Faustin Linyekula

Born  in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, the dancer and  choreographer Faustin Linyekula combines the power of theatre, the  expressive force of dance and sharp political critique to explore  post-colonial reality with courage and humour.

Faustin  Linyekula grew up and studied literature and theatre in Kisangani.  Because of the political troubles, he moved to Nairobi and co-founded  the first contemporary dance company in Kenya. A prize awarded by the  Angola International Dance Festival opened the doors to the  international dance scene, and he was invited to present Tales Off the Mud Walls at the 2002 Summer Tanz Festival in Vienna. French audiences discovered his work at the 2007 Avignon Festival with Le Festival des mensonges.  Despite his emerging international career, Faustin Linyekula decided to  go back to DRC to found Studios Kabako in Kinshasa, a multidisciplinary  training, production and distribution centre that now operates out of  Kisangani. Faustin Linyekula regularly teaches in Africa, the USA and  Europe (Paris, CNDC Angers, Impulstanz, etc.) In 2007 he was awarded the  Grand Prix de la Fondation Prince Claus for Culture and Development,  and in 2014 the Grand Prix de la Fondation CurryStone for his work at  Studios Kabako. In 2016 he was appointed Associate Artist for the City  of Lisbon.

Source : Festival de Marseille