“There were huge moments of self-reflection, self-destruction, discovery, and perspective. It was important for me to write—to give a platform for these experiences, memories, and existential ideas.” SHAMEL PITTS HAS COME back to America to be, in his words, part of the conversation. The performance artist and dancer, who grew up in Brooklyn, spent seven years in Israel as a company member of the country’s highly regarded Batsheva Dance Company, and his return to our shores could not be more timely. In January he premiered a solo show, Black Box, in which he combines visual arts, contemporary dance, and avant-garde expressionism to interrogate his own identity.
“It is a very challenging and heated time to return to the United States with Trump as president, and with the country more divided…
