Dapline!

“Dapline! is an evening-length choreographic work with 6-8 male performers stemming from the collaboration between André M. Zachery and visual artist LaMont Hamilton. This project looks at the origins and continued practice of “the DAP” or dapping; the intricate handshakes that serve as greetings usually between Black men in the United States. Developed by Black combat troops during the Vietnam War, giving dap was actually an acronym for dignity and pride. Currently, dapping is associated with urban Black youth and has been co-opted into popular culture, gang culture, and even professional sport culture through mass media marketing. The intention of this project is to show how at the root of dapping, there is a constant response of intimate understanding and connection in the face of oppression. We are looking at dapping as an inter-generational practice that is often misunderstood from the outside in, and for this performance to serve as an invitation to witness the subtle and unspoken conversations between Black men in our country. This performance seeks to be a public engagement opportunity over the ever-relevant issue of Black existence in the United States relating to masculinity and image.