It Can Happen...Still Time to Try
Mercer will be featured as a movement artist in an upcoming installation at The Ace Hotel in Brooklyn, NY!
An exhibition by Curry Hackett in collaboration with J.t. Roane J.t.Roane), and Jona Alexander as part of our 2026 Artist-in-Residence program (A!R) presented by Ace Hotel Brooklyn × FieldMeridians.
It Can Happen…Still Time to Try reminds us to consider more radical relationships with land. With its title borrowed from poet, playwright, and essayist June Jordan’s proposal for her unpublished novel OKAY NOW, this exhibition showcases a multimedia suite of recordings, films, and collages that gesture toward the possibility of a Black built environment liberated from the dark histories and ongoing harms of property.
Merging their respective practices in a first-time collaboration, Curry J. Hackett, J. T. Roane, and Jona Alexander spent their monthlong residency gathering resources from their personal libraries, interviewing peers, and documenting real-world land stewardship efforts in Brooklyn. Ultimately, the exhibition seeks to be in dialogue with June Jordan’s career as a spatial thinker, as well as the everyday cultural practices that shape Black landscapes.
"It Can Happen…Still Time to Try"
On view August 6 - October 31, 2026
Opening Reception
August 6, 7PM
Free and open to all.
The Good News Suite @92NY
The Good News Suite @92NY
Oct 16th @7pm
92NY Harkness Dance Center
Featuring TRPNYC Movement Ensemble: Johnnie Cruise Mercer, Paulina Meneses, Tj Jacobs, Paris Jones, Demestrius Burns
Instrumentalists: Jean Charlot, drums, Young Denzel, Robert McSweeney, horn (Mercies)
Vocal Artists: Alejandro (Arranger), Jaida Foreman, and Nic Pierre (Unforced)
Underscore Design: Justin Johnson
Lighting Design: Zee Hanna
Wardrobe Design: Pierre Rashid
The Good New Suite is a set of choreographies honoring maker Johnnie Cruise Mercer’s upbringing in the Black Baptist church. Inspired by Bible scriptures orally passed down to Mercer from his childhood, and grounded by research on Gospel Music/the black church, the works are each intentionally crafted to guide communities through the grief of today while leading them towards the sensations/tools/the state of letting go.
At the 92NY Mercer will premiere the second working of the suite, a new ensemble work titled The Unforced Rhythms of Grace. Featuring an ensemble of both black movement and vocal artists, the work launches from contemporary gospel music, guiding audiences through complex rhythmic bouts, honest deeply embodied testimonies, and eventually to a chance to attempt a breakthrough. Each night will feature a curated set of guest appearances from the greater NYC black dance community.
Mercer will also share a revamped version of his ever-evolving solo, Mercies of a Butterfly. A dance theater work that recently premiered as a part of Pioneer Go East Collective’s Out Front Festival in January 2026, Mercer is eager to use the work as both a tool to teach, and a way to share a structure created specifically to move in-process.
Mercer states about the solo: I am not dancing to present, I am moving to feel; to seek the same release I first found when I was 8 at church.
The event at the 92NY will be handled & catered sensorially by Love, Naj ,a black owned catering company owned by Mercer’s long time friend Naj Abdullah. The audience will also be given the opportunity to pre/post show to: document a video testimony (on their good news), get photographed in a moment of praise, and then consider “burning” a chosen grievance.
Full Credit Info:
The Unforced Rhythms of Grace will premiere at 92NY in the Fall 2026. The work has been in development for the past two years through the Movement Research Artist-in-Residence Program. The program is funded, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the Davis/Dauray Family Fund, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance. The work was furthered while in residence at Queenborough Community College as a Cuny Dance Initiative 2025/2026 Artists in Residence, as well as at the American Dance Festival.
Mercies of a Butterfly will premiere as a part of Go East Collective’s OUT FRONT Festival 2026.
The work has been in development for the past two years through the Movement Research Artist-in-Residence Program. The program is funded, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the Davis/Dauray Family Fund, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance. The work was furthered while in residence at Queenborough Community College as a Cuny Dance Initiative 2025/2026 Artists in Residence.
Both works were produced and fiscally sponsored by TheREDprojectNYC.
