THE BEAT

The Beat is an original dance-theater work created, written, and choreographed by Kamal Sinclair, developed in collaboration with playwright Robbie McCauley and poet Mustafa Shakir. At its heart, it is an ancient story of the naïve's journey into knowledge, following a young man called the Wayfarer through the Valley of the Beat, a mythic space every master of music has traversed.

The show is a fusion of spoken word and dance in its many forms, featuring a cast of renaissance men and women whose musical journey showcases their many talents. Much of the dialogue is delivered in the form of rap or spoken-word poetry, while the stage is animated by tap, modern, African, hip-hop dance, live band, beat-boxing, and Afro-Haitian ritual movement. The show's philosophy is that truth is too big for any one perspective to encompass, which is brought to life in this show as a celebration of music's power as a force for unity and spiritual transcendence.

Critically, the show earned praise from outlets including the Village Voice, Time Out New York, The New Yorker, and others, and performed in New York City, Southern Africa, and San Francisco.