a listen to this exclusive interview as Yusuf talks candidly about his own mental breakdown as inspiration for THE SHOUT, as well as the intricacies and challenges of mounting a production like this, the pros and cons of the reality television dance phenomena and its impact on dance, plus, Gene Kelly.
LISTEN NOW:
THE SHOUT runs from September 22 through 25, 2016 at El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Tickets are available at www.elportaltheatre.com or 866-811-4111. Look for more on THE SHOUT in coming months as Yusuf readies a DVD release of the show.
