Dance writer Emily May speaks with choreographers Omar Rajeh and Kyle Abraham about how their personal heritages and biographical experiences surface in their artistic work. When their histories meet those of their collaborators, what new dynamics emerge? How do they navigate and make sense of the multiple heritages at play, and what is created as a result? 

Every person carries their own personal heritage within their body, a living archive shaped by a lifetime of unique experiences. For artists, these histories often shape the work they produce. For Omar Rajeh, early encounters with Dabke, a traditional Lebanese folk dance, inform his experiments with improvisation. Meanwhile, Kyle Abraham’s work is galvanized by Black culture and history. It draws on personal narratives from his past – everything from the closure of his hometown radio station to the sense of freedom he experienced at the outset of his career, and the music that defined certain periods of his life.