I AM
Camille A. Brown & Dancers
In 2027, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels™ is supporting The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi for the presentation of I AM by Camille A. Brown.
A love letter to Black joy expressed through the body and written in the diasporic languages of West African, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Social, Street, and Hip-Hop dance.
Choreographer and director Camille A. Brown returns to The Arts Center with a work that celebrates and recontextualizes African American culture—its profundity, complexity, and brilliance—while paying homage to its diasporic DNA in her newest piece: I AM. In I AM, Brown choreographs the spectrum of humanity, transporting audiences to the playground, the street, “da club,” and the church, where dancers physicalize the experience of “speaking in tongues.”
I AM is a music concert that nixes the headliner and places its powerhouse dancers in the spotlight. The score blends original compositions with reinterpreted R&B hits from the ‘90s by artists like Lil’ Kim, Busta Rhymes, Method Man, and Mary J. Blige. These tracks are transformed for classical violin and juxtaposed with the percussion of drums and piano, creating a soundscape that is both evocative and hauntingly reverent. The audience is invited into a nostalgic game of “name that tune,” while the interpretations subvert musical hierarchies and challenge the prescribed rules of “high art.” This cognitive dissonance engages listeners on multiple levels. Brown’s nods to cultural traditions like: HBCU drumlines and majorettes, the smooth moves of R&B singing groups like Gladys Knight and the Pips or TLC, and iconic music videos like Busta’s “Keep Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” is a sweet homage Black creative expression.
Camille A. Brown
In 2027, Dance Reflections is supporting the Art's Center at NYU Abu Dhabi for the presentation of I AM by Camille A. Brown.
About the partner
The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
In 2026, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels continues its commitment to transmission and education by organizing, in collaboration with The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, a workshop around the work of Nacera Belaza. Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is also supporting The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi for the presentation of three shows during the 2026-2027 season.
