Research + Development Grant, $1500
Celeste Mercadel: Moved by the Spirit: Southern Black Women, Spiritual Traditions, and the Ritual of Movement
Moved by the Spirit is a dance and research project exploring how Southern Black women express spirituality through movement. Blending archival study, community storytelling, and performance, the project traces connections between Black Christianity, Hoodoo/rootwork, and embodied ritual. Through community workshops, performance installations, and literary reflections, it uplifts spiritual gestures as sacred memory and cultural survival. Drawing from personal experience, historical research, and collective practice, the project celebrates Black women’s sacred labor and the body as a living archive. Led by Celeste Mercadel, the work will culminate in a publication, archival exhibition, and site-specific performances across New Orleans.