Get an inside taste of A.R.T. commission High on the Hog with New York Times bestselling author and James Beard Lifetime Achievement winner Dr. Jessica B. Harris, Associate Artistic Director Dayron J. Miles, and movement-based artist Mayté Natalio.
In a conversation moderated by journalist and Harvard Hutchins Center Fellow Charles M. Blow, Dr. Harris will share background and inspirations for her book High on the Hog, and Miles and Natalio will reflect on the discoveries—and questions—that arose during a Faculty-in-Residence at the ArtLab. Audience members are invited to bring a food memory or family recipe to share in conversation.
This event is part of Harvard ArtsThursdays, a university-wide initiative supported by Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA) to provide free access to Harvard’s many arts offerings.
Parking: Please note that ArtLab does not have parking, and area street parking is limited. Rideshare and public transit are recommended.
High on the Hog is based on High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America by Dr. Jessica B. Harris, conceived by A.R.T. Associate Artistic Director Dayron J. Miles, and co-created by Miles and movement-based artist Mayté Natalio, with the aim to engage the audience’s five senses in the history of African American cuisine while centering food in the narrative experience.
The New York Times bestseller High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America by Dr. Jessica B. Harris explores the history of African American cuisine from Africa across the Atlantic. The book celebrates the foods of the African American experience and how each came to form important parts of African American culture, history, and identity. It was previously adapted by Netflix and One Story Up Productions into the series High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Shaped America.
Dayron J. Miles is a theater maker, producer, and cultural strategist whose work bridges artistic expression and civic engagement. He is the Associate Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, where he collaborates with Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus as a key thought-partner to advance A.R.T.’s mission to expand the boundaries of theater and in creating and sustaining the vision for the A.R.T. Miles is also a Lecturer on Theater Dance and Media at Harvard University. His creative practice centers audience and community in the artistic process, with a focus on expansive, equity-driven storytelling. In 2025, he directed Britten’s Noah’s Flood for Boston Lyric Opera, a large-scale community opera that brought together professional artists and more than 100 local performers. He is a 2025 ArtLab at Harvard Faculty-in-Residence. Previously, he was the Founding Director of Public Works Dallas at the Dallas Theater Center, where he developed annual participatory productions that blurred the line between professional and community artistry. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Miles remains committed to collaboration, shared authorship, and the belief that art is most powerful when rooted in collective experience.
MAYTE NATALIO is a Dominican-American movement forward inter-disciplinary artist from New York City. As a choreographer, her Broadway credits include: Suffs, How to Dance in Ohio and for colored who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf (Associate Choreographer). Off-Broadway and regionally, some choreography credits include; Encores! Urinetown (New York City Center), The Winter’s Tale (Public Works/DTC), Measure for Measure (The Public Theater/Mobile Unit), Into the Woods (Barrington Stage), Love in Hate Nation (Two River Theater), Hair (The Old Globe), Kiss My Aztec (Hartford Stage) and The Tattooed Lady (Philadelphia Theater Company). Mayte choreographed the immersive production Another Rose for Virgin Voyages as well as Pyer Moss’s Haute Couture Show for Paris Fashion Week. She also choreographed the 2024 Park Avenue Armory Gala and the 2025 Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Gala. She wrote, directed, and choreographed the digital piece, La Hora Santa for Ars Nova and was an Ars Nova Vision resident, during which she curated and produced 2 solo shows including Tiger Daughter by Charlene Kaye which has been performed nationally and internationally. Mayte has had an extensive career as performer, spanning concert dance, regional theater, Off-Broadway, international tours with pop stars and TV & Film. Most recently, she played the role of Rosie Perez in Hippest Trip – The Soul Train Musical (American Conservatory Theater). Mayte was honored with the 2024 Douglas & Ethel Watt Critz’s Choice Chita Rivera Award.
