Alina (LIFTS THE) Box: We’ve been wrapping up our Sputter (SHRINKS THE) Box project, but we have not stopped listening to new music! This week I have been checking out music by Brian Raphael Nabors. I am moved his piece, “We Wear the Mask,” using the title and poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The media has a constant stream of mask content as we try to stay safe during the pandemic. The mask in this poetry is about a different type of “protection.” In Dunbar’s poetry, the smile is a mask, a facade. It conceals pain and suffering, mollifying white oppressors. Nabors has set this poetry with such intention and beauty, opposing kind smiles with their troublesome meaning. In addition to the music, “We Wear the Mask” highlights the poetry through choreography with a single dancer. This piece was written for Castle of our Skins for their 2019 I AM A MAN Celebration. Listen to more music by Nabors by following the link to his website.
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box - Brian Raphael Nabors