About
It all started when Orlando Zane Hunter Jr. and Ricarrdo Valentine crossed paths in June 2013 during the audition for Urban Bush Women (UBW) auditions at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). That year, UBW was specifically seeking male dancers, and by chance, Orlando and Ricarrdo found themselves as the final two candidates standing in the room. But fate had a different plan, as neither of them secured the role that day. Yet, this seemingly missed opportunity became the seed for something greater.
Fast forward to April 9, 2014, in the heart of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. In the intimacy of their shared living room, Brother(hood) Dance! was born. Together, Orlando and Ricarrdo embarked on their first journey of creation, soon debuting a full-length performance at the Five Myles gallery. That initial performance set the tone for Brother(hood) Dance!’s future, planting roots that would spread, eventually leading them to Columbus, Ohio. There, they cultivate not only their artistry but also their community’s well-being through the Growing Hearts & Hands Community Garden—a testament to their vision of interconnectedness between dance, land, and people.
Brother(hood) Dance! is a 2020 Bessies Honoree of the NY Dance and Performance Awards, The Bessies for Afro/Solo/Man, and MFA in Dance graduates from The Ohio State University. An interdisciplinary duo that seeks to inform its audiences on the socio-political and environmental injustices from a global perspective, bringing clarity to the same-gender-loving African-American experience in the 21st century. Brother(hood) Dance! was formed in April 2014 as a duo that researches, creates, and performs dances of freedom by Orlando Zane Hunter, Jr. and Ricarrdo Valentine. We have performed our works at FiveMyles, Center for Performance Research, B.A.A.D! (Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance), VCU-The Grace Street Theater, DraftWork at St. Mark's Church, JACK, Movement Research at Judson Church, Colby College, Denmark Arts Center, Universidad de las Américas Puebla/Performatíca(MX), Escuela Profesional de Danza de Mazatlán/Viso Festival (MX), Jean-Rene Delsolins Institute (HT) and other venues.
