Poet and solo theatre artist Lenelle Moïse began building Ache What Make as the Spring 2011 Solo/Black/Woman Artist in Residence in Performance Studies at Northwestern University. The 52-minute performance braids sensuous odes, urgent prayers, layered songs and bright ritual. Moïse shares intricate stories of creative resilience, stubborn compassion and death-defying love. Whether she's talking about Haiti, conjuring Michael Jackson, or recounting her run-in with a skinhead on a crowded city train, Moïse testifies to interconnectedness and a playful will to live. Ache What Make invokes brilliant ancestors, current luminaries, and fleeting foes to celebrate a receptive heart in all its chipped or chipper wakefulness. Rhodessa Jones calls it “ferocious and sweet at the same time.” Lenelle continues to develop the piece as the Spring 2012 AADS Visiting Performing Artist Fellow at UT Austin.