Niv Acosta

Niv Acosta

human

Ein sex anaa gender	trans man
Country wey e be citizen	United States
Family name	Acosta
Ein date of birth	May 1988
Place dem born am	Manhattan
Ein occupation	performance artist, choreographer
Educate for	California Institute of the Arts
Residence	New York City, Los Angeles
Work period (start)	2005

Niv Acosta (dem born am for May 1988) be a transgender American dancer, choreographer den artist. Ein project Discotropic be feature insyd de Triennial at de New Museum insyd 2015. Acosta aims to address larger modern concepts through ein work den ein work revolves around race ein performance.

Early life den education

Dem born Acosta insyd de Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan insyd New York City, to a 15 year old single Black Dominican mother. He majore insyd dance at Washington Irving High School under de direction of Leslie Zema. Insyd 2005 den 2006, he attend de Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance as a scholarship student. After graduation, he begin studying dance den choreography at de California Institute of the Arts insyd Los Angeles. Insyd de summer holidays, Acosta attend American Dance Festival at Duke University, where he begin to find ein voice as a choreographer. Between 2009 den 2010, Acosta take​ a break from dance to discover himself, den cam out as transgender, as he begin to understand why e dey feel hard to identify as a female dancer. Acosta begin to choreograph again insyd 2010, den move back for New York soon after.

Career

During ein years at de California Institute of the Arts, he choreographed two denzel pieces, wich draw inspiration from Denzel Washington. After moving back to New York, he begin working on a third one, denzel superstructure. Insyd 2011, Acosta auditioned for Fresh Tracks at New York Live Arts den start working on anoda incarnation of denzel. He becam a resident artist at New York Live Arts by de end of 2011, den present ein first draft of de 5th denzel piece, denzel mini petite Template:Nowrap happymeal. Dis piece be later premier at Brooklyn Arts Exchange insyd March 2012. During summer 2012, Acosta begin developing de final incarnation of de denzel series – i shot denzel. He successfully launch a Kickstarter campaign for de world premiere of i shot denzel for January 30, 2014, den he later comment dat "the exposure from de premiere skyrocketed ein career insyd ways invaluable".

For ein piece Discotropic wey feature insyd de Triennial at de New Museum, Acosta be inspire by de made for TV film dat appear insyd 1978, Star Wars Holiday Special. During de making of de film, donors den actors demand dat a black person be cast insyd de film, so de network CBS cast Diahann Carroll to appear as a hologram. Inspire by dis figure, Acosta lip-synced de words Carroll's character, Mermeia, sang insyd de film. Speaking to Vice Magazine, Acosta says dat through dis reperformance of de piece, he explores sci-fi film plus a "specific focus on Black American experience, den then how I see den rework dat as a queer, trans-identified person insyd de contemporary world."

niv Acosta and Fannie Sosa: Black Power Naps be create insyd 2018 for an exhibition at Matadero Madrid during Madrid Pride. E be remount insyd 2019 for Performance Space New York, win a 2019 Creative Capital Award. De exhibition focused on de "Sleep Gap" between white den racialize people, whereby people of colour dey statistically getting less sleep dan white people. De artists create a venue of soft, luxurious, comfortable spaces where people of colour be invite to enjoy de rest dat be often withhold as privilege. De piece be one of de first works to be covered by Performa Reports, a weekly performance art review from Performa. It be reference as a conceptual influence on Solange's 2019 album When I get Home.

Insyd addition to de 2019 Creative Capital Award, Acosta be a 2017 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation grant awardee.

Concepts

denzel

De denzel series be inspire by Denzel Washington. Acosta dey intereste insyd him as a black male actor insyd mainstream media, den see him as radical den empowering. Acosta's denzel provide context for ein complex male identity.

In my perspective, Denzel is an archetype for black masculinity in media, and how that masculinity is perceived.

— niv Acosta, niv Acosta's World Premiere of "i shot denzel"

"Impossible Bodies"

i have been identifying with the term "impossible bodies". those words feel like they embody what i know is true for me and the people i like to work with. we have felt impossible outside of our safe environments. in the past i have involved my mother, 5 year old brother, my partner, close friends who are movers in a different world, and other artists of color. i feel the term "impossible bodies" is universal and is something everyone can relate to. with "possible bodies" fed to us as ideal, how do we make ourselves feel possible without compromising ourselves? drawing concepts of archetypes from film, musicals, songs, and choreography creates a base for me to begin identifying our self diagnosed impossibilities. from there i feel able to move towards ideas of myself/ourselves that feel empowering.

— niv Acosta, artist statement

Works

• Discotropic, New Museum Triennial, 2015
• The denzel series

1. denzel
2. denzel prelude
3. denzel superstructure, the Community Education Center in Philadelphia, 2010
4. denzel again, New York Live Arts, 2011
5. denzel minipetite b a t h t u b happymeal, Upstart Festival at Brooklyn Arts Exchange, 2012
6. i shot denzel, New York Live Arts, 2014