Artist Statement

Vie Boheme is a multimodal artist; a singer, dancer, actress, poet, choreographer and a writer. She designs theatrical performance experiences that weave all of these mediums. She brings athletic agility to vocal performance by singing and dancing in unison, eliminating the boundary between the visual and audio experience. She also weaves sentiment and storytelling through poetry and monologues. Each performance piece is designed to give a glimpse into the sometimes dark and complex emotional spaces people experience that seem elusive and ever present.

When growing up in Southfield and going to church in Detroit sometimes 5 days per week, I was steeped in the rich cultural heritage of the Black church. The experience of music in church seared itself into my spirit. I didn't know then but those experiences would define my approach to performance and my creative process. The Black Church Musical Experience (BCME) typically follows the format: Sing, scat/speak in tongues, dance. Not always in that order but always flowing from one form of expression to another. When creating my performance experiences, they happen in a similar way: sing, dance, poem, monologue repeat.

My dance work is inspired by Camille A. Brown's nuanced and abstract storytelling through gesture and the dynamic athleticism of Darrell Grand Moultrie which feels like a quintessential expression of the American spirit, vibrant, sharp and free. These are two African American choreographers I've worked with who's influences serve as a compass for the world my movement lives in.

Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Davis, Erykah Badu and India Arie are some of the musical artists who have inspired my work. Each of them have drastically different backgrounds and one thing in common, they are all African American women who were born and raised in the US. What a specific experience. Even though they are all stylistically so different, they all have a certain potency of performance, insistence on clarity of style, superb delivery and quality of performance that feels distinctly like an African American expression. I see myself among them.

The writings of Angela Davis have been a guide to removing the context of dominant culture from historical events. Giving way to the more likely experiences Black women have been having since we are not members of dominant culture.

My work is acknowledgement and expression of the experiences of African American women. Multilayered, interwoven, shining light filtered through many cultural layers.

This image appears courtesy of Lois Greenfield Photography.  For more on her work visit: www.loisgreenfield.com