Aiming to both entertain and educate the public about the different traditions of African cultures, University company Dance Africa@@http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=41@@ kicks off its annual tour this weekend with two special performances to add to its repertoire.
Combining African dancing, drumming and singing, the 11-member company will perform with special guests Habib Iddrisu and Nana Yaw Asumin@@http://go.registerguard.com/entertainment/2012/jan/20/10976/@@ this Friday and Saturday night, leading audiences through their collection of dances and introducing two new numbers who were taught by this week’s artist-in-residence, Iddrisu.
Formed by Rita Honka,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Rita+Honka@@ a senior faculty member in the Department of Dance, and Kouessan Gabriel Abaglo,@@http://music.uoregon.edu/programareas/ensembles/dance.htm@@ Dance Africa began in 1993. Since then, the company has started its own artist-in-residence program and Dance Africa week, in which guests are invited to the University for a week to teach classes, lecture and demonstrate traditional African dance and music. The artists also choreograph one or two new pieces for the final concert.
“There’s so much energy with it, and you really get a taste of a bunch of different types of African dancing and drumming,” said Rhian Pyke,@@http://www.nearbynature.org/staff-and-board/staff@@ a 2008 University graduate who has been a drummer in Dance Africa for the past four years. Pyke continued to explain that although the two new numbers they will be performing are from Ghana, many of their other pieces come from different parts of Africa.
Iddrisu, this year’s artist in residence, was born in Ghana and has led a number of dance groups in both Ghana and the U.S., teaching both African dance and drumming. He spent four days working with the company, teaching them two new performance pieces in his own Ghanaian style, which features singing along with the dancing and drumming at certain parts.
“The singing and the dancing and the drumming with African culture are all really intertwined. And we try to keep it as authentic and traditional as possible,” said dancer Ida Danks.@@http://danceafrica.uoregon.edu/company/@@ Danks, 33, has been a part of Dance Africa since 1998, taking a 10-year break before rejoining the group once again in 2011. The dancers often sing to the songs, Danks said, and the drummers also sing and dance during certain numbers.
Although many of the company members are majoring in or have received their degree in dance, Dance Africa is open to “anyone who can dance,” Honka said, including students of different majors or others with dance experience.
Dance Africa auditions are held in October, and following this, the company practices their repertoire until Dance Africa week in during this month, when they learn a new dance by the artist in residence to perform with their other numbers. The concert kicks off the Dance Africa tour, which travels around to Eugene and Springfield elementary, middle and high schools for performances and classes on African culture.
“If it inspires someone who’s never experienced it to go take an African class or learn to drum or any of that — learning something new, putting yourself out there and continuing to educate yourself — then that would be awesome,” Danks said of the upcoming concert and tour.
“The biggest thing is to experience the fact that dance is such a rich art,” Honka said. “And then to have these cultural differences but at the same time similarities, and the richness of how dance and music can be part of a culture … I think that’s so important for Americans to know. Hopefully this weekend we will access that.”
The Dance Africa company will perform with special guests Iddrisu and drummer Nana Yaw Asumin in the Dougherty Dance Theatre on Friday, Jan. 20 and Saturday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available from the University ticket office in the EMU, costing $5 for students and senior and $10 for general admission. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.@@http://tickets.uoregon.edu/event/7207@@