Cherish Menzo

Hip-hop, science fiction and speculative futures: a powerful and enigmatic performance on body and identity.

In DARKMATTER, choreographer and performer Cherish Menzo explores transformation, representation and perception through movement, sound and visual metaphor. Two dancers ceremonially cover their bodies in a dark liquid. A sudden blackout interrupts the scene. A face appears briefly—then vanishes. Time unfolds in fits and starts, and identity dissolves into flickering presence.
Taking its title from a concept in astrophysics, where “dark matter” refers to what cannot be seen yet has mass, DARKMATTER interrogates how Black bodies are portrayed in visual culture, shaped by dominant narratives and inherited stereotypes.
Inspired by the hip-hop remix technique known as “chopped and screwed,” the performance uses distortion, deceleration and dissonance as precise choreographic tools. The goal: to create new images of the body, beyond the prejudices and clichés of everyday life.