The Ritual of Breath is the Rite to Resist

July 19, 2024

A transdisciplinary opera and creative act of resistance. Born from the vibrant collaboration between composer Jonathan Berger, visual artist Enrico Riley and poet/librettist Vievee Francis, the work responds to the murder of Eric Garner and the ongoing theft of Black life at the hands of the State. Music, text, projected visuals, and movement interweave in a story centered on Garner’s daughter, Erica. Uplifted by a 75-person choir of singers and directed by The Flea’s own Niegel Smith, the project gathers us together as co-conspirers to breathe and keep breathing any way we can.

The Ritual of Breath is more than an opera. It is an offering for the city, coinciding with the 10-year commemoration of Garner’s death.

Commissioned by Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth and Stanford Live. Produced by Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth. Associate Produced by The Flea.

FEATURED ARTISTS

Titilayo Ayangade

Trebien Pollard

Neema Bickersteth

Isaiah Robinson

Fung Chern Hwei

Greg Ward

Mikael Darmanie

Bonnie Whiting

CREATIVE TEAM

COMPOSER

VISUAL ARTIST

LIBRETTIST

DIRECTOR

CONDUCTOR

CHOREOGRAPHY

CHOIR DIRECTOR

SCENIC + PROJECTION

LIGHTING

COSTUMES

PROJECTION ASSOCIATE

STAGE MANAGER

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

Jonathan Berger

Enrico Riley

Vievee Francis

Niegel Smith

Kamna Gupta

Neema Bickersteth, Trebien Pollard, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar

Knoelle Higginson

Peter Nigrini

Reza Behjat

Gabriel Berry

Camilla Tassi

Jason Kaiser

Cassey Kivnick