Featuring LaTasha Barnes
and Gaby Cook
Members of Swing Out

Moderated by John Rash, Star Tribune

Swing Out is a captivating stage presentation with artists in residence at Northrop in Fall 2020 in anticipation of a Fall 2021 performance. The production celebrates the passion and power of the African-American born dance form—the Lindy Hop, which started in the community of Harlem, but swept the globe. The re-popularization of Swing Dance in the 1990s significantly altered the representation of African-Americans in the art form, while the cultural values held within the dance moved beyond to create a global community. Swing Out brings together a cast of performers who inhabit many roles within the art form; as such it is a model for how people with potentially polarized identities can communicate and collaborate. Swing Out members LaTasha Barnes and Gaby Cook will discuss the artistic process of creating the performance.

The Institute for Advanced Study, Northrop, and the University Honors Program present the 2020-21 Spotlight Series: Polarization and Identities, a series of six events inspired by both the 2020 Presidential Election and the polarization that has appeared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All events will be moderated by John Rash, an editorial writer for the Star Tribune.