Moved By the Spirit: Southern Black Women, Spiritual Traditions, & the Ritual of Movement

Visual Arts Implementation Grant Recipient

Moved by the Spirit is an interdisciplinary performance & research project exploring how Southern Black women carry spiritual knowledge, cultural memory, & matrilieal tradition through the body. Rooted in Southern Black spiritual practices including praise traditions, rootwork, & Black Catholicism, the project positions the body as a living archive. Gesture is ritual & remembrance. Developed through movement exploration, presentation will be through choreographic & written responses, archival collection, & community-centered movement labs. The work transforms embodied practices into communal experiences. Movement preserves histories, beliefs, & collective memory across generations amongst Southern Black women & the broader African diaspora.