Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago to Welcome Reggie Wilson and Fist & Heel, 4/3-5

Representing 40 years of commitment to presenting important contemporary dance artists and developing new work, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago presents Reggie Wilson and his company Fist & Heel Performance Group in a work co-commissioned by The Dance Center. Performances are April 3-5, 2014 at The Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. The company also concludes The Dance Center's 15th season of FamilyDance Matinees, offering a 45-minute family-oriented performance preceded by a free workshop that encourages parents and children to move with the artists Saturday, April 5.

Moses(es), an evening-length work, explores our relationship to leadership and the effects of migration on beliefs and customs. Grounded in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Moses, Man of the Mountains and arising out of Wilson's exploratory travels to Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Mali, the work looks at diasporic movement out of Africa and into the rest of the world through the lens of Moses stories in their various cross-cultural and cross-faith interpretations.

"This is the second time my work has been presented at The Dance Center," said Wilson. I've also taught and set pieces on students, and The Dance Center was instrumental in supporting the early research and development of Moses(es). My relationship with The Dance Center feels deep and long; I trust that it will be there into the future."

There will be a post-performance conversation with the artists Thursday, April 3, and a pre-performance talk Friday, April 4 at 7 p.m. with Moses(es) dramaturg Susan Manning, professor of English, theatre and performance studies at Northwestern University and past president of the Society of Dance History Scholars. Both events are free to ticket holders. Wilson also will participate in The Dance Center's DanceMakers series, which features leading contemporary dance artists offering insight into their choreographic process, Monday, March 31, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. In celebration of The Dance Center's 40th season, DanceMakers sessions are free. Preregistration is required.

Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group blends contemporary dance with African traditions, creating brilliant new performances from the rich spiritual traditions of the African Diaspora. Claudia La Rocco of the New York Times called Wilson "one of this country's most talented choreographers.

Reggie Wilson's Moses(es) is co-commissioned by The Dance Center with funding from a 2012 Joyce Award. The Dance Center's presentation of of Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group is funded, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew Mellon Foundation.

The Dance Center presents Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group April 3-5, Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. at The Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. Single tickets are $26-30. The FamilyDance Matinee takes place Saturday, April 5 at 3 p.m., with the free movement workshop beginning at 2:15 p.m. Admission for children 12 and younger is free; adult tickets are $15. All programming is subject to change. The theatre is accessible to people with disabilities. For information, call 312-369-8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenter.

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