In conjunction with the Center-funded project re-PLACE-ing Philadelphia from Painted Bride Art Center, we asked choreographers Reggie Wilson and Faustin Linyekula about the concept of “place.” For Wilson, “place does exist as a concrete thing, but it also exists in stories, in histories,” he says in a conversation with artist Marty Pottenger. Linyekula considers the idea of place one of “permanent negotiation”—a dynamic space in which people engage to “find some common ground,” as he explains.
Reggie Wilson is the artistic director of Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group, where he presents his unique blend of African and post-modern dance styles. Wilson’s work has been presented nationally and internationally at venues such as Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, REDCAT, and Dance Umbrella. He is the recipient of a 2002 Guggenheim Fellowship, 2009 United States Artist Fellowship, and a 2009 Herb Alpert Award in Dance, among others. Learn more.>>
Faustin Linyekula, based in Kinshasa, 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. 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. Learn more.>>
