The Power of RED: Shamel Pitts and TRIBE’s Partnership With the Walker and Northrop

A Three-Year Partnership Arc

The world premiere of Marks of RED commemorates the completion of a three-year partnership arc between our three partner organizations. The seed for this extended partnership was planted in January 2023 during the Association of Performing Arts Professionals conference. Philip Bither of the Walker and I both saw TRIBE’s BLACK HOLE at New York Live Arts that year, after we were already in conversation about co-presenting Touch of RED. Philip and I both returned to Minneapolis, on fire with inspiration to bring Shamel’s work to the Twin Cities and convinced that our audiences needed to experience BLACK HOLE. After a short-lived brainstorm about a mini-festival to show both BLACK HOLE and Touch of RED in the same season, we expanded our thinking and our time horizon. Our partnership to co-present and support Shamel’s work has lasted three years, included the presentation of two outstanding existing works and culminates this month with the world premiere of a new work co-commissioned by Northrop and the Walker.

TRIBE’s RED Series

Marks of RED is the fourth installment of Shamel’s RED Series. The series also includes Lake of RED,Touch of RED (seen at Northrop in March 2025) and Solace of RED, a performance art residency incubator which took the form of four artist residencies between 2021 and 2023. As noted in a conversation with Bill T. Jones, Red is also a childhood nickname for Shamel that continues to surface in aspects of his creative identity.

 

Third-Person Inspiration

For much of his life, Shamel Pitts, the founder and artistic director of the collective known as TRIBE, has identified first as a human and second as a dancer. During the seven-year history of the collective, all of the works Shamel has created have also featured him as a performer. Marks of RED will be the first work Shamel creates for a cast that does not include himself.

As he steps off stage for Marks of RED, Shamel is honoring one aspect of the performers’ identities that he does not share: all of them are femme-identified performers. In addition, he has envisioned the scenic environment, once again designed by fellow MacArthur Genius Mimi Lien, as a “womb space.” After an early creative research of Japan, Shamel has also been inspired by elements of Butoh, and in the sound score I hear samples of pipe organ that remind me of Northrop’s grand instrument.

Community Connections 

Marks of RED will feature three Minnesotans as part of each performance, in roles to be revealed in the theater! This local connection is just one of many community relationships forged during the three-year partnership between TRIBE, the Walker and Northrop. Each TRIBE residency has kicked off with a community gathering. Originally, we envisioned the gathering as part of the year-one experience, to help create a sense of a “home base” within the Twin Cities for Shamel and his collaborators. After a warm and vibrant meal and conversation that first year, Shamel has requested another gathering each year as a way to reconnect with Minnesota artists and community. These relationships have led to community classes, opportunities for UMN students to learn about Shamel’s creative process and mentorship between Shamel and members of the TU Dance CUL·TI·VATE program. 

Even though our current three-year partnership is coming to its natural end, I am hopeful that these community connections will endure. I continue to be inspired by Shamel’s vision and artistry and look forward to future collaborations with him and TRIBE!