Photo by Tony Turner
Revival 2026: Allow, Surrender, Embrace.
TheREDprojectNYC’s Revival is an annual event curated around communal breath, ephebism, and generational revitalization. With a yearly shifting theme, and concept, the series focuses on bringing together professional and in process artists in a community oriented day of performances, happenings, and workshops. Each Revival roots itself in the present, offering ways to connect and reflect on what has happened, what will happen, and where we are currently.
This year’s Revival (Allow, Surrender, Embrace) holds them theme of release, offering multiple movement workshops for young artists between the ages of 13-18! Hosted by the 92NY, the day will include rhythmic focused movement class, a chance to collaborative create, and the opportunity to perform alongside the TRPNYC Movement Ensemble professionally that evening!
The workshop is free of charge and includes both breakfast and lunch!
Look out for registration at the beginning of September.
Photo by Lamar Metcalf
The Goods News Suite @92NY
The Good News Suite @92NY
Oct 17th @7pm
(featuring NYC Youth Artists)
92NY Harkness Dance Center
Featuring TRPNYC Movement Ensemble: Johnnie Cruise Mercer, Paulina Meneses, Tj Jacobs, Paris Jones, Demestrius Burns
Instrumentalists: Jean Charlot, drums, Young Denzel, Robert McSweeney, horn (Mercies)
Vocal Artists: Alejandro (Arranger), Jaida Foreman, and Nic Pierre (Unforced)
Underscore Design: Justin Johnson
Lighting Design: Zee Hanna
Wardrobe Design: Pierre Rashid
The Good New Suite is a set of choreographies honoring maker Johnnie Cruise Mercer’s upbringing in the Black Baptist church. Inspired by Bible scriptures orally passed down to Mercer from his childhood, and grounded by research on Gospel Music/the black church, the works are each intentionally crafted to guide communities through the grief of today while leading them towards the sensations/tools/the state of letting go.
At the 92NY Mercer will premiere the second working of the suite, a new ensemble work titled The Unforced Rhythms of Grace. Featuring an ensemble of both black movement and vocal artists, the work launches from contemporary gospel music, guiding audiences through complex rhythmic bouts, honest deeply embodied testimonies, and eventually to a chance to attempt a breakthrough. Each night will feature a curated set of guest appearances from the greater NYC black dance community.
Mercer will also share a revamped version of his ever-evolving solo, Mercies of a Butterfly. A dance theater work that recently premiered as a part of Pioneer Go East Collective’s Out Front Festival in January 2026, Mercer is eager to use the work as both a tool to teach, and a way to share a structure created specifically to move in-process.
Mercer states about the solo: I am not dancing to present, I am moving to feel; to seek the same release I first found when I was 8 at church.
The event at the 92NY will be handled & catered sensorially by Love, Naj ,a black owned catering company owned by Mercer’s long time friend Naj Abdullah. The audience will also be given the opportunity to pre/post show to: document a video testimony (on their good news), get photographed in a moment of praise, and then consider “burning” a chosen grievance.
Full Credit Info:
The Unforced Rhythms of Grace will premiere at 92NY in the Fall 2026. The work has been in development for the past two years through the Movement Research Artist-in-Residence Program. The program is funded, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the Davis/Dauray Family Fund, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance. The work was furthered while in residence at Queenborough Community College as a Cuny Dance Initiative 2025/2026 Artists in Residence, as well as at the American Dance Festival.
Mercies of a Butterfly will premiere as a part of Go East Collective’s OUT FRONT Festival 2026.
The work has been in development for the past two years through the Movement Research Artist-in-Residence Program. The program is funded, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the Davis/Dauray Family Fund, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance. The work was furthered while in residence at Queenborough Community College as a Cuny Dance Initiative 2025/2026 Artists in Residence.
Both works were produced and fiscally sponsored by TheREDprojectNYC.
Photo by Tony Turner
Merices of a Butterfly Preview Performance @Sag Harbor's Churchiennel
Mercer will share a preview of his newest solo, Mercies of a Butterfly as a part of Sag Harbor Church’s first churchiennial.
