Goner tells a story of alienation, migration, and violence, creating a radical visual culture from the perspective of marginalised communities. By tracing its roots while embracing traditional horror tropes and sensibilities, Goner keeps audiences on the edge of their seats.
In Goner, Marikiscrycrycry seeks to transform the social perception of Blackness from tragedy to something more positive. By utilising choreography and dance, Marikiscrycrycry takes the impactful experiences of marginalised people and reframes them, creating a new narrative through movement.
A “goner” is a character traditionally viewed as doomed and bound to meet a tragic end—a lost cause with little hope for redemption.This misaligned figure represents the idea that we should not give up on people, as we all share some responsibility for their circumstances. Ultimately, we are reminded that we are all implicated in the creation of the monsters in our world.
“Goner comes from watching a lot of horror films and being really inspired, particularly by the likes of Jordan Peele [Get Out]. But also by other horror and gore-zombie media. I’ve become interested in the person who’s doomed, the subjectivity of this person who’s about to turn into a zombie and leave their life, gets viciously mauled by a monster or goes into the creepy house on the hill and never comes back.”
Malik Nashad Sharpe
In Goner, Marikiscrycrycry explores the complexities and harsh realities of being a marginalised Black person in today’s world. Malik Nashad Sharpe’s Goner challenges the typical expectations placed on Black bodies in entertainment.
“I’m quite curious about how monsters can be created from a social context.”
Malik Nashad Sharpe
Sharpe emphasises the need to understand and create space for these difficult conversations
“What are the aesthetics of marginalisation? How can we make dark fantasy and melancholia productive things for the underdog rather than fatal?”
Malik Nashad Sharpe
Collaborating mainly with new sounds and musical director Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura, the show has commissioned soundscapes featuring experimental dark techno tracks, Soca, Caribbean music, and Dancehall, reflecting Sharpe’s heritage from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Dancer Blue Makwana directed rehearsals, and Barnaby Booth designed the lighting. Stockholm designer Erik Annerborn designed the costumes, and Felix Villiers created the environmentally economical set, which follows the theme of a dark fantasy set in the present day.
About Marikiscrycrycry and Malik Nashad Sharpe
Choreographer and performer Malik Nashad Sharpe is a choreographer and movement director working with dance and dark fantasy. Creating primarily under the alias Marikiscrycrycry, he creates provocative performance works, and he often works with dance as a social art form and relies upon various techniques and practices to articulate his choreographic systems and values.
His works address violence, alienation, horror, melancholia, and the horizon, and they have been widely presented across the U.K., Europe, and Canada.
Attitude Rising Star In Dance & Forbes 30 under 30
In 2019, Attitude Magazine named him a Rising Star in Dance. In 2022, he was on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his choreographic achievements.
Goner runs from 6 – 10 May 2025, at Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TN, United Kingdom.
