Through travel and ethnographic research, Wilson incorporates performance practices of the African diaspora into his choreography, and in so doing updates the research-to-performance methodology of Zora Neale Hurston, Katherine Dunham and Pearl Primus from mid-century.
"Silver tinsel strewn on the floor and split in the center is the one obvious nod to Moses parting the Red Sea. But soon, Wilson opens his suitcase stuffs it full of tinsel, in preparation for his own journey."
EYE ON THE ARTS, NY-Celia Ipiotis
Wilson in process and conversation
Wilson experimenting in nature with Raja Feather Kelly; developing material for a solo in the full-length work, CITIZEN (2016). Keeping in conversation with the performers is an integral component.
The rehearsal process allows the choreography to develop to the point where the dancers become more comfortable with the nuances in rhythm, weight, direction and pelvic alignment.
Big Brick: a man's piece was created in consideration and relationship to the men in Wilson's family and the working class in Milwaukee.
Keeping in conversation...
Wilson's masterclasses are opportunities to continuously keep in discussion with dancers.
Experimenting in nature, in other site-specific locations, and in the studio yields ideas and different kinds of context for the performer.
Experimenting with site-specific movement and working with cinematographer, Aitor Mendilibar created footage projected in the full-length evening work, CITIZEN (2016).
Research supports movement development in the studio
Focused residencies facilitate studio rehearsals to develop movement, and to craft and fine-tune ideas and research information into movement.
The Good Dance-dakar/brooklyn was a collaboration of the choreographers Reggie Wilson (brooklyn) and Andréya Ouamba (dakar). It included research of the Mississippi River and the Congo River.
Value of Feedback: Tracking Cohorts
Wilson invited students, interested individuals and groups to track the creation of his work Moses(es). This kind of engagement and feedback deepened the performance material.
Site-specific experiments in video with cinematographer Aitor Mendilibar. Movement material done in different locations and seen from different angles offered new possibilities and choices.
Wilson engages with communities and shares information from his research. Here attendees of a community engagement activity at Dartmouth College are learning how to execute a basic Ring Shout.
Wilson revisits his own work to reflect and re-examine ideas and to discover new questions connected to his practice. This work is a "revisitation" of the original 1997 work, The Dew Wet.
Reggie Wilson / Fist anf Heel Performance Group
