Grounds That Shout! (And Others Merely Shaking)

Partners for Sacred Places will collaborate with Philadelphia Contemporary and award-winning choreographer Reggie Wilson to present Grounds That Shout! (And Others Merely Shaking), a series of performances exploring relationships among religion, movement, race, and the body, with a focus on the African American religious experience and the specific context of Philadelphia’s historic sacred spaces. Wilson will curate performances by Philadelphia-based artists at religious sites along the Lombard Street corridor—host to a unique density of historic churches—highlighting both the broad narrative history of these spaces and their present-day status in a rapidly changing city. The project extends Wilson’s recent work with New York’s Danspace Project interrogating the history of St. Mark’s Church. Danspace’s Judy Hussie-Taylor will serve as a curatorial advisor to Wilson as he brings these concepts to Philadelphia. The series will conclude with a week-long residency by Wilson and his Fist and Heel Performance Group at the Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia.

Additional unrestricted funds are added to each grant for general operating support.