Get your tickets here:
Photo by Tony Tuner
Revival 2025: The Oaks of Righteousness; Seeds Towards The Good News
A Performance Workshop featuring professional and youth artists working together in process, Choreography by Johnnie Cruise Mercer
Sat Oct 25th 8pm
Sun Oct 26th 2pm (includes a pre-show ritual starting at 1:45pm)
@Dancewave
182 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Ticket Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/manage/events/1695846655999/details
Photo by Tony Turner
RVA Homecoming
Mercies of a Butterfly & The Decade Workshop Residency
@Appomattox Regional Governors School
Oct 13th-18th, 2025
Photo by Tony Turner
DanceParadeNYC, MainStage
Performance @Tompkins Square Park
Join the TRPNYC team as they march, and embrace the NYC community. The day includes a performance by the TRPNYC Movement Ensemble.
Dance Parade promotes dance through the celebration of diversity by presenting as many forms of dance as possible. We believe that live performance has the potential to awaken a communal human spirit and helps build a more equitable and vibrant society.
Movement Research at Judson Church
Paris Cullen, Johnnie Cruise Mercer/TheREDprojectNYC, Morgan Gregory
Monday, April 21, 2025 | 7PM
Free event
Judson Memorial Church
VCUDANCE First Year Rep Concert- Process memoir 8: (episode 2) The Wicked.
Photo by Torian Ugworji
Process memoir 8: The Prequel- A Revolutionary Party!
Photo by Ellen Kirby
Pictured: Chaunci Hannibal and Robbi Gaskins
American Dance Festival- Winter Intensive 2020
Company Director Johnnie Cruise Mercer teaches a pair of workshops drenched in TRPNYC ‘s current practices and growing physical philosophies.
The intensive is form Jan 3rd-8th in NYC. Follow the link below to register!
BAX AIR OPEN STUDIO SHOWING
Didn’t get to catch what we shared in Jersey the day before? No worries!
Join TRPNYC as we share our current practices, and further development in our six year process.
The company will be sharing:
still en indigo: a process toward thenowlater.
A schematic of material in deliberate prayer, still en indigo: a process toward thenowlater, is a revisitation to past thought and future possibility. Devised as a physical test of faith, the "process-performance" shared is a micro-chunck.
Following the sharing the audience will be asked to engage other material from the company’s process through conversation.
——
From BAX:
The Open Studio Series begins a shared journey through the creative process. The audience engages with the artists as they open the doors to their rehearsal practice in November and then again in February. This journey continues with the Works-in Progress Series in January, and culminates in the Spring performances. This is a rare opportunity to follow a work and engage its creators from the early stages through to full productions.
We developed this series to further BAX's core mission of supporting arts and artists in progress. To us, the journey from the initial idea to the premiere of a work is as important as the work itself. We are inviting the public to see the work of our Artists-in-Residence as it is being created and developed.
Opening the doors to the various stages of a work's development and sharing the journey deepens the relationships between the work, the artist and the audience. Open Studio Showings include a moderated question-and-answer period where the audience's observations and the artist's intentions are explored.
MANA Contemporary's Performance Salon (Curated by Kyle Marshall)
Performance Salon is a lively, quarterly program hosted by guest artists. The evening brings together performance works to be experienced in an intimate, community atmosphere. For this edition, artist-in-residence Kyle Marshall curates an evening of upcoming works in progress.
——
The company will be sharing:
still en indigo: a process toward thenowlater.
A schematic of material in deliberate prayer, still en indigo: a process toward thenowlater, is a revisitation to past thought and future possibility. Devised as a physical test of faith, the "process-performance" shared is a micro-chunck of Johnnie Cruise Mercer/TheREDprojectNYC's current six year process-anthology.
RVA Homecoming 2019
Company Director, Johnnie Cruise Mercer, takes his annual trip back home as the company engages a weekend of process building, teaching, and developing deeper connections.
The company will be in residence at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Appomattox Regional Governors School further developing creative work for the company’s six year process.
The weekend concludes with an invite only
Community Showing on Nov 3rd, 4pm @VCU Dance Center.
Interested in receiving an invite; email jcruisem@gmail.com!!!
Dixon Place Residency/PM5 Process
A 3 month isolated process, Johnnie engages his most personal process-memoir; process memoir 5: A Conversation to, with, and for (our)self.
