*Please note that complimentary Staff Explorer Pass tickets are limited to U-M staff members and limited amounts are available. Only register for yourself, and please let us know if you can no longer attend.

Once registered, please plan to pick up your ticket at Will Call on performance day.

This registration is for complimentary U-M staff tickets. To purchase additional tickets or for more information on this performance, visit: https://ums.org/performance/shamel-pitts-tribe-marks-of-red/.


A work of magical realism narrated by and featuring the viewpoints of six women, Marks of RED is an Afrofuturistic meditation that explores the effect that memory has on our experiences, senses, bodies, reality, and imaginative possibilities.

Anchored in the distinctive Gaga movement style in which Pitts was trained (he danced with Batsheva Dance Company for seven years), the work draws inspiration from sumo wrestling, butoh dance, and techno music, molding ritual, movement, and sound into a rumination on Black embodiment. The multidisciplinary piece explores the deep complexity of self-expression and is the fourth installment of Shamel Pitts’ RED Series.

“I know I’ve just witnessed a beautiful work when I leave the theater full of questions; but more so when I leave the theater with answers and clarity.” (Dance Currents)


This program is part of the Michigan Arts Festival Staff Explorer Pass. In partnership with Voices of the Staff, the U-M Arts Initiative is offering limited complimentary tickets for select campus events and extra special experiences for U-M staff members all throughout October! For a list of all Staff Explorer Pass events, visit https://sessions.studentlife.umich.edu/track/event/23512