The Conversation Series: Stitching the Geopolitical Quilt to Re-Body Belonging by Helanius J. Wilkins and A. Ryder Turner, featured new choreographies, a documentary film, and a digital archive of the process and performance. The project brought together artists, humanitarians, social justice activists, JEDIA (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility) consultants, and, most central, members of diverse, intergenerational communities across the nation. During their fall 2021 residency at The Croft, Wilkins and Turner developed community engagement strategies through workshops, movement/choreographic sessions, and research. Kalamazoo was one of the first communities in which this research was actualized and Turner/Wilkins worked with a diverse group of Kalamazoo community members to engage in activities to build components of the work resulting in the tailor-made Kalamazoo performance of the work at 2022 RAD Fest. More about Wilkins and Turner HERE.

Seolh investigated gender equity and the reductive forces of the western male-dominant cultural structure we live in through the lens of Plato’s Symposium and the folklore of Selkies, - half-woman, half-creature. These shapeshifters were predominantly portrayed as women, but I believe the significance of their genesis delicately intertwines with the stories of men, women, and non-binary individuals, across generations. Further inspired by the seductive powers of the songs and incantations commonly associated with folklore creatures, the piece will explore whispered text and songs, composed and sung by Bre Short, evoking a haunting feeling of living memories and missing parts.”—Thryn Saxon, selected 2022/2023 RADicle Artist. More about Saxon HERE.

 past RADicle works