A Guide to DanceAfrica 2019

Photo: Adreinne Waheed

By Akornefa Akyea

DanceAfrica is the longest-running program at BAM. The festival founded in 1977 by traditional African dance choreographer Dr. Charles "Chuck" Davis (1937—2017) began as a three-day event in the Lepercq Space; a note in the program read:

“In essence, you are visitors to our village which is wherever we are. We welcome you with Dyembes (Drums) and Eparoro (Chant). Through the chant we ask that you not only enjoy your stay with us but form with us a comradeship that will remain a lasting association.”

In its 42nd year and now under the artistic direction of Abdel R. Salaam, DanceAfrica is almost two weeks long, taking place in several venues, with a community that is very much alive and well. This year we celebrate the rich movement and dance traditions of Rwanda in acknowledgement of the 25th anniversary of the government-sponsored genocide against the Tutsi.

Here’s your guide to this expansive event, which has everything from performances, classes, and screenings to the sprawling DanceAfrica Bazaar, a late-night dance party, and a chance to talk and interact with Rwandans in real time.

DanceAfrica Evolves

Abdel R. Salaam. Photo: Jack Vartoogian

By David Hsieh

For 40 years, the DanceAfrica Festival meant Baba Chuck Davis. As the founder and, until 2015, sole artistic director of the festival, he represented the festival, body and soul. With his 6-foot-5 height, booming voice, and regal dashikis, he was hard to miss on and off stage. Baba Chuck passed away at the age of 80 just before last year’s festival. His successor Abdel R. Salaam, is now writing the next chapter of this beloved tradition.

In Context: DanceAfrica

This year’s DanceAfrica performance offers a taste of the rhythm and spirit of South Africa, acknowledging Nelson Mandela’s centennial birthday and the contributions of freedom fighters past and present. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #DanceAfrica. Ago! Amée!

Reflecting on DanceAfrica

"DanceAfrica 2002: 25 Years of DanceAfrica: Africa, My Africa" during BAM Spring Series, 2002.
Photo: Richard Termine

As part of DanceAfrica 2017, BAM is partnering with StoryCorps to create a platform for you to share your experiences with the 40-year-old festival.

Please follow these simple instructions to share your story:

1. Download the free StoryCorps mobile app, available on iPhone, Android, and Kindle, and create a free account.

2. Record a conversation with a friend or fellow DanceAfrica fan. Follow the prompts in the app to begin recording, and let the conversation flow!

Here are some questions to get you started:

• When was the first time you participated in or attended DanceAfrica?
• What do you remember about the first time you attended or participated in DanceAfrica?
• Do you have any memories of Baba Chuck that you would like to share?

NOTE: while you can record up to 45 minutes, recordings can also be as short as a minute.

3. Publish and share the interview to StoryCorps’ public online collection at StoryCorps.me using the keyword DanceAfrica40.

4. Listen! Search StoryCorps.me for DanceAfrica40 to find more conversations about the memories of 40 years of DanceAfrica at BAM.

Learn more at StoryCorps.me. Need help? Email contactus@storycorps.me

Behind the Scenes at BAM–Stacey Dinner, Artist Services Manager

Stacey Dinner (standing, 3rd from left) with friends including DanceAfrica artist directors Abdel Salaam to her left,
and Chuck Davis, seated, at right. Photo courtesy Stacey Dinner.

By David Hsieh

Stacey Dinner is hard to miss, even in a crowd of dancers. Her dark, shoulder-length hair flies in every direction. She keeps in sync with the most complicated African drum rhythms. She is also part of the four-people artist services team at BAM, which takes care of visiting artists' every need. She and her colleagues—Mary Reilly, Britney Polites, and Jeannine Baca—are the "frontline” between BAM and the artists it presents. We ask her what the job is like and her personal connection to DanceAfrica.

Q: Who are you? 

A: My name is Stacey Dinner and I am the BAM artist services manager. My background is in dance and arts administration. I first studied West African dance in college and then studied abroad in Mali, West Africa. I then traveled six more times to Africa, visiting 13 countries in total, and I ended up working at a world dance and music studio in Colorado, where I’m from, and also co-leading a study abroad trip to Senegal. These experiences made a significant impact on my life, and I continue to study West African dance to this day.

In Context: DanceAfrica 2017

Forty years after its inauguration under the artistic direction of the late Chuck Davis, the nation’s largest festival of African dance returns for a special anniversary celebration. Context is everything, so get closer to the production through our series of curated links, videos, and articles. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #DanceAfrica.

