[Quintrail Davis by George Gomez]

If you’ve been lucky enough to attend one of Flux Projects‘ Up Right Atlanta performances at Ponce City Market, then you’ve seen 18-year-old dancer Quintrail Davis in action.

Part of Dance 411, an Atlanta-based dance troupe in Grant Park, Quintrail was among hundreds who auditioned at Spelman College for acclaimed performance artist, sculptor and choreographer Nick Cave and Atlanta’s own T. Lang, founder and artistic director of T. Lang Dance Company. Cave worked with T. Lang to develop Up Right Atlanta and members of her Company perform in the piece as well.

“Every dancer in the show is from Atlanta!” beamed Lang, during the show’s rehearsal. “It’s so exciting, I love it,” she continued, her voice echoing through the cavernous future home of the PCM Food Hall.

For Quintrail, the audition process was a quick one. “I auditioned and found out I made it three days later. I was really, really excited!”

The moving piece is frenetic and moody, taking viewers on a journey ending in a reflective and deeply moving place. After a high energy color explosion, the stage is cleared, the energy changes and several young, Black men take the stage.

[“The Drum Major” Rikki McKinney by Kristy Gomez]

“We come in in our street clothes,” Quintrail explained. “Taking them off is about us becoming vulnerable and raw.” After removing their street clothes, they sit down in that vulnerability and are joined by the other dancers.

“(The SoundSuits) are our emotions. Once you lay yourself bare, you can begin dealing with those emotions,” Quintrail continued. “Each piece of the suit is love, or hate, or entitlement, or joy, all your emotions. We sit down, feel those emotions, and then we stand up right… and we’re taller.”

We’ve been waiting to see this installation since it was called “Resurrection,” [Read “Flux Projects + Nick Cave’s “Resurrection”] and were certainly not disappointed.

Congratulations to Nick Cave, T. Lang, Anne Archer Dennington and the whole Flux family! Stay tuned for more images and video soon!