dArK oXyGen

Friday, February 20, 2026 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

dArK oXyGen is a sonic dance exploring choreographies of breath. The title refers to the recent discovery of oxygen production in the deep ocean where no sunlight can reach (thus photosynthesis cannot take place). Playing with the possibility that entering darkness is a generative process, the performance is further inspired by ocean cosmologies from the Global South, memories from mayfield brooks’ childhood of singing Black gospel music, and dances that rely on breath to move the body and the voice. The work takes place as an immersive experience, bringing audiences into a sense of depth and submersion to explore the way light and dark, life and death, are always entwined. It is an exorcism of the machines that mine our minds, the machines that disconnect us from the depths of our own psyches, and how that disconnection might be connected to the machines that mine our deep-sea ocean ecosystems. Made in concert with the movement to permanently ban deep sea mining, brooks further invites audiences to immerse themselves in a dance installation that conjures breath and breathlessness as spiritual and eco-conscious awakening. Are we listening when the ocean whispers our ancestors' names? Can we catch our breath and catch the spirit collectively in these trying times?

Choreographer: mayfield brooks
Performers: camilo, Dorothy Carlos (electric cellist)
Lighting Design: Tuçe Yasak
Sound Design: James Kogan
Set Designer: camilo
Production Design: Chelsie McPhilimy, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Dance

mayfield brooks is the 2025–2026 CFA Artist in Residence. The development of dArK oXyGen has been supported by Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts, a Pillow Lab Residency at Jacob’s Pillow, and a performance residency at The Church Sag Harbor.