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Reggie Wilson’s …they stood shaking while others began to shout premiered on the occasion of Platform 2018, Dancing Platform Praying Grounds: Blackness, Churches, and Downtown Dance. Curated by Wilson, Platform 2018 was Danspace’s twelfth Platform. The video above is an excerpt of the full evening length work.

…they stood shaking while others began to shout is a dynamic tapestry that connects the past with the present.

This work is influenced by Wilson’s research into Black Shakers, particularly prominent Shaker Eldress, Mother Rebecca Cox Jackson; The Ibeji, an orisha (god) of the Yoruba religion that is represented by twins; the problems and dynamics of duets and pairing; and his 1995 work, The Littlest Baptist, which incorporated investigations into the deep South and Trinidad and Tobago – an early example of how Wilson’s field research was synthesized into performative theater.

…they stood shaking while others began to shout includes live vocal components performed by two of Wilson’s longtime collaborators, Rhetta Aleong and Lawrence Harding. The vocal score incorporates Wilson’s research into Ring Shouts and traditional American Baptist, Trinidad and Tobagonian Spiritual Baptist, and Shaker praise songs to find and create the phrasing and rhythms to structure the work’s ideas and choreography.

Each performance was followed by a conversation with Reggie Wilson.

Performed by Fist & Heel Performance Group: Hadar Ahuvia, Yeman Brown, Paul Hamilton, Raja Feather Kelly, Clement Mensah, Gabi Silva, Annie Wang and Michelle Yard

Live vocals by Rhetta Aleong and Lawrence Harding