“boiling rain” in “POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT” at MASS MoCA

January 24 | North Adams, MA (MASS MoCA) | 4pm

At MASS MoCA, choreographer and multidisciplinary artist devynn emory activates “boiling rain,” a durational performance set within artist Jeffrey Gibson’s “POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT” installation. “boiling rain” is an embodied call to honor health care workers and the care they provide under ongoing conditions shaped by historical and systemic challenges, drawing participants into a somatic circle around medical mannequin Jeanie as the performers—emory, Martita Abril, Yanira Castro, and Maura Nguyễn Donohue—layer voice, movement, and memory against sound compositions by Holland Andrews. 

Presented in Building 5 as part of MASS MoCA’s Community Free Day, the approximately 45–60-minute activation opens a ritualized space for reflection and collective presence amid the museum’s expansive galleries. Free with general museum admission, this singular performance is an invitation to witness dance as care, procession, and embodied resistance.

{Image credit: devynn emory, boiling rain, 2024 at the Al Held Foundation. Choreography by devynn emory. Performed by Martita Abril, Yanira Castro, maura nguyễn donohue, devynn emory, Jeanie (voiced by Olga Dekalo and Oga Li). Sound design by Chloe Alexandra Thompson. Production/Stage Management by Reilly Horan. Costume design in collaboration with Vanessa Dion Fletcher. Curated by Olga Dekalo. Photo: James Autery.]