On the Importance of Legacy
by La Mar Brown
Producing Director
I have known Iega for several years and admire him as both an artist and a leader. When he asked me to join iegaMOVES as Producing Director, I excitedly accepted. At the start of this year, I departed from Chicago Dancemakers Forum, a service organization that provides support and resources for dancemakers in-process. I enjoyed my work there and am proud of what we did. In a serendipitous way, stepping into this role with iegaMOVES seems the next logical step. From process to product. From product to preservation — structure to keep the cycle moving fluidly.
Iega is creating the Legacy Project, a direct effort to preserve, document, and commission his previous, new, and future works. The word “legacy” intrigues me because it encompasses the past, present, and future; all at the same time. It is a collection of direct and indirect experiences that are distilled and passed on. It is a continuum of values transferred from generation to generation.
In June, at the Ragdale Foundation, we held an in-progress showing of Dance, Salome! Dance!, a play written by Tanya Fernando and choreographed by Iega. Salome is tenderly and thoughtfully written and choreographed about the lived experience and commodification of artists and their work. Salome is the kind of work that the Legacy Project is all about. Along with Church of Nations, Homage, and other works by Iega, it should be preserved because it challenges the audience to investigate the nuance of its topic. It must be preserved with truth and integrity in order to protect the full context by which it was created.
Within my role, in addition to guiding the structure for iegaMOVES, I strive to provide my team with work-life qualities that are essential for the growth of a young artist and administrator. One where their voice is valued rather than dismissed; where they have agency over their work process while being provided with guidance and understanding, rather than impatience and contempt; and where they are encouraged to take risks, and to learn from mistakes, without fear of retaliation or retribution. These are qualities that I identified as important through my seventeen-year artistic and administrative career, and diligently employ to create change. I hope that the values I instill now will benefit my team now and beyond.
Unsurprisingly, we find ourselves at a time that blatantly attempts to stifle the progress, ideas, and value of non-white-cis-hetero work, culture, and lives. It is crucial to fortify the contributions of these lived experiences. Doing so is not exclusionary; lifting up and supporting the marginalized always benefits everyone. Right now many important legacies are being threatened with erasure and obfuscation. Legacy is important because it gives our current selves the ability to share our stories in the way that we want them to be told.
What are iegaMOVES and the Legacy Project? They are containers for Iega’s work and the impact it has made on the arts world. Who am I? I am someone who sees the value of art and of the people who create and manage it. I am honored that Iega wants me to steward his legacy. Iega says that his legacy “carries forward those of his mentors.” Similarly, the work that I engage in through this process adds to his legacy, and also shapes and defines mine. I do so with the utmost care. I am fortunate to call Iega my mentor, one who challenges and encourages me to be the best version of myself.
La Mar Brown is an arts manager, producer, dancer, and singer. La Mar is currently the Producing Director for iegaMOVES LLC, under the direction of renowned choreographer and arts leader, Kevin Iega Jeff; Development Coordinator for Dance, Salome! Dance written by Tanya Fernando; and Solutionist for Tesseract Business Office Management. La Mar’s other administrative credits include Operations Manager, Chicago Dancemakers Forum; Company Manager, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago; Box Office Supervisor, Writers Theatre; Project Coordinator, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts; and Associate Patron Services Manager, the AT&T Performing Arts Center. His performance credits include Dallas Black Dance Theatre, The Ruth Page Civic Ballet, Porchlight Music Theatre, Dallas Metropolitan Ballet, Uptown Players, Garland Summer Musicals, and The Dallas Opera.