Photo: TruPhotography By Jaime Truman
Dallas, TX – Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) opens its 2015-2016 season with DanceAfrica, a cultural celebration of the African diaspora through dance and drumming in the Dallas Arts District on October 2-3, 2015. The only event of its kind in downtown Dallas, the weeklong festival features free classes, evening ticketed performances, and a free, all-day festival and marketplace. Performances this year will feature headliner, Giwayen Mata, from Atlanta and professional companies DBDT, DBDT II, Bandan Koro Drum and Dance Ensemble, and the community ensembles from DBDT’s Academy and Booker T. Washington HSPVA.
“With the theme Nalinga Ko Bina, which means I like to dance, this year’s DanceAfrica celebrates the joy of African dancing and drumming,” said DBDT Founder Ann M. Williams. “All of our performers will transport our audience to Africa and leave them invigorated, transfixed, and utterly jubilant.”
The festival is led by the national founder of DanceAfrica, Dr. Baba Chuck Davis. First held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music over 30 years ago, DanceAfrica occurs in multiple cities across the U.S. throughout the year, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Washington, D.C. Dallas Black Dance Theatre began hosting the Dallas DanceAfrica in 2007.
Each year, DBDT brings in several guests artists in addition to Dr. Davis. The headlining guest artist this year is the all-female powerhouse Giwayen Mata, who hails from Atlanta via Senegal, Ghana, and Haiti. The ensemble’s name translates to “Elephant Women” and pays tribute to the Nigerian term for female leaders, which comes from the matriarchal social structure of elephants. When troupe members first began performing in the 90s, few other females professionally performed on African instruments like the djembe drum. They have continued to be trailblazers in the traditionally male-dominated art form of drumming. Giwayen Mata will conclude its five-day residency in Dallas with a free community performance at NorthPark Center on Sunday, October 4, 2015, at 12:30 p.m. Giwayen Mata’s appearance is made possible by NorthPark Center through their NorthPark50: Fifty Years of Giving campaign, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the shopping destination and their history of philanthropy in Dallas. “As we embark on NorthPark Center’s 50th anniversary year, we thought of no better way to celebrate than by giving back to the organizations that we treasure,” said Nancy A. Nasher, co-owner of NorthPark Center with her husband, David J. Haemisegger. “DBDT is one of our beloved local cultural groups, known for their impressive dance performances, as well as their astute business acumen.”
“We are grateful for NorthPark Center’s support in bringing Giwayen Mata to Dallas,” said Executive Director, Zenetta S. Drew. “NorthPark Center has been a community partner for a number of years, and it seems fitting to close our festival with a performance at this historic Dallas icon.”
Held at the City Performance Hall in the downtown Arts District, the ticketed evening performances of DanceAfrica feature all five performing ensembles of DBDT, Dr. Baba Chuck Davis, Giwayen Mata, Bandan Koro Drum and Dance Ensemble, and Booker T. Washington’s HSVPA’s World Ensemble. Saturday also features a free, outdoor festival at Annette Strauss Square with community and professional dance and drum ensembles and a marketplace of local and African-themed vendors. Throughout the week leading up to the Festival, Dr. Davis teaches free West African dance and drumming masterclasses to children and adults at schools and community centers throughout Dallas. Dr. Davis also convenes a local Council of Elders, who perform at the ticketed performances.
Tickets to the evening performances can be purchased by calling the AT&T Performing Arts Center box office at (214) 880-0202 or www.attpac.org. For group sales, call (214) 871-2390. CONTACT: Courtney Whiteside Dallas Black Dance Theatre (214) 871-2376 x 413 c.whiteside@dbdt.com
NorthPark Center is the Guest Artist Sponsor of DanceAfrica. Additional support is provided by Texas Commission on the Arts, Union Bank, City of Dallas – Office of Cultural Affairs, and Trendy Africa.
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