Skiff is a new, evening-length work by Raphael Xavier with featured guests, Micah Spader, Husain AbdulZahir and Tatiana Desardouin. Raphael Xavier, a 53-year-old Breaker and choreographer, contextualizes his journey through the lens of Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea,” and Winslow Homer’s iconic painting “The Gulf Stream.” Created with original text and spoken word that is interwoven with Hemingway, Xavier draws parallels between the fisherman’s search and his own journey to build a dance career utilizing the art form of Breaking. Skiff features elements practiced by Xavier, merging storytelling, spoken word, and Breaking.