The Opulence Of Integrity
based on the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali
By Christal Brown
Bates Dance Festival
Direction and Choreography by Christal Brown
Sound Composition by Farai Malianga
Photos by Melissa Blackall and Jonathan Hsu

The Opulence of Integrity is a theatrical, multimedia ensemble work inspired by the public life and inner searching of boxing's outspoken superstar, Muhammad Ali.  Inspired by Ali’s career as a boxer and life as a social activist, public martyr, and human being, choreographer Christal Brown deploys her eclectic movement vernacular to illustrate the turmoil of a life infused by divinity yet misinterpreted by humanity.   By using Ali as an archetype. The Opulence of Integrity explores the homogeneous inner struggle for identity as it pertains to men of color in the United States.

 This work takes an intimate and expansive look at the social, economic, and spiritual trappings that continually prohibit freedom while drawing clear parallels of war, resistance, and perseverance through a historical lens. 

Brown pours her own experience into the work and dedicates it to her father, brother, and uncle who, in her words, “fought but did not win” and to her son “whose battle has not yet begun.”   Brown goes on to say that, “To be born, branded by history, burdened by responsibility, and inspired towards greatness requires a committed heart and an opulence of integrity.”