Faustin Linyekula CG

Dancer, choreographer and director, Faustin Linyekula lives and works in Kisangani (Democratic Republic of Congo).

After a literary and theatrical training in Kisangani, he moved to Nairobi in 1993 and co-founded in 1997 the first contemporary dance company in Kenya, the Gàara company.

Returning to Kinshasa in June 2001, he set up a structure for dance and visual theatre, a place for exchange, research and creation: the Kabako Studios.

With his company, Faustin is the author of more than fifteen plays that have been presented on the biggest stages and festivals in Europe, North and South America, Australia and Africa.

Collaborations include a production for the Comédie Française (Bérénice, 2009), a creation for the Ballet de Lorraine (La Création du monde 1923-2012), a solo for a dancer from the CNB - Ballet National du Portugal. Faustin has also imagined performances for museums: WOAgri in New York (2012), MUCEM in Marseille (2016), the Metropolitan Museum (2017) or the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren (2018).

He regularly teaches in Africa, in the United States (University of the Arts, Philadelphia, University of Florida - Gainesville, University of Arizona, Tempe...) and in Europe (Parts, CNDC Angers, Impulstanz...).

Faustin was awarded in 2007 the Grand Prize of the Prince Claus Foundation for Culture and Development. In 2016, Faustin was Associate Artist of the City of Lisbon and received the city's Medal of Cultural Merit.

Since 2007, Faustin's work and approach has been based in the city of Kisangani, where the Kabako Studios supports the training, production and distribution of young Congolese artists in the field of performing arts, but also video and music.

In 2014, Faustin and the Studios Kabako received the first prize from the American foundation CurryStone for the work developed on Kisangani and particularly on the commune of Lubunga with the different communities.

In 2016, as part of the Artista Na Cidade biennial, Faustin is an associate artist of the City of Lisbon, from which he receives the Medal of Artistic Merit.

From September 2018 and for three seasons, he will be associated with the Manège - Scène nationale de Reims in France. In 2019, he will be associate artist of the Holland Festival in Amsterdam.