Baba Chuck Davis, In Memoriam

With the passing of Baba Chuck Davis this past weekend, we lost one brilliant star—no, supernova—from the sky. Thousands and thousands of audience members knew Baba Chuck as the artistic director and founder of DanceAfrica, which began in 1977. With great flair, he hosted each year’s performances until his retirement in 2015, returning to assist his successor, Abdel R. Salaam, at last year’s shows. “Ago, amée!” was his signature call-and-response, a participatory gesture which was perennially peppered throughout the performances.

We who had the fortune of working with Baba Chuck over the 40 years of DanceAfrica festivals will miss his tremendous energy, which at times really did feel like our own sun. We’ll miss his heartwarming bear hugs and his unmatched generosity of spirit, and the unending amount of work he put into every detail of DanceAfrica. We pay tribute to the countless hours he spent teaching, choreographing, and rehearsing the BAM/Restoration Youth Dance Ensemble and the visiting companies, as well as the highly popular master classes he led each year.

Between DanceAfrica festivals (which grew to include other cities), Baba Chuck traveled the world—primarily throughout Africa but also to African diasporic locations such as Peru and Cuba—seeking out indigenous dance companies to bring to BAM’s stage. A multitude of American and New York-based troupes also participated, including Abdel R. Salaam’s company, Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, which has performed at BAM nine times. Baba Chuck was responsible for an unimaginable amount of cultural exchange, which was stealthily educational while being awesomely celebratory. He was beloved, but he also taught discipline, tradition, and respect not only for the Elders, but for all of humanity.

A shadow passes over our collective heart with the loss of Baba Chuck, but we honor the ways he changed each and every life he touched.

Ago, amée, Baba Chuck.

—Susan Yung, senior editorial manager at BAM

Faces in DanceAfrica

Janice Hart-Brathwaite, 2nd from left, with Charles Moore Dance Theater.
Photo courtesy of the artist 

By David Hsieh

In February 1976, dancer/choreographer Charles Davis held three performances in the Lepercq Space in today’s Peter Jay Sharp Building at BAM. He constructed an African village to honor the ancestry of African-Americans. From there, a tradition and institution grew steadily. This year the DanceAfrica Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary (May 26—29). It is not only BAM’s longest running program, but also has wide-ranging elements for everyone—performances (including for students during schooltime), classes, a bazaar, films, community events, scholarships, and a Memorial Room. All contribute to spread Baba Chuck’s, and current Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam’s, enduring central messages: love, respect, and tradition. Here are stories from a few people whose lives have been touched by DanceAfrica.

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William Mathews, “Baba Bill”
Council of Elders

I met my future wife Mama Lynette [White] in 1981 and she invited me to an African dance class taught by Chuck. After a while sitting on the side, Chuck asked me to get up and dance with them. I was not a dancer and knew nothing about African dance. But his presence was so illuminating and his personality so inviting that I did as he said. After that, he said I was to come back next week, which I did. Some time after that, Lynette told me I was going to be on this “Council of Elders.” Since I was courting her, I did as told. That’s how I became involved with DanceAfrica. I remember asking Chuck once why he wanted me to be a member. He said, “Anyone that can make my premier dancer smile and look so happy is part of my family.” The Council of Elders is an important part of the festival. We instill the sense of respect for tradition, culture, and elders in all participants. I oversee arranging the Memorial Room and have set up two mentorship programs (Crowns and Seeds) at Bed-Stuy Restoration. Chuck really makes you want to participate. He makes you feel loved, like you’re in a family. I call it the magic of Chuck.

Memorial Day at BAM in 1886

Courtesy: BAM Hamm Archives

For going on four decades, the BAM community has equated Memorial Day weekend not only with remembering those who have served our country, but also with the DanceAfrica Festival. But an item from BAM Hamm Archives reminds us of the organization's longstanding civic commitment.

This May 31, 1886 handbill details "exercises" at a Decoration Day program. Decoration Day was begun in 1868 by the Grand Army of the Republic, a veteran's group, to decorate the graves of soldiers lost in the Civil War. It became Memorial Day in the early 20th century.

The Grand Army of the Republic oversaw the event at the Academy. The veteran's group comprised soldiers who fought in the Civil War, primarily for the Union. In fact, Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza was named to commemorate this organization.

