Connect with the motherland at the 32nd DanceAfrica fest

BAM’s longest running performance series — and one of America’s largest and most vibrant celebrations of African and African American dance, music, and culture — continues with the 32nd annual DanceAfrica festival.

Created in 1977 as the nation’s first festival devoted to the rich legacy of African dance, DanceAfrica has evolved into a highly-anticipated and high-spirited Memorial Day Weekend tradition that brings together the entire community.

Under the artistic direction of Founding Elder Chuck Davis, DanceAfrica 2009 Rhythmic Reflection: African Legacies Revealed features celebrated choreographer Ronald K. Brown’s Brooklyn-based Evidence, A Dance Company, performing Upside Down — a dance of sacred themes, burial, and memorial set to Nigerian music legend Fela Kuti’s song of the same name.
Rousing and critically acclaimed percussion orchestra and dance ensemble Farafina Kan from Washington, DC presents a program entitled Re-Birth of the Ancestors, which focuses on three rhythms/dances from Guinea and the Ivory Coast, included the Yamama, a mask dance of protection, the Zaouli, traditionally performed in homage to women, and the Gbe Gbe, which signifies death and final transitions.

In addition, Manhattan’s SeèWè African Dance Company brings its artistic mission of performing and teaching traditional African dance forms to the Opera House stage. All three companies will be making their DanceAfrica debut this year. DanceAfrica 2009 also sees the return of the BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble, an annual favorite and a powerful symbol of youth involvement in the preservation of African heritage, performing for the thirteenth straight year at BAM. This year they will perform Club Legacy, choreographed by Abdel R. Salaam of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre.

Performances are in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House at 30 Lafayette Avenue, May 22 at 7:30 p.m., May 23 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and May 24-25 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20-$45; half price for children 16 and under. For more, visit www.bam.org or call 718-636-4100.

In keeping with tradition, the DanceAfrica performances begin with a libation ceremony to honor those who have passed on to the ancestral grounds. This ceremony takes place on the steps of BAM at 6:30 p.m., May 22, 60 minutes prior to the first DanceAfrica performance. Each performance will include the traditional DanceAfrica greeting and welcoming ritual.

The week-long celebration, centered around the dance performances at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, also includes the popular outdoor DanceAfrica Bazaar with over 250 vendors featuring crafts, food, and fashion; a film series at BAM Rose Cinemas; an art exhibit and live music performances in BAMcafé.

DanceAfrica Bazaar
Each year, the free outdoor DanceAfrica Bazaar has been a gathering place for diverse crowds from all five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, and New Jersey, attracting an estimated 30,000 people over the weekend. The DanceAfrica Bazaar includes more than 250 national and international vendors. The DanceAfrica Bazaar transforms the streets surrounding BAM into a global marketplace of African, Caribbean, and African-American food, fashion, artifacts, jewelry, and crafts, May 23 from 12-10 p.m.; May 24 until 8 p.m. and May 25, 12-7 p.m.

DanceAfrica at BAMcafé Live

BAMcafé Live — the live music series held at 30 Lafayette Avenue nd curated by Darrell McNeill — presents Omi Yesa, May 23 at 9:30 p.m. With a legacy dating back nearly four decades, Omi Yesa continues to explore the Afro-Cuban Yoruba tradition through music and movement.

Led by Brooklyn-born vocalist Amma McKen, who began her lifelong study of the musical traditions of Yoruba religion and culture at the age of 14, Omi Yesa interprets Afro-Cuban and Orisa song, dance, and chant.

BAMcafé Live events have no cover charge and no drink minimum. For information, call 718-636-4100 or visit http://www.bam.org/.

Visual Artist Emmett Wigglesworth
Emmett Wigglesworth’s vibrant murals, paintings, prints, and sculptures have been celebrated across the globe from the schools of Selma, Alabama to the National Museum of Ghana. For DanceAfrica 2009, BAM and the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts commissioned Wigglesworth to create an original work that celebrates African dance, music, and culture.

The DanceAfrica African Memorial Room is a contribution from the Council of Elders dedicated to the memory of those who have “crossed over to the valley of the ancestors.” The African Memorial Room will be in the BAM Natman Room in the Howard Gilman Opera House during DanceAfrica weekend.

DanceAfrica Film Program
BAMcinématek will present highlights from African Film Festival, Inc.’s Traveling Series, May 22-25, along with special screenings of director Lee Isaac Chung’s acclaimed drama Munyurangabo and the animated family film Azur and Asmar. BAM Rose Cinemas is at 30 Lafayette Avenue. Tickets are $11; $8 for seniors, children under 12, and students 25 and under.