Congolese dancer Faustin Linyekula is a leading contemporary African choreographer. He is the founder of Studios Kabako, a dance and visual arts center in the Democratic Republic of Congo that provides dance training and performs Linyekula's work in Africa and abroad. In 2005, Linyekula and Studio Kabako participated in a MAPP residency, in which they traveled to the US to perform at such venues as the Bates Dance Festival, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Portland Institute of Contemporary Art. Linyekula has collaborated with international artists from France, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Sweden, and is the recipient of a 2007 Principal Award from the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development. In 2016, Linyekula presented a new dance work Philly Files, in conjunction with the Painted Bride Art Center's Center-funded project re-PLACE-ing Philadelphia.
