My work is tingly, surprising, inviting, makes your cheeks and belly hurt. It tastes like rosewater candy and Egyptian food. It is fast-paced with colorful bodies moving in new spaces.
I make art because of that sparkly feeling I get when creating, and because of the comfort and joy of collaborators imagining together. I invite you – come into this shared experience, immerse yourself in complex questions, be illuminated by diverse perspectives. Art is culture shift, personal reflection, and community-building. Those are the delicious ingredients that lead to positive change.
My bi-racial family is the foundation for my artistic self: Nubian-Egyptian and Muslim on my mothers side with traditional and rebellious values, and European-American on my father’s side with global and progressive values. I am inspired by my daily experiences, from the mundane intrigue of awkward movement workshops, to the exceptional occurrence of living first-hand through the Arab Spring.
My multiple unique identities mean I don’t often “see myself” onstage. But I do not need a Nubian-American Muslim (etc etc) woman onstage to feel represented. I need to see fellow mixed folks, women of color, people with intersectional identities who are all exploring who they are and reconciling their place in the world. And so: that is what I write.
Nabra Nelson 