More on Moses(es)

(Stage Production)

is an evening-length dance performance; it focuses on how we lead and why we follow. Grounded in Wilson’s re-reading of Zora Neale Hurston’s Moses, Man of the Mountain (the Moses story told as a Southern folk tale in African-American vernacular), and with his exploratory travels to Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Mali, Moses(es) examines the migration of peoples and culture from Africa out into the World, paying attention to the effects migration has on beliefs. Wilson’s research for this project has landed on the intersection of the origins of Monotheism and African cultures.

More Moses(es)

...Moses(es) | St. Cornelius Chapel on Governor's Island 

(Site-Specific)

After successful premieres of the original evening-length work, …Moses(es) is an opportunity for the artist and audiences to engage more deeply in the material and Wilson’s perspective while experiencing the work in a site-based format.

Co-commissioned by New England Foundations for the Arts’ National Dance Project, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and LMCC

June 25 + 26 2014

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On Moses(es) A local investigation | The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

(Community Cast) 

Presented in partnership with Summer Stages Dance at Concord Academy in the Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater at the ICA, Reggie Wilson collaborated with a group of over 20 local dancers who auditioned for the opportunity with Yeman Brown, Clement Mensah and Anna Schon from Fist and Heel, using the same process used to create  Moses(es).  

July 20, 2014

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Moses(es) Milwaukee Made | Alverno Presents- Lynden Sculpture Garden | Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

(Community + some Specific Production) 

For this fifth collaboration between Alverno Presents and Lynden Sculpture Garden, Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group will present his latest work, Moses(es), a look at the many representations of Moses in the mythical, canonical, and ethnographic imaginations, to ask: how do we lead and why do we follow? Joined by his Fist & Heel Performance Group and members of diverse Milwaukee communities, and set to live vocalizations from the African diaspora, Reggie is making a site-specific iteration of Moses(es) especially for the Sculpture Garden.

July 18 2015

Moses(es), Moses(es) | American Dance Platform | Joyce Theater 

(Stage Production)

The Joyce Theater is proud to launch its first American Dance Platform, showcasing some of the most captivating American companies performing today. This year’s festival features companies representing different regions throughout America and pairs emerging companies with those that are more established. The festival is curated by Paul King and Walter Jaffe, the founders and directors of White Bird, the acclaimed dance presentation series based in Portland, Oregon.

Moses(es), Moses(es) is an evening-length dance performance; it focuses on how we lead and why we follow. Grounded in Wilson’s re-reading of Zora Neale Hurston’s Moses, Man of the Mountain (the Moses story told as a Southern folk tale in African-American vernacular), and with his exploratory travels to Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Mali, Moses(es) examines the migration of peoples and culture from Africa out into the World, paying attention to the effects migration has on beliefs. Wilson’s research for this project has landed on the intersection of the origins of Monotheism and African cultures.

"His work explores multiple strands of African-American dance, organizing them with a wide range of geometrical ideas and rhythmic structures."
Alastair Macaulay (New York Times) READ FULL REVIEW

Funding Credits 

Moses(es) is funded in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the MetLife Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts; the MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC); The Harkness Foundation For Dance. 

Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group’s production, Moses(es), is co-commissioned by The Hatchery Project which is a collaboration of the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, RED Arts Philadelphia, Vermont Performance Lab, and The Chocolate Factory Theater; The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago and a 2012 Joyce Award; BAM for 2013 Next Wave Festival; LMCC; and by Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 

Research for Moses(es) was funded in part by The Foundation for Jewish Culture; The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago and a 2012 Joyce Award; Cowles Foundation; and Wesleyan University.