IMPRESSIONS: Works & Process Rotunda Project co-presents “The Hikers” at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Works & Process Rotunda Project co-presents “The Hikers” at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Direction: Rashid Johnson

Choreography: Claudia Schreier

Performers: Lloyd Knight, Leslie Andrea Williams

Live Piano: Aku Orraca-Tetteh

December 17, 2025

Through January 19, 2026, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum presented American multimedia artist and director Rashid Johnson’s solo exhibit, “A Poem for Deep Thinkers.” Over ninety of Johnson’s vivid works, ranging from cascading paintings, towering sculptures, and gripping films, were showcased in the museum’s rotunda. As stated on the Guggenheim’s exhibition note, the gallery “highlights Johnson’s role as a scholar of art history, a mediator of Black popular culture, and as a creative force in contemporary art.” One of his many compelling works plays on the rotunda’s fifth ramp – a dance duet filmed on a mountainside titled “The Hikers.”

Lloyd Knight in Rashid Johnson's “The Hikers”, Choreographed by Claudia Schreier; Photo: Sabrina Santiago

Live performance events, presented in partnership with the Works & Process Rotunda Project, brought new perspectives to Johnson’s breadth of artworks, including a reimagining of “The Hikers” for the museum’s rotunda, choreographed by Claudia Schreier. This stunning duet was performed by Lloyd Knight and Leslie Andrea Williams of the Martha Graham Dance Company, accompanied by pianist Aku Orraca-Tetteh on December 17, 2025.

As a program note read, the work “[amplifies] the dialogue between movement, architecture, and Johnson’s expansive practice.” Schreier’s extensive choreographic background, which includes creating, directing, and producing for renowned companies in the United States and abroad, shines in her live rendition of Johnson’s film. 

Lloyd Knight, Aku Orraca-Tetteh ( on piano) and Leslie Andrea Williams in Rashid Johnson's “The Hikers”, Choreographed by Claudia Schreier; Photo: Sabrina Santiago

“The Hikers” developed following Johnson’s travels to Aspen, Colorado from 2018 to 2019. In a pre-show introduction, Johnson describes being one of the only Black people in Aspen. As a result, he was deeply impacted when coming face to face with a Black person on a hike in the area. “The Hikers” responds to this chance meeting, and the dancers’ live rendition of Schreier’s choreography brings a beautifully intimate proximity to the work. 

We are invited to view the performance from anywhere in the rotunda—half the crowd gathers at the entrance on ground level, while the remaining half settles on the upper floors. Knight and Williams shatter the initial stillness, lunging into view. Knight approaches from the second level of the museum’s spiraling rotunda, as though descending a mountain. As he strides, his torso and arms undulate, rippling in a steady, measured rhythm. Williams carves through space on the rotunda’s floor, her movements resonant and regal. Both wear tan masks that cover their faces entirely; black markings encircle their masks’ eyes, noses, and mouths. Below the neck, they don fitted black tank tops, pants, and sneakers. With their facial expressions hidden, I hone in on their movement qualities as they merge the meter of hikers with the spontaneity of artists. 

Lloyd Knight  and Leslie Andrea Williams in Rashid Johnson's “The Hikers”, Choreographed by Claudia Schreier; Photo: Sabrina Santiago

Orraca-Tetteh’s live piano, situated stage left of the rotunda’s performance floor, builds the work’s atmosphere. The keys ring gently at first, carrying clearly through the space to match the gradual progression of Knight’s and Williams’ separate journeys. As the music swells, anticipation grows, and I wonder when the duo’s paths will cross. Knight envelopes the rotunda with a series of cascading turns while interspersing moments of pause, as though listening to the space around him. Shortly following his arrival, Williams begins a brief ascent of her own, spiraling against the railing. 

Williams alters her pathway, choosing to descend from the precipice above, approaching Knight once more. Their face-to-face meeting (still masked) brings quiet bewilderment. They pause, taking in each other’s presence. As they remove their face coverings—perhaps in recognition of the safe space they share—their gazes convey trust and understanding. 

Lloyd Knight  and Leslie Andrea Williams in Rashid Johnson's “The Hikers”, Choreographed by Claudia Schreier; Photo: Sabrina Santiago

They fold into each other, sweeping us into their swift, tender duet. I enjoy the intricate articulations of their hands, arms, and backs as they mirror each other with sharp, staccato qualities that punctuate their smoothness. It feels as though they are conversing about their journeys up to this point, or expressing the euphoria of their meeting.

I can’t help but notice how the spiraling architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design for the Guggenheim’s rotunda accentuates the world Knight and Williams exist in. The museum’s whirling climb captures the memory of the mountain that they each travelled through to meet. The extraordinary dancers wield expressive modes of storytelling through their torsos, pelvises, and spines, bringing hallmarks of their seasoned careers with Graham to Schreier’s majestic choreography. Each gesture—bound, carved, and thoroughly human—conveys weight and intention.

Lloyd Knight  and Leslie Andrea Williams in Rashid Johnson's “The Hikers”, Choreographed by Claudia Schreier; Photo: Sabrina Santiago

In soft moments of pause, the two pull away from each other; this quick tension launches them back together into lofty, suspended lifts. Swirling turns, sculptural lifts, and tossing limbs add sparkle to their exchange, yet the simplest moments land most deeply with me, such as their hands resting on each other’s cheeks, or their palms clasping. Schreier’s choices in movements, both steady and sincere, capture their budding bond. Through the fleeting fifteen minutes of their movement conversation, Knight and Williams convey an authentic connection. 

Lloyd Knight  in Rashid Johnson's “The Hikers”, Choreographed by Claudia Schreier; Photo: Sabrina Santiago

As the duet concludes, the dancers reapply their masks, symbolizing their return to their respective journeys. Though their moment of mutual recognition and intimate encounter was brief, I feel that they will carry the memory and empathy with them. As they bore witness to each other, I was in turn honored to bear witness to them in “The Hikers.”