The St. Louis Black Repertory Company is bringing a powerful fusion of movement, music, and poetry to the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center this weekend by way of a legendary force in dance. On November 21 and 22, the Dianne McIntyre Group will present “In the Same Tongue” as part of The Black Rep’s 49th Season Phoenix Rising Performance Series.
A trailblazer in modern dance and a longtime collaborator with avant-garde jazz greats, McIntyre’s latest work is a sweeping exploration of communication—how we speak through our bodies, our music, our histories. With a live jazz ensemble, a dynamic company of dancers from across the country, and four local performers, In the Same Tongue is a celebration of artistic expression rooted in the Black experience.
Launched in 2022, The Black Rep’s Phoenix Rising Performance Series honors the company’s original name and its founding mission: to present dance, music, and theater that showcases the power, beauty, and strength of African Americans through the lens of the Black experience.
The upcoming production features a score by acclaimed composer Diedre Murray and poetry by the late Obie Award-winning playwright Ntozake Shange, whose early years were shaped in St. Louis. The collaboration is a poignant homecoming of sorts—an intergenerational dialogue between Black women artists whose work has shaped the cultural landscape.
“Bringing Dianne back to St. Louis has been on my wish list,” said Ron Himes, Founder and Producing Director of The Black Rep. “Our audiences are in for a very special evening of music and dance that should not be missed.”
McIntyre’s relationship with St. Louis runs deep. Nearly two decades ago, she was commissioned to translate the words of Maya Angelou—another daughter of St. Louis—into movement. That experience, she says, was transformative.
“I could feel the dance in her words because she was a dancer to her heart,” McIntyre recalled. “Her poetry gave me a very strong foundation to move forward with.”
Their connection deepened in 2008 when McIntyre met Angelou in person. “I didn’t know what I was going to talk about,” she said. “But she went right into dance. Being with her just took her back to that part of her life.”
Angelou, who once danced professionally as a duo with an emerging male dancer. His name was Alvin Ailey. Angelou had to step away from the stage due to knee issues. But her love for dance never waned—it simply found new life in her writing. In 2016, McIntyre honored that legacy by choreographing When We Come to It, inspired by Angelou’s poem “A Brave and Startling Truth.”
“She had these very strong images of nature—some of devastation, some of uplift,” McIntyre said. “All of them are easily translatable to movement.”
That same spirit of transformation and cultural reverence pulses through “In the Same Tongue.” It’s a work that speaks to the soul, inviting audiences to reflect on the ways we connect, express, and inspire.
“No matter what the cultural or ethnic background of the audience is, I hope that they can take a lot of pride in seeing people who have come up through the soil in St. Louis,” McIntyre said. “Maybe they will see the piece and say, ‘These dancers are doing this, these artists did that—and tomorrow I’m going to do my thing.’”
The Black Rep’s presentation of the Dianne McIntyre Group’s ‘In the Same Tongue’ will take place Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22 at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, 210 E. Monroe, Kirkwood, 63122. For tickets and more information, visit theblackrep.org.
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
