Louisiana native and Colorado transplant, Helanius J. Wilkins is a choreographer, performance artist, educator, certified Colorado 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 Colorado Council on Creative Industries.
