Conceived and Written by James Vesce

Directed by James Vesce
Choreography by Donell Stines
Musical Direction by James Vesce
Lighting Design: Jonathan Dillard
Costume Design: Elizabeth Thomas
Sound Design: James Vesce
Video Design: Jay Morong

The Actor's Playhouse, NYC

ReQuiem for New0rleans features elements of the traditional Requiem Mass for the Dead (several classical works are sampled) and the New Orleans jazz funeral service fused with hip hop music and dance, spoken word, a live DJ, and video design. The piece recalls the events immediately before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina.

ReQuiem for New0rleans was first performed by students in the UNC Charlotte Dance & Theatre Department's Hip Hop Theater lab class. The hip hop theater class is among the first of its kind in an American university. While hip hop is present on many college campuses as a historical and cultural study or as dance instruction, and even as hip hop theater remains a growing phenomenon, this course is among the first to integrate the study of dance and theater principles with the tenets of hip hop performance into a dance and theatre cirriculum.

In August 2006 ReQuiem received its NYC debut as part of the 10th annual New York International Fringe Festival.