Be Holding

Ross Gay's book-length poem about basketball legend Julius Erving—known as Dr. J—comes alive in an evening-length concert that fuses poetry, contemporary music, and video art. The poem traces Dr. J's impossible baseline scoop shot during the 1980 NBA Finals back to themes of Black flight and joy, and this performance honors the legacy of poet June Jordan through a series curated by MacArthur Fellow Hanif Abdurraqib.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tyshawn Sorey provides the score, performed by the celebrated new music quartet Yarn/Wire. The text is recited by Gay and fellow poet David Gaines, with video designed by Catching on Thieves and Matt Deinhart. Director Brooke O'Harra shapes the whole thing into something that feels less like a reading and more like a full sensory experience—80 minutes of uncompromising contemporary art rooted in sports, Black history, and the possibility of transcendence.

BAM Fisher's Fishman Space is an intimate setting for this kind of work. Tickets start at $35, with BAM Members saving 20% on single tickets. General public on-sale begins Thursday, August 27 at 1 PM.