The Tale: Npinpee Nckutchie and the Tail of the Golden Duck

Reggie Wilson’s new work draws upon African and Caribbean traditions of dance and vocal harmonies, tracing the historical arc that connects ancient ritual to urban social dance; it integrates African forms with the intricate partnering and movement dialogues of “hand dancing,” Bopping, and the Lindy Hop, as well as the Black Folks traditions of the Big Apple, Black Bottom, and Electric Slide.

In addition to the peformances, Reggie Wilson / Fist and Heel Performance Group participate in Artists Up Close Programs, including:

Chicago Moves: Race, Steppin’, and Neo-HooDoo Modern Dance
Tuesday, March 13 from 6:00pm-7:30pm
at Little Black Pearl, 1060 East 47th Street
FREE

Reggie Wilson shows the personal dance style he has developed from the languages of the blues, slave and spiritual cultures of Africans in the Americas. People are encouraged to demonstrate their own dance styles in this sharing conversation about cultural and social Chicago.

First Night Post-show Talk
Thursday, March 15
Free with performance ticket

Reggie Wilson and the company members engage the audience in a conversation immediately following the first performance of The Tale.

Roundtable
Lindy Hopping, Steppin’, Vogueing: Black Social Dance Now
Saturday, March 17 from 2:00pm-4:00pm
FREE

New dance forms are appearing on the stage and screen based on subversive Black social dance traditions. Is the subculture threatened by the mainstream? Join dance makers Reggie Wilson and Darrell Jones and sociologist Blackhawk Hancock for this powerful exchange about the history of Black social dance, and their subversive dynamics in relation to race, culture and the body.