“An ethereal figure with a spirit of steel . . . the Congolese choreographer is an intellectual and practical force to be reckoned with.” —The Star, South Africa
Join celebrated Congo-based choreographer Faustin Linyekula as he turns the Cedar into a Kinshasa social club and combines a spirited soukous party with an intensive performance installation. Linyekula, his five-member company, an all-star band of local Africans (featuring Yawo Attivor and Siama Matuzungi), and catering by Tam Tam’s African Restaurant come together to create an immersive, emotionally resonant piece that reimagines an age-old and surprisingly joyous combination of tradition and myth in which villagers gather to drink, dance, feast, and concoct outrageous lies about their leaders as a way to laugh about—and subvert—the violence, corruption, and poverty surrounding them.
Saturday’s marathon presentation extends past last call, combining Linyekula’s company with a diverse, global mix of leading Twin Cities performing artists for an evening featuring the Festival of Lies performance remixed and expanded to include spoken word, dance, and storytelling by powerful local forces. More food, more drinks, more art, and especially, more lies.
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