Monstah Black

MonstaH BlacK, is a self-shaped Messiah of the Funk, bringing his Virginia roots and worldly peregrinations to bear on everything from class consciousness to gender politics. His wildly multidimensional works of art employ the disciplines of musical compositions, choreography and theater in seamless harmony.Beginning with his days as a choreographer and performance student at Virginia Commonwealth University, MonstaH has developed a signature performance strategy, marrying elements of circus frenzy with meditative butoh inspired movement. MESAMI is the name he has coined for his original form and its underlying methodology.A generous grant from Career Transitions for dancers in 2000 helped to get the Sounds Of MESAMI off the ground, resulting in MonstaH's production of two collections of original music melding house/electronica and funk. Yang Poodle Animatron and Heaven Hell and a Place Called Mars, both performed by an outfit appropriately named Ministry Uv Funk.MESAMI Groove Music is MonstaH's independent production company, encompassing a recording label as well as fashion and choreography departments. Based in Harlem since 1999, MESAMI has garnered support from various progressive arts organizations, including Blackout Arts Collective, Topaz Arts, and Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center (THPAC), where MonstaH was commissioned to create an evening-length work entitled THIS for the Toenails Of Steel choreographic festival of 2003. At the world premier of THIS, the theater space at Long Island University was transformed to simulate a womb-like environment, using scent diffusion, set design and sound scapes all masterminded by MonstaH, who's skill in costume design formed visual links among the dancers, members of the live band, and features of the stage.Site-specific performances have been a specialty of Monstah's through the years, most notably The Field Trip Series, The Acid Box Cabaret, and Delicious Hunger, Hunger Delicious, all staged in Washington, D.C. in spaces from public sidewalks to The National Theater. It was in these early site-specific works that the roots of MESAMI began to hold.MonstaH's presence has been felt and continually sought in divers creative scenes. In the late 90's his single The Nerve (released on Stride Records) hit the east coast House Music underground hard. Simultaneously, MonstaH was expanding his reputation in the dance world, touring internationally with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and working with choreographers from Bill T. Jones (Last Supper At Uncle Tom's Cabin) to Melissa Fenley and Maida Withers DAnce Construction. A true renaissance man, MonstaH BlacK, promises to remain a force to be reckoned with in the world of cutting edge performance.by Karma JohnsonThis profile was edited with Thomas' myspace editor™ V2.5