OZ Arts Nashville

Faustin Linyekula

with Heru Shabaka-Ra of the Sun Ra Arkestra

(Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo)

My Body, My Archive

January 24 & 25

Tickets from $25

See more and save! This performance is included in the 5-Show Spring Package ($120) and Flex Package (from $165). Learn more.

“Breathtaking political art…the greatest single example of solo dancing I’ve seen in a long time.”
Los Angeles Times

“Live-wire intensity…Linyekula, rubbery and supple, shows an eerie flair for seeming to float in the air” 
The New York Times

“Quite possibly the most important artist working on the African continent today.”
Frieze Magazine

The riveting and elegant work of Congolese choreographer and writer Faustin Linyekula nurtures hope in the face of the ongoing legacy of war and ruin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With a gripping blend of exquisite and sometimes frenetic movement, poetic text, and evocative live music by potent trumpeter Heru Shabaka-Ra of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Linyekula summons ancestors, friendships, and political struggles — reckoning with what it means to seek beauty, to write or sing or dance, when surrounded by violence and loss. 

Linyekula combines the power of theater, the expressive force of dance and sharp political critique to explore post-colonial reality with courage and humor. His international award-winning  performances have been commissioned by some of the world’s most prestigious cultural festivals and institutions, including the Tate Museum in London, and at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, as well as The Metropolitan Museum. He has created work for the Comédie Française, the Lorraine ballets, the National Ballet of Portugal CNB, and famed opera director Peter Sellars.

ENGAGEMENT EVENTS

In addition to performances of My Body, My Archive, Faustin Linyekula’s Nashville residency includes several unique opportunities for local audiences and creatives to engage with the artists.

FREE EVENT

LUNCH & LEARN WITH FAUSTIN LINYEKULA

Tuesday, January 21, 12-1PM
Fisk University Library, 3rd Floor
(1000 17th Ave N)
Join us for a free Lunch & Learn with acclaimed Congolese choreographer, writer, and storyteller Faustin Linyekula at the Fisk University Library as he explores the topic of the body as a living archive. Food is provided.

FREE EVENT

JAZZ MASTERCLASS WITH HERU SHABAKA-RA

Wednesday, January 22, 7:30-9PM
Nashville Jazz Workshop
(1012 Buchanan St)
Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter Heru Shabaka-Ra leads an exploratory 90-minute session on Afro-futuristic soundscapes and the creative process at Nashville Jazz Workshop. This free event is open to all pre-professional and professional instrumentalists, not just trumpeters.

FREE EVENT

MOVEMENT MASTERCLASS WITH FAUSTIN LINYEKULA

Saturday, January 25, 2025, 11AM-1PM
Global Education Center, Studio B
(4822 Charlotte Ave #3)
In this free workshop for all experience levels, Faustin Linyekula uses movement to explore the body as a living archive, the power of circles, and how dance can connect us to our ancestors. 

For Ticket-Holders

POST-SHOW CONVERSATIONS

Friday & Saturday, January 24 & 25
Following the performance
Each performance of My Body, My Archive will be followed by a special conversation with the artists. Ticket-holders are invited to stay after the show to learn more about the creative process and ask questions.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Faustin Linyekula is known as a dancer, choreographer, but he calls himself a storyteller. He tells his stories through writing, theater, dance, still or moving images.
 
In 2001, after eight years abroad (Kenya, Indian Ocean, Europe), he returned to the ruins of his native country, Democratic Republic of Congo, former Zaire, former Belgian Congo, former Congo Free State, private property of Leopold II, King of Belgians. He wanted to be as close as possible to these stories of the Congo that haunt all his shows; but it was also a challenge against the desperation that every year pushes thousands of Congolese out of the country, never to return. Thus were born the Studios Kabako. Not an artistic company, but a place. A refuge for artists from the Congo and beyond, offering long-term accompaniment, from training to production and touring. A space to federate creative energies, regardless of artistic disciplines (dance, theater, music, or cinema).
 
Linyekula’s work has been shown in theaters, festivals and museums across Europe, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, including the MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Africa Museum in Tervuren, the Tate Modern in London, the MUCEM in Marseille, Festival d’Avignon, the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels, New Zealand Festival, Sharjah Biennial, Théâtre de la Ville or Festival d’Automne in Paris. He was the artist of the city in Lisbon in 2016, and co-associate artist for Holland Festival in 2019. He received the 2007 Principal Award from the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development, the 2014 CurryStone Design Prize, the 2018 Inaugural Soros Arts Fellowship, and the 2019 Tällberg / Eliasson Global Leadership Prize. He’s currently an associate artist at Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris.
Faustin Linyekula
This tour is presented with support from Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation.