Louis DeVaughn Nelson is the founder of Hokum Arts, a creative entity he established in 2006. With a career spanning twenty years, Nelson has worn multiple hats as a performer, choreographer, producer, and director across various mediums, including film, theater, dance, and more. His work has been showcased in the United States, Europe, Australia, and South Korea.
Nelson's accolades include being named Best New Choreographer by The Philadelphia City Paper in 2007 and receiving a top prize at the CIANT Festival of Film and New Media Art in 2011 for his short film "YouBahn". This video art film explores the subliminal culture of art and technology in subway environments.
Nelson's educational background includes studies at DeSales University, Drexel University, and The New School. He is a member of The Village Playwrights and The Dramatist Guild of America.
Throughout his career, Nelson has tackled complex and timely topics such as domestic violence, racism, sexuality, discrimination, bigotry, misogyny, and the marginalization of class and social systems in his film and dance theater work. His most notable pieces include his three-part dance theatre series, "Human Error" (2007),"Man Bites Dog" (2010),and "Until Proven Guilty" (2018),which examine sociopolitical warfare and sensationalism in the media in America.
Innovative in his approach, Nelson combines multiple media and disciplines, collaborating with photographers, filmmakers, fine artists, and performing artists. His recent work has focused on directing theatre and dance productions for ZOOM, YouTube, and Twitch, pushing the boundaries of new media during the pandemic.
Nelson's extensive credits include working with notable organizations such as The English Theater Berlin, The Philadelphia Fringe Festival, The Festivale! GLBT Arts Festival, The Philly Dance Collective, CEC's New Edge Mix Festival, The Peekaboo Revue, The HOT! Festival, Hearts on the Wall by Dark Matter Productions, The FailSafe Festival, Sans Limites Dance Festival, Manhattan Repertory Theatre, The Secret Theatre, Broadway Bound Theatre Festival, Dixon Place, Sitting Shotgun Theatre Co., Village Playwrights, Bloodline Dance Theatre, Exquisite Corpse Company, Musical Theatre Factory/Poetic Theatre Productions, Miami Queer Collective, and The Tank NYC.
