Co-presented by the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA) Dance Program and Theater, Dance & Media, in partnership with ArtLab and Black Arts Collective. Additional support from The Provostial Fund for the Arts and Humanities at Harvard University.
Emmy award-winning choreographer, director, and movement artist Jon Boogz will discuss and share selections from his body of work spanning television, film, theater, and commercials. He will offer practical insights and how-tos behind the making of the work and breaking through a saturated industry. As a groundbreaker and leader in today’s street dance community, Boogz will also share his vision for dance in education and as an agent for social justice.
The talk will be facilitated by Dr. Shamell Bell, Lecturer on Somatic Performance and Contemporary Global Performance, Theater, Dance & Media (TDM), followed by a Q&A led by the Black Arts Collective. This event is part of Dr. Bell’s TDM courses: Black Arts Movement to #blacklivesmatter and Collective Freedom Dreaming: Engaged Pedagogy and Radicalism.
Join us for light refreshments and mingling beginning at 5:30 pm. The program will begin at 6 pm. Free and open to the public.
ASL interpreting will be provided for the programmed portion of the evening. If you have questions about the access provided or need to request additional accommodations, please contact dance@fas.harvard.edu or 617-496-0314. ArtLab is accessible for wheelchair and mobility device users.
Please note that ArtLab does not have parking, and area street parking is limited. Rideshare and public transit are recommended.
Jon Boogz is an Emmy Award-winning movement artist/choreographer/director and a groundbreaker and leader in today’s street dance community. Jon and his collective are committed to uplifting the art form of street dance, Jon is passionate about getting the authenticity of the story right, while crafting dance and drama to speak to today’s audience in powerful and inspiring ways.
Jon recently received an Emmy Award for his choreography work on the Lionsgate/Starz hit TV series “Blindspotting,” created by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. He is also directing/writing a Broadway show with the Public Theater. He is developing a first-of-its-kind action-adventure dance TV series with David Levine at Anonymous Content. Jon’s many credits include choreography for Mikhail Baryshnikov, Naomi Campbell, and Gloria Estefan. He choreographed Pharrell’s Adidas Originals campaign and creative-directed, choreographed, and performed in the Adidas Standing Rock campaign at ComplexCon. He has also worked as a director and choreographer for campaigns for Louis Vuitton’s Virgil Abloh tribute, Banana Republic, NFL (Emmy nominated), Apple, and Lexus. His collaborators include Netflix, Lin Manuel Miranda, Hulu, Facebook, Dom Perignon, Terrence Malick, TEDx, and Flying Lotus. Learn more about Jon Boogz.
Dr. Shamell Bell is an interdisciplinary scholar, street dance activist, documentary filmmaker, and Emmy-nominated producer. She holds a Ph.D. in Culture and Performance from UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures/Dance Department, with a background that spans African American Studies, American History, Ethnic Studies, Theater, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality. As an artist-activist-scholar, she specializes in Black youth street dance, Black dance histories, critical race theory and practice, somatics, and global performance.
An original member and choreographer of the Black Lives Matter movement, Dr. Bell’s work blends community-driven activism with academic research, demonstrating the transformative power of dance. Her efforts led to the founding of Street Dance Activism, a global platform that merges online and in-person activism through healing and movement. Her social impact work extends across the entertainment industry, with collaborations that include Common, Dominique Fishback, Lalah Hathaway, and Esperanza Spalding. Dr. Bell’s dedication to leveraging art for social change continues to inspire students, activists, and artists worldwide, reimagining the possibilities of dance as a tool for liberation. Learn more about Dr. Shamell Bell.
