Shakia “The Key” Barron is a creative force to be reckoned with. A choreographer who specializes in hip-hop and house (and oftentimes, a blend of the two), Barron visited Colgate University to share her vision and innovation with the community.
The Colgate Arts Council and the theater department sponsored the programming, which included a screening and panel on Tuesday, April 8, as well as several master classes throughout the week that gave students the chance to work with Barron in the studio.
At the screening, Sarah Jacobs, a lecturer in theater who teaches many of Colgate’s dance courses — in which many of the audience members are enrolled — identified Barron and the other panelists. Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Dominique Hill, Visiting Assistant Professor of Educational Studies Camilla J. Bell-Ferdinand and Administrative Coordinator of Student Engagement Taylor King Crocker, who advises Colgate’s student-run dance groups, constituted the rest of the panel.
“Barron is a very busy, in-demand artist and educator,” Jacobs said. “Any contemporary dance that is happening in America right now is influenced by Black aesthetics. It is in the fabric of what you are doing and how you exist in the world.”
King Crocker proceeded to introduce Barron, quoting from her website.
“She is a choreographer, performer and dance educator whose work is rooted in the African diaspora, focusing on hip-hop, house and other African diasporic dance forms. She is the class of 1929 Dr. Virginia Apgar assistant professor of dance at Mount Holyoke College and artistic director of her own project-based dance company, Kia the Key & Company,” King Crocker said. “Barron values and aims to create possibilities for embodied connection using movement and music to generate kinesthetic empathy for both members and guests of the cultural forms she practices and teaches.”
Barron emerged as a choreographer at the Bates Dance Festival when she was just 15 years old, but she has recently launched into a flurry of activity. Colgate’s screening featured Barron’s original choreography, titled “Genesis,” which launched her dance company, Kia the Key & Company.
“‘Genesis’ premiered September 2022, platforming Barron’s artistic values of collaboration and community as a means to generate possibilities for embodied connection between performers and audience members, investing in the generation of kinesthetic empathy,” Barron’s website reads.
“Genesis” is not just a dance; it’s an experience. Set to a compilation of songs by artists like Missy Elliot (Barron also shared a story of meeting Elliot, who Barron calls a big inspiration to her work), each song with a resounding beat that informs the movement, “Genesis” plays with levels, formations, isolations and even genre, while the audience looks on from all sides.
“The blend of the movement that you see not only comes from me, but the dancers. I think that’s the most important part — that the dancers bring their own personal background to the forefront,” Barron said after the audience watched a video of the performance. “It’s highlighting them.”
During the panel, Barron discussed the importance and inspiration behind her work.
“When I get opportunities to be my creative self and put the movement on individuals, that’s what I love,” Barron said. “It drives me.”
But really, her interest lies in the connection between dancers. In fact, she often spends the first few rehearsals giving herself and her dancers time to get to know each other.
“We have to cultivate that [connection] in order for it to come alive on stage,” Barron said.
Barron’s visit to Colgate reflects the growing spirit of dance on campus and reminds us of the rich history and evolution of dance throughout the nation. Her work is a shining example of the profound potential we can tap into through courage and creativity in an ever-changing artistic landscape.
