Choreographer Shamel Pitts Premieres Ambitious New Dance Work at Ann Arbor Venue

Director Shamel Pitts will present his largest work to date, "Marks of RED," at the Power Center in Ann Arbor on October 3rd, marking his first major production in which he does not perform himself. The performance features six women of color and draws inspiration from concepts including butoh dance, sumo wrestling, techno music, and the womb as a symbol of origin and feminine divinity. Pitts, who trained in ballet and modern dance at LaGuardia High School, collaborated with six designers to create a work exploring Black embodiment, femininity, and relational oneness.

Pitts' artistic practice builds on a foundation established during childhood, when informal dance experiences within his family's social gatherings shaped his understanding of movement as a communal activity. His formal training at LaGuardia provided technical grounding in classical and contemporary forms, which he has since synthesized with diverse influences ranging from Japanese butoh to Japanese sumo wrestling aesthetics and electronic music cultures. This multidisciplinary approach allows him to explore how bodies communicate meaning across different cultural and artistic traditions.

The production represents a significant evolution in Pitts' creative role. By stepping away from performing to focus on directorial work, he has assembled a collaborative team of twelve creative professionals—six dancers and six designers—each bringing distinct experience and perspective. His deliberate selection of performers with varied dance backgrounds suggests an intentional strategy to create visual and kinetic complexity through diversity rather than uniformity.