The unforgettable self-portrait of a life lived in motion, told through a vibrant collage of evocative archival imagery, propulsive sound and embodied storytelling
Celebrated dance-theater artist David Roussève marks the 40th anniversary of his company REALITY with his most intimate work yet. Part autobiography and part retrospective, Becoming Daddy AF is the unforgettable self-portrait of a life lived in motion. With grit and wild humor, Roussève weaves generational tales to trace lineages of ancestry, artistry and cunning in his first-hand telling of the life of a queer, African American man born in the 1950s and the histories his body holds. Through a vibrant collage of evocative archival imagery, propulsive sound, fluid gestural movement and powerfully embodied storytelling, Becoming Daddy AF charts 600 years of family genealogy with four decades of unforgettable dancemaking from the man The Washington Post described as “one of modern dance’s great stage personalities.”
As Roussève journeys across decades and continents—from ancestral roots in Portugal in the 1400s to downtown dance venues in the 1980s, from Houston’s third Ward to the halls of Princeton, from heart-stopping first glances to heart-rending loss—his exuberant and expressive dancing conveys the knowledge of his sixty-plus years while offering an unflinching vulnerability. Becoming Daddy AF invokes the joy, humor, messiness and beauty of lives forged in survival to conjure a heartfelt tribute to the transformational power of love, and to those who bravely, relentlessly seek it.
Photo Credit: Rachel Keane
Community Events:
Base:
David Roussève Film Night
Monday, November 9 | 7pm
Base: Experimental Arts + Space | 6520 5th Avenue South #122 Seattle, WA 98108
In this intimate evening, David joins us to share four of his most noteworthy films, including Pull Your Head to the Moon: Stories of Creole Women (1992), Bittersweet (2005), Chili Pepper (2011) and Two Seconds After Laughter (2013). Featuring performances by celebrated dancer/performers including Sondra Loring, Renee Redding-Jones, Julie Tolentino, Charmaine Warren, taisha paggett, Sri Susilowati and more, these works weave movement, text, gesture and image to probe identity, race, queerness, and resilience in ways that resonate across generations.
Presented in conjunction with the upcoming performances of Becoming Daddy AF, this program offers those who are new to David Roussève's work a chance to encounter the power of his craft, his storytelling, and his breadth of emotional impact, prior to the presentation of his live multidisciplinary retrospective, and to meet the artist through lively conversation and powerful film.
Velocity x Rituals:
David Roussève: Speaking and Dancing, A Composition Workshop
Thursday, November 10 | 9:30-11:30am
INT/PRO | Kerry Hall
This masterclass will investigate the compositional possibilities contained in combining text and movement, by exploring the choreographic techniques used by David Roussève in creating his new dance/theater solo Becoming Daddy AF.
Becoming Daddy AF is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project.
The presentation at On the Boards is supported in part by Creative West which receives support in part from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
About the Artist
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Written, Directed, Choreographed and Performed by David Roussève
Charlotte Brathwaite | Dramaturgy
Meena Murugesan | Video design
d. Sabela grimes | Sound design
Christopher Kuhl | Lighting design
Leah Piehl | Costume design
Julie Tolentino | Early-stage dramaturgy
Christopher Kuhl | Technical direction
Padra Crisafulli | Sound and video engineering
Leanne Iacovetta Poirier | Company management
Gurmukhi Bevli and Harper Justus | Additional production support
George Lugg | Management and producorial support
Becoming Daddy AF
December 10-12, 2026
Thursday, December 10 | 7:30pm
Friday, December 11 | 7:30pm¹
Saturday, December 12 | 7:30pm
Masked seating available for all shows
¹ Post-show Talkback