Danspace Project Spring 2021 PLATFORM 2021: The Dream of the Audience Land Acknowledgment Danspace Project pays respect to Lenape peoples. We acknowledge that this work is situated on the Lenape island of Manhahtaan (Mannahatta) in Lenapehoking, the Lenape homeland. We pay respect to Lenape land, water, and ancestors past, present, and future. Site Acknowledgment “Before we begin, let’s take a moment to acknowledge that the construction of this building, Saint Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, was completed in 1799. That same year, New York State enacted the Gradual Emancipation Act 1, so it is reasonable to assume that this building where we are when we stand, sit, dance, and some still worship, was built by enslaved individuals on what was the homeland of the Lenape people.” – Ishmael Houston-Jones Danspace Project Presents COME AND GO JUS’ PIECE A’ WAY A film by Reggie Wilson and Aitor Mendilibar premiere & conversation Friday, June 18, 2021 5pm (ET) Part of PLATFORM 2021: The Dream of the Audience curated by Judy Hussie-Taylor Fist & Heel Performance Group is a COME AND GO JUS’ PIECE A’ WAY Brooklyn-based dance company that investigates the intersections of cultural A film by Reggie Wilson anthropology and movement practices and Aitor Mendilibar and believes in the potential of the Choreography: Reggie Wilson body as a valid means for knowing. Cinematographer and Editor: Our performance work is a continued Aitor Mendilibar manifestation of the rhythm languages All Movement Source Material provided of the body provoked by the spiritual by Performers of Fist and Heel and the mundane traditions of Africa Performance Group: Hadar Ahuvia, and its Diaspora, including the Blues, Rhetta Aleong, Paul Hamilton, Lawrence Slave and Gospel idioms. The group has Harding, Michel Kouakou, Clement received support from major foundations Mensah, Gabriela Silva, Annie Wang, and corporations and has performed at Michelle Yard, Miles Yeung notable venues in the United States and Cameraman: Lander Camarero abroad. Music: Fist and Heel Performance Group Vocalists: Rhetta Aleong, Thomeki Dube, Reggie Wilson (Executive and Artistic Elaine Flowers, Lawrence Harding, Director, Choreographer, Performer) Reggie Wilson founded Fist & Heel Performance Group, Costume Approval given by: in 1989. Wilson draws from the cultures Naoko Nagata and Enver Chakartash of Africans in the Americas and combines Editing feedback given by: them with post-modern elements and his Raja Feather Kelly and Tamsir Sylla own personal movement style to create what he often calls “post-African/Neo- Filmed at Danspace Project, St. HooDoo Modern dances.” Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, 2021. Commissioned and premiered by His work has been presented and Danspace Project for Platform 2021: The workshops taught nationally and Dream of the Audience. internationally at many venues. This list is a sample and by no means exhaustive: Special thanks to the Howard Gilman Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York Foundation and the National Endowment Live Arts, Summerstage (NY), Jacob’s for the Arts for their support of Platform Pillow Dance Festival, Summer Stages 2021: The Dream of the Audience. Dance @ ICA Boston (MA), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, UCLA Live, Redcat Many thanks to the St. Mark’s Church (CA), VSA NM (New Mexico), Myrna Loy in-the-Bowery congregation and (Helena, MT), The Flynn (Burlington, community. VT), Contemporary Arts Center (New Orleans), Dance Umbrella (Austin, TX), Linkfest, Festival e’Nkundleni (Zimbabwe), Dance Factory (South Africa), Danças na Cidade (Portugal), Festival Kaay Fecc (Senegal), The Politics Walker Art Center and NY premiere on of Ecstasy, and Tanzkongress 2013 the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2009 (Germany). Next Wave Festival. In 2012, New York Live Arts presented a concert of selected Wilson is a graduate of New York Wilson works, theRevisitation, to critical University, Tisch School of the Arts acclaim and the same year he was (1988, Larry Rhodes, Chair). He has named a Wesleyan University’s Creative studied composition and been mentored Campus Fellow, received an inaugural by Phyllis Lamhut; Performed and toured Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, with Ohad Naharin before forming and received the 2012 Joyce Foundation the Fist and Heel. He has lectured, Award for his successful work Mosess(es) taught and conducted workshops and which premiered in 2013. His critically community projects throughout the acclaimed work CITIZEN, premiered US, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. 