about dem
NOVA CYPRESS BLACK (dey/dem/deirs/they/them/theirs) is a collage of Midwest tranquility, Southern hospitality, & East Coast grit. NOVA writes deir name in all caps as a reminder to take up space as a Black trans non-binary lighthouse. This 2021 Outfest Screenwriting Lab Fellow was a Staff Writer on season 3 of Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q. Dey were also a 2021 Hillman Grad Mentee & deir 1 hour sci-fi pilot BLACKSEED made the 2022 GLAAD List. Most importantly, NOVA pledges allegiance to sweet plantains, never needs an excuse to dance, & wants nothing more than dey want Black liberation.
As a choreopoet, NOVA's investment in the dynamic relationship between movement & verse propels deir kinetic experimentation of a poem’s mobility on the page, in the mouth & throughout the body. NOVA utilizes 15 years of dance training & teaching to compose choreography obsessed with blurring genre, full body listening, honoring gestures of the working class & manifesting liberation. Deir full-length choreopoems include “another goddamn lesbian movie / a chorepoem.” (summer 2017, NYC) and “somewheres: a world-in-progress” (spring 2020, NYC).
NOVA’s commitment to arts education is illustrated through deir freelance teaching artist work with the following organizations, in the areas of creative writing, dance, theater, social justice, & sex education: Ballet After Dark (Virtual); The Shed (NYC); Girl Be Heard (NYC); August Wilson Cultural Center (Pittsburgh, PA); Veteran Affairs Hospital (Pittsburgh, PA) Urban Arts Partnership (NYC); The Poetry Society of America (NYC); Sadie Nash Leadership Project (NYC); Dancewave (NYC); New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Newark, NJ); & Big Brothers Big Sisters (NYC).
photo by J.Weary
represented by:
Circle of Confusion -- Lawrence Mattis & Casey Minella
UTA -- Alyssa Lanzy, Ava Myint, & Faith Brown