Alum Adia Tamar Whitaker Co-Curates 'Harriet's Gun' for Dance Mission Theater

MISSION LOCAL (SAN FRANCISCO) -- Whitaker is the only artist who created a new piece for “D.I.R.T.,” a reflection on her 15-year-old self, watching the video of Rodney King’s beating. A multi-disciplinary artist, she tells the story as a brief solo work using songs, recitation, dance and some very sparkly costumes.

Artistic director of the 20-year-old Brooklyn-based dance theater ensemble Àṣẹ Dance Theatre Collective, Whitaker is a San Francisco native who has studied dance throughout Western Europe, Ghana and the African diaspora, with a particular focus on Haitian dance traditions. An award-winning choreographer, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from San Francisco State, and Master of Fine Arts in dance from Hollins University.