Project Lead: Prof. Aguibou Bougobali SANOU, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
Vivero Fellow (2026-2027): Olyvia Liu-Cai
Djatigui-Ya (ja-tee-gee-ya) is a community-engaged choreography project exploring hospitality, belonging, and cultural exchange through movement. Integrated into THD-295: Choreography, the project invites students to extend their learning beyond the classroom and engage directly with community members through creative and embodied research. Participants examine how dance can build meaningful relationships, strengthen community ties, and deepen intercultural understanding in everyday spaces. Rooted in collaborative artistic practice, Djatigui-Ya shows how choreography can serve as a tool for connection, dialogue, and social change.
A key component of the Fellowship is the development of a digital archive and public-facing web resource dedicated to Djatigui-Ya. Over the past three years, we have documented Djatigui-Ya I, II, and III (2024 –2026) through photographs, video, interviews, and other forms of creative documentation. The Fellow will help organize these materials and build a webpage hosted on my Grinnell College faculty site, making the archive accessible to students, faculty, researchers, and community members. This work will preserve the project’s artistic and cultural legacy while expanding access to community-engaged research and creative practice. Along the way, the Fellow will develop skills in digital storytelling, web design and content management, archival organization, multimedia documentation, community-based research, and intercultural communication, contributing to a lasting resource that highlights dance’s role in fostering hospitality, belonging, and connection, while supporting the long-term preservation and visibility of this project.
