DISPERSAL | This groove is long, slow, and winding. Stretch, expand, and linger.

This winter, join If I Can’t Dance 2019-2020 Performance in Residence researcher Derrais Carter for Black Revelry Quiet Storm (BRQS), a three-part monthly radio broadcast series that places Carter in the role of the late-night DJ. In its exploration of different modes of storytelling, the show takes its inspiration from the nocturnal ‘Quiet Storm’ radio format, which originated in the 1970s and featured jazz, soul, and R&B songs about romance and intimacy. BRQS is part of Carter’s broader Black Revelry project, which takes up the detail—or “the sample”—as a method for reading the iconic Sugar Shack (1976) by Ernie Barnes, a painting that has circulated widely within Black popular culture (for example, as the cover art for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You) across over four decades. In so doing, Black Revelry affectively maps Black social life in the United States as it has been registered through the painting’s circulation.

Each show focuses on a key term: GATHERING, DISPERSAL, and FREQUENCY. Thematically, these key terms set the stage for Carter’s close readings of Barnes’ painting, which unfold through song selections, personal commentary, and readings of Black critical theory.

TRACKLIST:
“Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” (1973) by Isley Brothers
“Who Can I Run To” (1995) by Xscape
“Sweet Love” (1986) by Anita Baker
“I Wish You Were Here” (1975) by Al Green
“You Are My Starship” (1976) by Norman Connors
“Break Up to Make Up” (1972) The Stylistics
“Can I” (1971) by Eddie Kendricks
“Soon As I Get Home” (1995) by Faith Evans
“Two Occasions” (1987) by The Deele
“Before I Let You Go” (1994) by Blackstreet
“Medley” (2003) by Luther Vandross
“Love’s Train” (1982) by Con Funk Shun
“I Don’t Need You Around” (1967) by Jackie Wilson
“It’s Such a Shame” (1995) by Solo
“Be For Real” (1972) by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes
“Love, Need, and Want You” (1983) by Patti LaBelle
“Take a Little Trip” (1974) by Minnie Riperton
“Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” (1978) by Rose Royce
“Send for Me” (1981) by Atlantic Starr
“Fact of Life/He’ll Be There When the Sun Goes Down Medley” (1973) by Bobby Womack
“Not Gon’ Cry” (1995) by Mary J. Blige
“Go Away Little Boy” (1969) by Marlena Shaw