Jenny Oliver, choreographer and dancer

Steph Davis, composer and marimbist

Gray Space / Blue Skies

Dancer and choreographer Jenny Oliver partners with marimbist Steph Davis for Gray Space / Blue Skies, an afternoon of new choreography and commissioned music.

Boston-based dancer, choreographer, and teacher Jenny Oliver is 2023/24 Creative in Residence with acclaimed Black arts collective Castle of Our Skins, and serves as the head of Dance Performance at Tufts University. She co-creates culturally-responsive movement projects and experiences with museums and public spaces throughout the area: Friends of the Public Garden, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Museum of Science, and more.

Marimbist and composer Steph Davis uses artistic and philosophical traditions from across the African diaspora to fire audiences’ imaginations and inspire listeners to reach for collective liberation. Their work is inspired by the Black classical music tradition, various West African xylophone traditions, Africana womanist discourse, Afrofuturist aesthetics, and maat, "truth," the keystone of Egyptian philosophy. They tour the country as a soloist and as a chamber music partner, co-creating meaning and beauty with musicians of all kinds.

Get excited for this creation by two engaging storytellers with big ideas, both committed to elevating the marginalized and inspiring audiences to strive toward empowerment, empathy, and liberation.

This project is supported in part by the