David Roussève/REALITY: Becoming Daddy AF
KST Presents
Friday & Saturday, September 26^ – 27*, 2025
7:30pm – 9:10pm
Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $20 – $35
Celebrated dance-theater artist David Roussève returns to KST with the world premiere of Becoming Daddy AF, his first full-length solo in over 20 years. This intimate performance is a powerful meditation on life’s purpose, blending 600 years of ancestral genealogy, from France, Portugal, Germany, Mali, Senegal, Haiti, and Cuba, with Roussève’s journey living with HIV and the profound loss of his husband of 26 years. Revisiting 35 years of dance-making, Roussève explores what “virtuosity” means for a 64-year-old body.
Becoming Daddy AF is a moving portrait of a queer African American man defying death while struggling to embrace the fullness of life, an extraordinary fusion of personal storytelling, choreography, and emotional resonance.
^The Pittsburgh Queer History Project’s exhibition Calendar Girls in the House of Tilden opens in KST’s lobby on Friday, September 26, 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Arrive early to take a look!
*with post-show discussion
Photo Credit: Ryan Harper
Context Warning:
Becoming Daddy AF includes references to realities of racism, violence, sexual assault, enslavement, and suicide.
Becoming Daddy AF is a truthful, first-hand telling that charts the life of an African American man born in the U.S. in 1959—and the histories his body holds. Roussève notes, “I named my company REALITY, because my work does not shy away from portraying “reality” in all its grit, joy, humor, messiness, beauty, ugliness, hope, and celebration. At its core, Becoming Daddy AF is an homage to ‘love’ and the realities of those who bravely and relentlessly seek it out.”
KST’s presentation of Becoming Daddy AF is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts; the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation; and the National Performance Network (NPN) Artist Engagement Fund.
Becoming Daddy AF is a National Performance Network Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, National Center for Choreography Akron, and MASS MoCA with Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Becoming Daddy AF was created with support from Danspace Project, UCLA’s Chancellor’s Research Fund and The Chancellor’s Arts Initiative. Becoming Daddy AF is made possible with generous support from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, and a MAP Fund creation grant.
To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov. More information: www.npnweb.org
AND DON’T MISS…
Citizens Community Dinner
with David Roussève/REALITY
Monday, September 15, 2025
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25
Kinetic Conversations
with David Roussève/REALITY
Saturday, September 20, 2025
3:00pm – 6:00pm
KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave
Pay What Moves You: $10 – $25
Pittsburgh Queer History Project
Calendar Girls In the House of Tilden
Friday, September 26 – January 10, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, September 26, 2025
5:30pm – 7:30pm
Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $20
- ABOUT THE ARTISTS
- CREDITS
David Roussève, is a choreographer/writer/director/performer, magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and a Guggenheim Fellow. He is known for his dynamic, socially conscious dance/theater that uniquely blends contemporary dance, theater, and multimedia elements to create immersive and thought-provoking performances. His work draws inspiration from the stories of marginalized communities, as it explores complex themes related to identity, social justice, and human connection. Roussève founded the dance/theater company David Roussève/REALITY in 1988 in New York, and REALITY has since toured throughout the US, Europe, Great Britain and South America.
Julie Tolentino is an interdisciplinary artist working in durational performance, installation, scent, and text. Their work has been exhibited at the Whitney Biennial, The Kitchen, and the New Museum, as well as internationally. Collaborations include projects with Kia LaBeija, Cynthia Madansky, and the HIV Doula Collective. Founder of the Clit Club (1990–2002), Tolentino is senior editor of TDR – The Drama Review and earned an MFA from UC Riverside in Experimental Choreography in 2020.
Meena Murugesan (they) is a video and movement artist based in Los Angeles (Tongva-Kizh land), creating experimental, non-linear narratives exploring social issues. Their project Dravidian Futurities investigates casteism, colorism, trance rituals, and the mythic land Kumari Kandam. Meena has designed video for artists like Marjani Forte-Saunders (Bessie Award 2019), Christopher Emile, and D’Lo, with work shown at The Getty, MOCA, The Broad, Jacob’s Pillow, Sophiensaele, and more.
Christopher Kuhl is a lighting, scenic, and installation designer for theater, dance, and opera. His work includes Dog Days, The Object Lesson, The Source, Straight White Men, and Cipher, presented at venues like BAM, REDCAT, The Public Theater, and Centre Pompidou. He has received Bessie, Ovation, Sherwood, Drammy, and Horton awards. Originally from New Mexico, Kuhl is a graduate of CalArts and is known for his bold, immersive visual design.
D. Sabela Grimes is a trans-media storyteller, sonic ARKivist, and movement composer whose work blends sound, movement, and visual art. Rooted in Black vernacular and Hip Hop/Street dance, he created Funkamental MediKinetics, a unique movement system. A faculty member at USC Kaufman, he’s received a Bessie Award, a USA Rockefeller Fellowship, and USC’s Associates Award. Current work includes Parable of Portals with Meena Murugesan, inspired by Octavia Butler’s life and writings.
Written, Created and Performed by David Roussève
Dramaturgy by Charlotte Brathwaite
Video design by Meena Murugesan
Sound design by d. Sabela grimes
Lighting design by Christopher Kuhl
Costume design by Leah Piehl
Technical direction by Christopher Kuhl
Assistant technical direction by Padra Crisafulli
Early-stage dramaturgy by Julie Tolentino
Company management by Leanne Iacovetta Poirier
Additional production support by Harper Justus
Management and producorial support by George Lugg