The Reverend Henry Ward Beecher presided at the 1886 gathering (to which admission cost 50 cents). This brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe was a clergyman and abolitionist, and a prominent speaker sent abroad by President Abraham Lincoln to advocate on behalf of the Unionist cause. He is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.

The Decoration Day slate included patriotic music with audience members joining on the choruses, as well as poems and prayers. While this event took place at the Academy's first hall, on Montague Street, it serves to remind us of the long, rich history that BAM occupies in the city and in America.

Pape Moussa Sonko of WAATO SiiTA

Pape Moussa Sonko. Photo: Richard Termine.

by David Hsieh

It is often said that dancing is an act of defying gravity. But watching the Senegalese dancer Pape Moussa Sonko, you sense that gravity is more like a trampoline, or energy he can harness so that every time he lands it propels him higher, or allows him to kick more fiercely or tap his feet faster. This month, the BAM audience has had two chances to see this phenomenal dancer. He was the backup dancer in BAM’s Youssou NDOUR concerts last weekend; this weekend, he takes center stage in DanceAfrica 2016. 

Sonko is the choreographer and lead dancer of Les Ballets de la Renaissance Africaine “WAATO SiiTA,” one of the two African companies in the 2016 DanceAfrica, which focuses on Senegal. WAATO SiiTA contrasts with the other Dakar-based company, Compagnie Tenane, a modern dance troupe. While core members of Tenane—the four Gomis sisters—studied with this year’s special guest: Germaine Acogny, often called “the mother of contemporary African dance,” Sonko didn’t need to seek instruction outside his family. 

In Context: DanceAfrica 2016

America’s largest festival of African dance returns to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House and beyond this weekend from May 27—30. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of articles, videos, and original blog pieces related to the show. For those of you who've already attended an event, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below and by posting on social media using #DanceAfrica. Ago? Amée!!

DanceAfrica Visual Art: Omar Victor Diop's The Studio of Vanities

by Holly Shen

While DanceAfrica is anchored in the tradition of dance, the festival is also an opportunity to celebrate other vital components of African culture and diaspora, including visual art. In 2014, BAM Visual Art began an initiative to bring fine art into the DanceAfrica mix, inviting artists to create a new piece or exhibit work during the festival weekend. This year, BAM is thrilled to present a series of four recent photographs by Senegalese artist Omar Victor Diop.

Aminata, 2013, from the Le Studio des Vanités series, 35.4 x 35.4 inches, pigment inkjet print
© Omar Victor Diop / Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris.

Initially working in commercial photography and fashion, Diop established himself as a fine artist with his first major series, Project Diaspora, a collection of striking self-portraits that explore personal identity and collective narrative in African history Diop’s latest project, The Studio of Vanities, is an attempt “to portray a generation which endeavors to showcase the African urban universe and its blossoming art production and exchanges.” Four portraits from The Studio of Vanities series will be on view in the Dorothy Levitt Lobby of BAM's Peter Jay Sharp Building (30 Lafayette Avenue) during this year’s festival.

DanceAfrica: Opening Doors

DanceAfrica master class. Photo: Whitney Browne

By Susan Yung

Since its founding in 1977, DanceAfrica has continually been about the rich and variegated tradition of African dance, and also the rites and heritage passed down through generations. In that respect, this year’s festival (running May 25—30) will be a continuation, focusing on dance and culture from the country of Senegal. It will, however, for the first time be under the sole artistic direction of Abdel R. Salaam, who succeeds festival founder Baba Chuck Davis (who will make a guest appearance).

Salaam founded his New York-based company, Forces of Nature, in 1981. The company has since been a vital presence on the dance scene, sharing Salaam’s unique, impressively dramatic vision. The repertory often concerns our relationship with the planet, the environment, or our fellow creatures. Salaam—whose troupe has been a frequent presence in DanceAfrica— brings his years of creating narrative through-lines and thought-provoking allegory to DanceAfrica. This year’s thematic subtitle is Senegal: Doors of Ancient Futures.

2015 End-of-Year Reading List

Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom. Photo: Focus Features

Don't think of it as homework; think of it as getting a leg up on the upcoming BAM season while putting all those gift cards to good use.

Get lost in Arthur Rimbaud's labyrinthine Illuminations in advance of The Civilians' Rimbaud in New York, read Frank Rich's theater criticism to prepare for his appearance with Fran Lebowitz, get to know the legendary dancer behind the Mariinsky Theatre's upcoming tributes, and much more with this reading list related to BAM in 2016.

