Louisiana native and ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ transplant, Helanius J. Wilkins is a choreographer, performance artist, educator, certified ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Change Leader, and artivist (artist-activist). Wilkins's creative research and projects are rooted in the interconnections of American contemporary performance, cultural history, and identities of Black men. Having choreographed 60+ works, honors include the Pola Nirenska Award for Contemporary Achievement in Dance (Washington Performing Arts Society, 2008). Foundations/Organizations including NEA, NEFA National Dance Project, and National Performance Network have supported his work. He founded and artistically directed D.C.-based EDGEWORKS Dance Theater, an all-male dance company predominantly of African-American men (2001 - 2014). The Director and a Professor of Dance for the Department of Theatre & Dance, he is also a member of the National Board of Directors of the American College Dance Association (ACDA) for the Northwest region and was appointed in 2018 by Governor Jared Polis to the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Council on Creative Industries.
