We have partnered with Footnote New Zealand Dance to bring Djibril Sall to Wellington as this year’s international artist in residence.

Sall, is a queer Senegalese performer, choreographer, and writer. Born in Dakar, he grew up in a working-class family in the Deep South of the United States of America and was educated at the ‘elite’ Wesleyan University. He describes himself in these terms to illustrate the range of privilege he holds as someone who worked from the peripheries of the Global South to someone who can now move unencumbered within and outside of the borders of the Global North. His work is situated at the intersection of (racialised) migration and belonging, where he questions the reasons that compel people to leave. This questioning includes his own migration background and his insights into (non)belonging and being in-between. The central question he poses to himself and his audience is: How can trauma become a departure point for exploring pleasure, letting go, disclosure, and open-hearted connection?

This residency forms part of an annual programme initiated and funded by the Goethe-Institut New Zealand, with support from Wellington City Council and will run from late May till June 22. During his time here, Djibril will be offering several dance workshops and giving a performance. These will be announced on April 22.