AntonioBrownDance’s BOXED explores the space in adolescence where we go from being a child to youth to adult by using childhood games as adulthood navigations of life. Can being good at hopscotch get one ahead in life? That space in-between adolescence and playing outdoors, to the smallness of a young adult world and learning the navigation of “playing games” to get ahead in the world, swirls inside the narrative of BOXED.

How can a game of double Dutch jump rope determine your future? Is the sandbox the first and best way to make friends or destroy them? Why does adulthood require ‘playing games’ to get ahead in business or finding a life partner? Search the internet to find there are more videos on circumventing how to do something correctly rather than learning how to do it. When or was it always that society taught us as children to stop using playground games as comradery and begin to use games as competition? BOXED challenges its audience to see through the harshness of adult game-playing to the world where it will heal your soul.

About the Artist: AntonioBrownDance

AntonioBrownDance is a project-based company in New York City,​ composed of an incredibly talented group of performing artists from various cultural and training backgrounds, intimacy and a provocative vocabulary in movement ranging from traditional ballet to contemporary modern and hip hop.
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Founded in 2013 by Artistic Director Antonio Brown the company seeks to explore common human behavior with elements of social and political topics. Producing works that allow for the growing socio-political international climate to become conversation within our versatile communities, AntonioBrownDance aims to bring its versatile audiences closer to dance and movement with unique performance works.

About the Artist: Antonio Brown

Antonio Brown is the artistic force behind AntonioBrownDance.  Born and raised in the city of Cleveland, Ohio, Antonio started his artistic quest dabbling into the realms of acting, piano, trumpet, visual art and dance. While putting on shows for his family in the living room, his dance and choreographic talents started to take shape. At a young age he began his dance training at the Cleveland School of the Arts and was honored to move to New York City where he received his BFA from The Juilliard School under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. While there, he had the opportunity to perform works by José Limón, Ohad Naharin, Jiri Kylian, Eliot Feld, Aszure Barton, Jessica Lang, Susan Marshall, Larry Keigwin, among others. Antonio was a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company for over a decade and has traveled around the world teaching, performing and getting a closer view of the world, its many cultures and artistic expressions. Mr. Brown has also had the privilege to work with many companies and artists throughout the United States including Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Gregory Dolbashian’s “The Dash Ensemble”, Malcolm Low/Formal Structure, Stephen Pier, Nilas Martins Dance Company, Damage Dance, Sidra Bell Dance New York and The August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble. Brown has choreographed various works for Verb Ballets, The Juilliard Dance Ensemble, Perry Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp, Jacksonville University, Cleveland State University, Hunter College Department of Theater, Cleveland School of the Arts, Stivers School for the Arts, The Grier School, Lehigh Valley Dance Exchange “LVDE”, Theatre Askew and most recently The Arden Theater Company’s production of “The Bluest Eye”.
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Mr. Brown’s work has also been showcased during the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), Dumbo Dance Festival, Wave Rising Series, Central Park’s Summer Stage, Dixon Place, A Modern Tribute, Center for Performance Research and internationally in Tanzania, Africa and The Isle of Wight, UK. Antonio Brown was the first featured alumni artist for the Friends of Cleveland School of the Arts fundraising GALA in 2010, a featured commissioned choreographer for the Perry Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp Centennial Celebration in 2013, and was commissioned to choreograph a Lamentation Variation on Verb Ballets in conjunction with the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2015.
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Antonio has taught at various schools and intensives across the country. Such as the Perry Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp since 2008, a founding teacher for Reed Dance Intensive in Pittsburgh, PA, a permanent guest teacher at Cleveland School of the Arts and many others. Currently you can find Mr. Brown teaching at Mark Morris Dance Center, The Juilliard School, The Joffrey School and guest teaching for Gallim Dance. He is so grateful to be creating art that means so much to him and continues to share his gifts and talents around the world.