Participant Profile

Faustin Linyekula

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kisangani
Dance

Faustin Linyekula is a dancer, choreographer and director who lives and works in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. He grew up and studied literature and theatre in Kisangani, and lived for a time in Nairobi, Kenya.  He set up Studios Kabako in Kisangani in June 2001, a dance and physical theatre organization designed as a place for interaction, research and creation. With his company, Linyekula has created over fifteen productions that have been performed on major stages and at major festivals in Europe, Africa and North and South America.

Faustin has also designed performances for museums, such as in New York at MOMA in 2012 and the Metropolitan Museum in 2017. His collaborations include a production for the Comédie Française (Bérénice, 2009), a show for the Ballet de Lorraine (La Création du monde 1923-2012) and a solo for a dancer from the CNB – Ballet National du Portugal (2016). He performed with Raimund Hoghe, who designed the duo Sans-Titre (2009) for him. Linyekula regularly teaches in Africa, in the United States and in Europe and has received numerous awards for his works.

Since 2006, Faustin has worked in the town of Kisangani where Studios Kabako support, train, produce and distribute young Congolese performing artists, videomakers and musicians, while working on the creation of a community cultural centre in Lubunga, one of the city’s six districts.