Because the choreopoem is a performance piece, it features as much storytelling and tone setting in the director’s notes as in the poems themselves. From the outset, Shange provides lighting and sound directions that help set the tone for each piece and movement directions that evoke the cohesive flow of the pieces. Like a ballet, the women move on and off the stage in an ever-shifting combination of scenes, poems, and monologues. The choreopoem begins in darkness, which shifts to dim blue lights and harsh music. The women “run onto the stage from each of the seven exits. They all freeze in postures of distress” (3). The swiftness, the darkness, and the harshness all combine to set a somber and urgent tone. From the outset, words, sound, and visuals work together in harmony to create a haunting atmosphere in “dark phrases.”

Shange’s poem depicts a Black girl dancing to a tuneless, lyric-less song. Still, she must dance with grace because her movements “don’t tell nobody don’t tell a soul // she’s dancin on beer cans & shingles” (3). The beer cans and shingles represent dirt and grime, or items that would dash against a dancer’s feet and make her tumble.