2016 (FringeArts – World; BAM Next He has traveled extensively: to the Wave 2016 – NYC); both these works Mississippi Delta to research secular and continue to tour. Wilson was curator of religious aspects of life there; to Trinidad Danspace Project’s Dancing Platform and Tobago to research the Spiritual Praying Grounds: Blackness, Churches, Baptists and the Shangoists; and also, to and Downtown Dance (Platform 2018) Southern, Central, West and East Africa and created the commissioned work … to work with dance/performance groups they stood shaking while others began as well as diverse religious communities. to shout specifically for the space at St. He has served as visiting faculty at Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery. He curated several universities including UPENN, Grounds That Shout! (and others merely Yale, Princeton and Wesleyan. Mr. shaking), a series of performances in Wilson is the recipient of the Minnesota Philadelphia’s historic sacred spaces. Dance Alliance’s McKnight National Most recently he premiered POWER at Fellowship (2000-2001). Wilson is also the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. a 2002 BESSIE-New York Dance and Performance Award recipient for his work Aitor Mendilibar is a New York-based The Tie-tongued Goat and the Lightning filmmaker and cinematographer. He is Bug Who Tried to Put Her Foot Down originally from Basque Country, where and a 2002 John Simon Guggenheim he received degrees in computer science, Fellow. He has been an artist advisor for telecommunications and audiovisual the National Dance Project and Board production. In 2012, he moved to New Member of Dance Theater Workshop. In York City (where he lived until 2020) to recognition of his creative contributions study documentary filmmaking at New to the field, Mr. Wilson was named a York Film Academy. Since graduating, 2009 United States Artists Prudential he has worked as a cinematographer Fellow and is a 2009 recipient of the Herb for narrative films, documentaries, Alpert Award in Dance. His evening- commercials, music videos, dance films, length work The Good Dance–dakar/ among other projects. His first feature brooklyn had its World premiere at the film as a director of photography (PROM KING, 2010), won the New Vision Award supported by Brooklyn Arts Council, at Cinequest Film Festival. He has DTW/NYLA, Movement Research, the worked with Oscar nominated director 14th St. Y, CUNY Dance Initiative, EtM and producer Oren Jacoby and award Choreographer + Composer Residency, winning choreographers Reggie Wilson, Yaddo, and Baryshnikov Arts Center. Raja Feather Kelly and Jonah Bokaer. She has presented her performative Aitor also creates his own content and research at the 14th St Y, Art Stations collaborates with artists across different Foundation, The James Gallery, Whitman genres. He has directed two narrative College, and Danspace Project. Her work short films, LIMITS (2017) and IRTEN Everything you have is yours? earned her BARRURA (2020) and taken part in a Bessie nomination for Outstanding several notable film festivals. Among “Breakout” Choreographer. other awards, IRTEN BARRURA won the Best Director Award at Euskal Zine Rhetta Aleong (Company administrator, Bilera. He has filmed many commercials, performer) Her performance roots the current noteworthy being for the are grounded in community-theater, UNITED NATIONS, STEVE MADDEN performance art, and a good Catholic all- and JART SKATEBOARDS in the US and girls high school in Trinidad and Tobago. REAL SOCIEDAD, LABORAL KUTXA She has a BFA in Journalism, with an and EUSKALTEL in Basque Country. art bent, from School of Visual Arts and Aitor is currently directing his third is a 5th degree black belt. Rhetta began short film, HABANA GLASS which is in working with Mr. Wilson in ’91 and began production and to be released in 2021. “wearing many hats” within Fist and Heel He is also the co-founder and former Performance Group. Creative Artists of bass player of the Basque punk rock special significance to Rhetta: Pat Akien, band, Disorders, that played for 10 years Michael Steele, Helen Camps, Noble and produced two studio albums. He is Douglas (Trinidad), Anita Gonzalez, Ms. currently the bass player in the punk rock Hattie Gossett, Tiyé Giraud, Cynthia band which he co-founded in 2014, The Oliver, and Lawrence Goldhuber. Respect Wilsons. to those before, after, above and below. Contributors Paul Hamilton (Performer) is a Brooklyn based movement artist. He attended Hadar Ahuvia (Performer) raised in Israel/ SUNY Purchase, where he trained with Palestine and the US, Ahuvia studied Kazuko Hirabayashi, Kevin Wynn and at Lines Ballet, the SF Conservatory Neil Greenberg, and also studied at the of Dance and Sarah Lawrence College. Alvin Ailey school. He has performed She has worked with Sara Rudner, with Elizabeth Streb, the Martha Graham Jill Sigman, Donna Uchizono, Molly Dance Ensemble, The Barnspace Dance, Poerstel, and Kathy Westwater, and has Mauri Cramer Dancers, Ballet Arts delighted in working with Fist & Heel Theatre, Ralph Lemon(Bessie nominee since 2016. Ahuvia’s work, deconstructing Scaffold Room), Deborah Hay, David her Zionist cultural heritage, has been Thomson, Headlong Dance Theater, David Gordon’s The Matter 2019, Melinda and was a finalist in The A.W.A.R.D. Ring, Oren Barnoy, and The Museum of Show in New York City and Los Angeles. Modern Art, recreating Bruce Nauman’s Mr. Kouakou moved to New York in 2004 Wall/Floor Positions. He is a member and subsequently to Los Angeles, where of Reggie Wilson/Fist and Performance he is now based and has been a lecturer at Group, Keely Garfield Dance, and Jane UCLA since 2009.