He is joined by choreographic artist/company partner Thomas Tyger Moore and a variety of other collaborting artist to create and draw up a process-performance made for Dixon Place to premiere in July 2018 as a part of the HOT! Festival!
Danspace Project: process memoir 4: The word, the spirit, and Little Rock.
Johnnie Cruise Mercer shares his fourth process memoir; process memoir 4: The word, the spirit, and Little Rock in a shared evening with Angie Pittman!
From The Manuel in response to Genesis Chapter 2 Verse 23 (NIV)
See her. God, she appears. From the view of her child- her son.
I am the bone of her bones, the flesh of her flesh- I was taken from her. Man. Made in his image...his image is not mine.
Truthfully. I feebly seek sanctuary. I run to her. We run to her. In despite of her. Constantly we run, The dark, she has provided light.
The evening is apart of Danspace's Winter 2019 Season.
photo credit: Scott Shaw
Danspace Project: process memoir 4: The word, the spirit, and Little Rock.
Johnnie Cruise Mercer shares his fourth process memoir; process memoir 4: The word, the spirit, and Little Rock! in a shared evening with Angie Pittman!
From The Manuel in response to Genesis Chapter 2 Verse 23 (NIV)
See her. God, she appears. From the view of her child- her son.
I am the bone of her bones, the flesh of her flesh- I was taken from her. Man. Made in his image...his image is not mine.
Truthfully. I feebly seek sanctuary. I run to her. We run to her. In despite of her. Constantly we run, The dark, she has provided light.
The evening is apart of Danspace's Winter 2019 Season.
photo credit: Scott Shaw
Danspace Project: process memoir 4: The word, the spirit, and Little Rock.
Johnnie Cruise Mercer shares his fourth process memoir; process memoir 4: The word, the spirit, and Little Rock in a shared evening with Angie Pittman!
From The Manuel in response to Genesis Chapter 2 Verse 23 (NIV)
See her. God, she appears. From the view of her child- her son.
I am the bone of her bones, the flesh of her flesh- I was taken from her. Man. Made in his image...his image is not mine.
Truthfully. I feebly seek sanctuary. I run to her. We run to her. In despite of her. Constantly we run, The dark, she has provided light.
The evening is apart of Danspace's Winter 2019 Season.
photo credit: Scott Shaw
Silo Farms Teaching Residency/Creative Residency #2
The company travels to the beautiful Silo Farms in Hellertown, PA for their second half of their bi-annual company creative retreat/teaching residency (Mulhenburg College, and Desales University)!
The company will host a showing open to the Hellertown community and beyond;
Showing: Jan 27th 12pm!
Email theredproj.perform@gmail.com for more info!
Silo Farms Teaching Residency/Creative Residency #1
The company travels to the beautiful Silo Farms in Hellertown, PA for their bi-annual company creative retreat/teaching residency (Mulhenburg College, and Desales University)!
RVA Homecoming
We are going home!
The company now returns to their stomping ground for their inaugual RVA Homecoming 2018!
Join us for a weekend full of conversations, classes, workshops, and an evening of performance (the first time the full company has performed in Richmond since 2015!)
Stay on the look out for info/details on events soon!
photo credit: Torian Ugworji
Stephen Petronio Center: Partnership Residency Program
The company travels to the Catskills as the one of the first round of artist to be in residence at the new state-of-the art Stephen Petronio Center! The company and collaborator Monstah Black work for a week on process memoir 4: The word, the spirit, and Little Rock which will be performed in a Split Bill at Danspace Projects Inc. in Winter 2019!
This residency is made possible by both Danspace Project Inc and NYCDanceForce in their inaugural Partnership Residency Program with the Petronio Center.
photo credit: Scott Shaw
Johnnie's $1.00 Birthday Party/Pop-FUND!
Join Choreographic/Company Director Johnnie Cruise Mercer as he celebrates his 27th, and raises money for the 2018-2019 Happenings! DRINKS FOOD and EVERYTHING IS $1.00 ALL NIGHT! Come support his born day, and the company as we party through the night!
LOCATION TBD!
STUFFED Dinner + Dance
Johnnie Cruise Mercer shares the fourth iteration of The indigo kid! Come join him, and the STUFFEDArts community for an evening of food, dance, and commune!