Grounds That Shout! took shape in Philadelphia over the last
two years when a collaborative relationship formed between
Partners for Sacred Places, Philadelphia Contemporary (an or-
ganization dedicated to presenting contemporary art through
popup exhibits and performances), and the New York City-based
Danspace Project. The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage funded the
collaboration in its entirety.
An earlier iteration of Wilson’s vision was organized by
Danspace Project, Dancing Platform, Praying Grounds: Black-
ness, Churches, and Downtown Dance (see sidebar). Grounds That
Shout! added a number of substantial layers to this initial work.
For this project, the collaborators invited the participation of
seven dance groups beyond Wilson’s Fist and Heel Performance
Group. The project employed the services of a dramaturge, Ari-
elle Julia Brown, who compiled a rich dossier of historical back-
ground to inform and undergird the site-specific creations of the
dancers. This background ranged from information about the
Lenni-Lenape people native to the region, to histories of each
congregation and its building. As Brown says in her program
notes, “In some cases, the artists engaged these histories and geo-
graphies as historical architecture around which the dance was
built. In other cases, these histories were regarded as atmosphere
encircling the work.”
<fidget> performing “Malo,” between St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and Old
Pine Street Church, for Grounds that Shout! procession. Credit: Daniel Kontz
All of this resulted in three nights of performances at
Church of the Advocate, a series of three panel discussions, and a
procession through Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood
beginning in St. Peter’s Episcopal Church’s cemetery, continuing
into Old Pine Presbyterian Church’s cemetery and interior, and
ending at Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.)
Church—with different performance groups at and in between
each site.
Audience walking through St. Peter's Episcopal Church cemetery during Grounds that Shout! procession. Credit: Daniel Kontz
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SACRED PLACES • SUMMER 2019