To Baba Chuck, With Love

Baba Chuck Davis. Photo: Jack Vartoogian

By David Hsieh

DanceAfrica 2015—Brazilian rhythms, African roots ended on a theatrical and emotional high note. Multiple shows sold out completely with long cancellation lines. The high-octane Balé Folclórico da Bahia and the BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble roused the audience to their feet to join their samba/reggae dance. On the street, gorgeous weather brought out tens of thousands of people to the bazaar, sampling everything from crafts, fabrics, jewelry, masks, and clothes, to foods and drinks. The smell of BBQ wafted in the air, mixing with the aroma of soap and incense. The beat of drums were counterpoints to trumpet and saxophone lines. The impromptu street musicians conjured bazaar attendees to dance in the streets.

In Context: DanceAfrica 2015

America’s largest festival of African dance returns to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House and beyond this weekend from May 22–25. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of articles, videos, and original blog pieces related to the show. For those of you who've already attended an event, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below and by posting on social media using #DanceAfrica. Ago? Amée!!

DanceAfrica Spotlight: Balé Folclórico da Bahia

Photo: Wendell Wagner

Become immersed in the enthralling culture of Brazil when Balé Folclórico da Bahia makes its BAM debut as part of DanceAfrica 2015: Brazilian rhythms. African roots. Performances take place on Memorial Day weekend, a DanceAfrica tradition, May 22—25 at the Howard Gilman Opera House.

Balé Folclórico da Bahia, based in Salvador in the northern state of Bahia, is the only professional folk dance company in Brazil. It was founded in 1988 by Walson Botelho and Ninho Reis, and is now under the artistic direction of José Carlos Arandiba. Its dancers, musicians, and singers perform a unique blend of dance theater drawing from Bahian folkloric traditions, including Carnival celebrations, samba, capoiera, and slave dances.

From the Archives: Groundbreaking Black Artistry at BAM

In honor of Black History Month, we turned to the BAM Hamm Archives to learn more about some of the numerous legendary black artists who’ve graced our stages over the years. Many of these artists deeply integrated activism and their support for civil rights and equality into their art.

Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson was a pioneering artist best known for singing the iconic “Ol’ Man River” in stage and film productions of Show Boat. In 1931, he also performed a one-night song recital at BAM's very own Howard Gilman Opera House. In 2015, BAM presented the story of the civil rights activist and performer in the theatrical production The Tallest Tree in the Forest.

 

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BAM’s Global Reach

by William Lynch

Chandler Williams (George) and Kevin Spacey (Richard III) in the Bridge Project production of Richard III.
BAM 2012 Winter/Spring. Photo: Joan Marcus

BAM has long been sought out by audiences from the metropolitan area and beyond as a destination for exotic fare not likely to be seen elsewhere in New York City. In any given season, one might witness dance from Madagascar, Swedish-language drama, film from Yugoslavia, and more. However, there is an important aspect of BAM that is little known to the public, but which is changing the way BAM does business and the way in which the world views this venerable institution. Whereas BAM is well-known at home and abroad as a leading presenter of contemporary international performing arts, it has also more aggressively begun to produce theatrical and other events for its own stages and for export to venues overseas. BAM has bundled all this activity under the moniker of Global BAM to provide it with an easily understood identity that encompasses the broad nature of its potential.

Perhaps the best-known example of this new phenomenon came about in 2008 with the inaugural co-productions of the three-year Bridge Project with London’s Old Vic and Neal Street, which brought Shakespeare and classical theater to audiences not only in London and New York, but also in such far-flung locales as Paris, Beijing, Madrid, Istanbul, Moscow, and Epidaurus, Greece. In keeping with the goals of the collaboration, each of the productions contained an equal complement of American and British actors. The reader may recall the culminating production of Richard III directed by Sam Mendes and starring Kevin Spacey, which played in Brooklyn in the winter of 2012, and which in part inspired Spacey's ravenous character in House of Cards.

DanceAfrica Street Style: A Recap

The annual DanceAfrica Bazaar marks the beginning of summer for us here at BAM. More than just a shopping and food-lover's paradise, the three day street fair is a veritable source of inspiration when it comes to fashion, and a preview of what everyone will be rocking over the next few months.

Street photographers and Instagrammers captured the many gorgeous looks and faces that came to BAM over Memorial Day Weekend, and here are just a few of our favorites, culled from Instagram (you can peruse thousands more here). Feel free to share links to your photos in the comments!

Designer Wunmi in one of her fabulous dresses (read our interview with her here):