kNoname Artist is proud to present the company’s latest evening-length work, The Missing Fruit—WIP. Conceived and choreographed by Roderick George, artistic director, The Missing Fruit explores how the manifestation of racial and public health violence affects Black Americans and other BIPOC communities through an interdisciplinary artistic production rooted in contemporary dance.

First conceptualized during the most recent #BLM protests, The Missing Fruit examines the experiences of BIPOC communities, particularly addressing their struggles to combat oppression and death, financial insecurity, and health vulnerabilities while making space for Black joy to thrive. The creation’s title takes inspiration from Billie Holiday’s 1939 song ‘Strange Fruit,’ which stirred controversy by shining a harsh light on the unrelenting racial and social injustices that took place during the height of the Jim Crow era.

Southern trees bear a strange fruit

Blood on the leaves and blood at the root

Black body swinging in the Southern breeze

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees…

- ‘Strange Fruit,’ Billie Holiday (1939)