I’ll Never Be Beyoncé

Juxtaposing Beyoncé's pro-Black lyrics with stories of my anti-Black adolescence, I'll Never Be Beyoncé uses monologue and movement to both process my childhood memories of insecurity and self-hatred and celebrate the confidence and self-love I now feel as an adult. The choreography pulls from the dance vocabularies at the center of my research - Black vernacular forms with origins in queer communities and/or the South, including Vogue Femme, waacking/punking, twerking, and J-Sette/bucking (these forms happen to be very prevalent in Beyoncé's performances as well). A little bit sad, a little bit sexy, a whole lot of fun, and very cathartic, it is my hope that through this piece, the audience laughs and feels the excitement of a large concert event, but also becomes aware of the ways in which we are all complicit in how young Black girls in this country learn to either love or hate themselves.

Press

The entire performance saw Barbier moving fluidly all over the stage, at times climbing a ladder or bending backwards off of a chair, all while recounting stories from her own life that revolved around her contending with her own internalized anti-Blackness… a powerful study of movement and identity and her own personal journey towards self-love.

- Serenity Stanton Orengo for Smile Politely

Credits

Performer Alexandra Barbier. Understudy Jordyn Gibson. Costume Coordinators Carlee Ihde and Taylor Pfenning. Lighting Designer Robert Kaylor. Sound Designers Aiden Gardner and Jack Pondelicek. Stage Manager Jessica Redding. Text Alexandra Barbier Music “Get Me Bodied,” “Drunk in Love,” “Formation,” “Brown Skin Girl,” “Cozy,” “Welcome,” “Flawless,” “I Been On” (excerpts) all by Beyoncé.