Tap, percussive dance, samba, house, and original live music come together in I Didn’t Come to Stay, an evening-length work from New York City-based Music From The Sole. Commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim in 2020, the piece was first supported through a pioneering bubble residency in summer 2020. In this work, Brazilian tap dancer and choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and bassist/composer Gregory Richardson lead eight dancers and a five-piece band in a performance that explores tap’s lineage and connections to other Afro-Diasporic forms. Conceived as a Carnival fever dream, I Didn’t Come to Stay embraces shared roots across the diaspora to reflect on what shapes their cultural and artistic identity, and celebrates the joy, depth, and virtuosity of Black dance and music.

The Joyce’s presentation of Music From The Sole is a HARKNESS FIRST Joyce Theater debut, generously supported by The Harkness Foundation for Dance.

Commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim, I Didn’t Come to Stay was created with the support of a summer 2020 Works & Process bubble residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park. This culminated in preview performances that were among the first outdoor performances permitted by New York State. I Didn’t Come to Stay was featured in a Works & Process at Lincoln Center video performance and received a Works & Process LaunchPAD “Process as Destination” residency at Catskill Mountain Foundation (2022), with additional residency support by The Yard, Jacob’s Pillow, and Chelsea Factory. I Didn’t Come to Stay is a National Dance Project Production Grantee.

Photo: Titus Ogilvie-Laing