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Unbound: A Mother’s Love

A dance performance inspired by Toni Morrison's Beloved for Banned Books Week

Join the Library and students and faculty from the University of Oklahoma School of Dance for a special performance for Banned Books Week.

Unbound: A Mother’s Love is the first dance work in a series inspired by banned books. Choreographed by Brandye Lee, a native Washingtonian and Assistant Professor of Ballet at the University of Oklahoma, the work draws inspiration from the themes and characters of Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Set to a compelling score by acclaimed Broadway and film composer Kathryn Bostic, whose music for Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am helped illuminate Morrison’s life and legacy, Unbound responds to the novel's emotional landscape rather than retelling its story, examining the ways love can sustain, haunt, and transform us across generations.

Performed by a small cast of University of Oklahoma Dance BFA students, the work intimately explores memory, freedom, protection, and resolve. Through movement, music, and imagery, the piece invites audiences to consider the legacies we carry and the stories that continue to shape us. The performance honors Morrison’s enduring influence while affirming the power of storytelling to spark dialogue and reflection. Following each performance (approximately 25 minutes), audiences are invited to participate in a 20-minute Q&A with the artists. Presented during Banned Books Week and co-hosted by DC Public Library, Unbound: A Mother’s Love is free and open to the public.

For the 1 p.m. performance, we extend a special invitation to DC high school students. 

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