Tap, percussive dance, samba, house, and live music come together in I Didn't Come to Stay, in which Brazilian tap dancer/choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and bassist/composer Gregory Richardson lead eight dancers and a five-piece band in a performance that explores tap's lineage and connections to other Afrodiasporic forms, commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim. Together the pair embrace shared roots across the diaspora and reflect on racial and cultural identity, while also celebrating the joy, strength, depth, and virtuosity of Black dance and music.

Runtime is approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.

The presentation of I Didn't Come to Stay was made possible by New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation. 

Commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim, I Didn’t Come to Stay was created with the support of a summer 2020 Works & Process bubble residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park. This culminated in preview performances that were among the first outdoor performances permitted by New York State. I Didn’t Come to Stay was featured in a Works & Process at Lincoln Center video performance and received a Works & Process LaunchPAD “Process as Destination” residency at Catskill Mountain Foundation (2022), with additional residency support by The Yard, Jacob’s Pillow, and Chelsea Factory. I Didn’t Come to Stay is a National Dance Project Production Grantee.

Photo: Titus Ogilvie-Laing