Tislarm Bouie’s “Thug – Ball of Confusion”

For many of us, the challenges of 2020 made artistic inspiration scarce. But director and choreographer Tislarm Bouie says he harnessed the hopelessness he felt last summer and transformed it into inspiration for a short film titled “Thug.”

“Ball of Confusion” is one part of the larger project. It features Lloyd Boyd, Gabriel Hyman, Martell Ruffin, Anthony Santos, Coral Dolphin, Marie Rose and Carrie Daniels dancing on the streets of Harlem. Bouie says the goal of the work is to redefine Black masculinity and “to encourage people to live boldly in their light.”