Two Blistering Solos Raise the Stakes at Live Artery
In a recent article in the New York Times, writer Gia Kourlas reviews the 2025 Live Artery contemporary dance festival. Kourlas highlights dances by Symara Sarai and Leslie Cuyjet as outstanding performances of note at the festival.
Leslie Cuyjet’s solo performance was a deeply personal work that examines the intersections of Black life, death, and the life insurance industry, weaving historical context with Cuyjet’s family history. Inspired by her great-grandfather, who was the president of a Black-owned life insurance company, the piece is both an exploration of lineage and a critique of corporate America’s moral complexities.
The solo, previously showcased at the Chocolate Factory Theater in Queens and now performed at the Center for Performance Research in Brooklyn, integrates film and live performance. The film, directed by Daniele Sarti, delves into the grim history of the life insurance industry, including its exploitation of enslaved lives in the 19th century. In various cinematic vignettes, Cuyjet embodies an insurance saleswoman, a seminar leader, a home shopping host, and even clones buried in brown paper bags, reflecting the darker truths behind the industry’s façade.
Through her work, Cuyjet raises profound questions: How is art valued? How is life valued? Her ability to merge dance and narrative elevates her solo into a thought-provoking meditation on these themes. By contrasting her intentional gestures with moments of dramatic intensity, she creates a performance that lingers in the mind, blurring the lines between performer and storyteller. With For All Your Life, Leslie Cuyjet continues to establish herself as a powerful voice in contemporary dance, weaving her personal history into a universal narrative that challenges and inspires.
Read the full article in the New York Times: Two Blistering Solos Raise the Stakes at Live Artery.