Reggie Wilson’s Cohort Tracking Project provided an opportunity for a diverse, group of Florida State University students to witness the development of Wilson’s latest work, Moses(es.  Drawing from the Theater, English and Dance Departments, the self-selected group of undergraduate, graduate and PhD candidate attended rehearsals to observe the creation of the piece and interact with Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel.  The experience was designed to provide an opportunity for the cohort to have greater access to the collaborators research and working process, reflect upon it, and generate their own artistic product in response to the work. 

The cohort members worked independently, creating their responses in a manner that best suited their individual needs.  School of Dance student Desiree Amadeo used the experience to further her research of nostalgia’s effect on the choreographic process.  Having strong childhood ties to the Moses story, she spent rehearsal periods documenting how she internalized the movement and dialogue.  Amadeo’s response will reflect her investigation of how memory can contextualize the way one views movement.  Other cohort members are slated to compose responses that range in genre from mixed-media collages to hieroglyphic-inspired tapestries.  Participants will continue to develop their creative responses until the piece premieres in Fall of 2013.

The Cohort Tracking Project is a part of a national initiative by Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel that takes place at each Moses(es) developmental residency site.  Locally, the trajectory for the project keeps individual members engaging in sustained dialogue with Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel, the new work in development, their fellow FSU cohort participants and other students and community members at the various residency host locations.  Members of the FSU cohort plan to attend the premiere next fall to personally observe the work’s final manifestation.