The Philadelphia Folklore Project presents
Philly Dance Africa 2002: celebrating African dance and culture

(October 15, 2002) The fourth Philly Dance Africa is scheduled for December 7th, 2002 at 3701 Chestnut Street. Philly Dance Africa will begin at 5:30 PM with a dinner and reception, followed by a discussion with scholars of African dance and culture at 7 PM. A traditional Ga outdooring ceremony starts with a procession and libation at 8 PM, followed immediately by performances, all at International House, 3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA. Tickets range from $15 to $50 and are available through the Philadelphia Folklore Project, 735 South 50th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143. The Folklore Project also offers tickets online at www.folkloreproject.org or through UpStages (215.569.9700). Call 215-726-1106 for further information.

Sponsored by the Philadelphia Folklore Project, ODUNDE, and the Gadangme Association, this year’s Philly Dance Africa promises attendees a chance to participate in a traditional ritual honoring local people who have built bridges between the African continent and the diaspora in dedicating themselves to the perpetuation and preservation of folk arts and culture.

Special this year is a traditional Ghanaian “outdooring” ceremony, a Ga ritual done to publicly announce and celebrate someone’s change of status. The evening celebrates the first honorary titles granted by the Ga people. Originally from the area around Accra, Ghana, Ga people who now live in the Philadelphia area are holding a public “outdooring” ceremony to honor the founder (Christine Wiggins) and an elder (Alonzo Matthews) of Imhotep Institute, which offers African-based culture and education to young people in the African American community. Philly Dance Africa also honors Ga connections to Philadelphia going back to the 1950s, when Ga artist and musician Saka Acquaye first taught and shared Ga music and dance with some of the musicians performing in this year’s program.

A special recognition award, enabling her to make a first trip to Ghana, will be given to Ms. Ione Nash, at 70+, one of the city’s cultural treasures and an African dance pioneer. (Thanks to British Airways for assistance). Ione Nash began her career in 1950, studying African dance under John Hines, Ernie Parham, and Syvilla Forte (who had learned Haitian dance from Katherine Dunham.) One of ten dancers in Ga artist Saka Acquaye’s influential Philadelphia company during the late 1950s, Ms. Nash also partnered Arthur Hall in Hall’s important African dance troupe. She founded her first company in 1960 and created INDE (Ione Nash Dance Ensemble) in the 1990s. Over the last 50 years, she has choreographed over 600 dances, incorporating ballet, modern, ballet, jazz, tap, and martial arts with African dance. She has enjoyed a partnership of more than 30 years with drummer Ken ‘Skip’ Burton, who also serves as music composer for the group.

The festive meal of Ga foods and reception begins at 5:30 PM and is followed by a pre-performance discussion at 7 PM with guest scholars Dr. Barbara Hampton, Dr. Katrina Hazzard-Donald, and Dr. Kariamu Welsh. Scholars will answer questions and provide a context for the evening, explaining the Ga tradition of outdooring, and sharing insights on the histories and meanings of African dance here and on the continent. Event organizers see this as a chance for people to learn how to participate in the ceremony that will follow.

The evening’s rituals and performances begins at 8 PM with a public Ga outdooring ceremony marking a “first appearance” when an individual is initially presented to the public as a new being or in a new role. This is a traditional way of marking and managing the individual’s relationship to the society. Both Mr. Matthews and Ms. Wiggins spent the past year studying Ga culture and preparing for their new positions. They have received new names that the public will not know until they make their “first appearance” as asafoatse and asafoanye at the December 7th outdooring, when they will publicly proclaim their dedication to service and people will greet them for the first time in their new roles.

The Ga outdooring ceremony will be immediately followed by performances by Kulu Mele African American Dance Ensemble, Liberian National Cultural Ambassadors, Lisanga Ya Bana Kin, and Tamara Xavier and ensemble.

Performing for 30+ years, Kulu Mele African Dance Ensemble is the longest-enduring African American dance troupe in this city. The fruit of many people’s dreams, Kulu Mele was established by people who sought their own education in drum and dance, including legendary drummer Baba Crowder and dancer Dorothy Wilkie. Most Kulu Mele members have been perpetuating African culture together for decades. Members have learned African drumming and dance from older recognized masters. The troupe teaches and performs dance and music from various parts of West Africa, Brazil, Haiti, and Cuba, and from African American traditions. Kulu Mele has received grants from Dance Advance and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and is engaged in school residency programs in Philadelphia through the Folklore Project. Kulu Mele will be performing Yololi, or Fula Fare, a dance from the Fulani people, traditionally done in celebration of a baby’s birth. Kulu Mele members include Dorothy Wilkie, Renee Harris, Arisa Ingram, Angela Watson, Najuma Lagbara, Jill Saint James, Ama Scabley, Mecca Madyun, John Wilkie, Robert Crowder, Kenneth Fauntleroy, Alfred Hardy, Andrew Jones, and Osubi Craig.

The Liberian National Cultural Ambassadors are a troupe led by J. Blamoh Doe. He trained at Keneja, the Liberian National Cultural Center, where he studied with master drummer Dorma Nyeda, learning music and dances of Liberia’s sixteen ethnic groups. Mr. Doe came to America as part of a post-war reconciliation tour with a group called Liberia Cry for Peace. He joins many former Liberian dancers who have settled in various cities in America and is frequently called upon to perform across the nation. He is now training a battery of local drummers in Liberian styles and rhythms. The company, including Fernon Flomo, Tamba Sandouno, Fatu Gayflor, Daylu Gbahtuo, Masuah Dobson, Pat Mitchell Doe and others, will perform the piece Kergiema, including dances of the Kissi, Vai, and Kpelle peoples of Liberia.

Tamara L. Xavier is a second-generation Haitian American feminist who creates works based on the dance aesthetics and spiritual concepts found in Haitian Vodou. A Ph.D. student in Dance at Temple University, Ms. Xavier is also an apprentice in the Umfundalai Pan-African Dance Technique. About Philly Dance Africa, Ms. Xavier says, “As an activist focused on ending violence against women and a dance artist who is adamant about incorporating subtle African Diasporic energies into the field of American dance, I am excited at the thought of showing my work in a new cultural arena. I believe that African dance offers a universal language with which to address important community issues. Even as I celebrate my cultural heritage, I am also disturbed by the degree of violence that exists in Haiti; particularly against children through the ongoing practice of child slavery. I resonate with many young Haitians of the “jaspora” who feel too far outside of the Haitian social context to make any impact, yet still feel connected. As I study dance, I am focused primarily on the healing aspects of this art. My goal is to find as many ways as possible to use African and African-derived dance to heal myself and others. My aim, for Philly Dance Africa, is to create a dance that raises awareness and provides a vision of hope.” She is premiering a new piece, “round in X to the 3rd power,” with the group Moisture, including Ms. Xavier with her sister, singer Cassendre Xavier, and her brother, keyboardist Giscard Xavier.

Lisanga Ya Bana Kin is a group of dancers, drummers, and vocalists, the majority of whom come from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) where they grew up learning traditional dance and music from family members. They have been part of nationally known Kinshasa-based folkloric troupes such as Sambole Lisano and Salongo Bongaga as well as international touring groups such as the National Ballet of Zaire, Magic Dances of Zaire, and Kiti Na Mesa. Three of the group’s members are from the United States and have been studying African dance traditions from the continent and the Americas for many years. All members of Lisanga Ya Bana Kin have had years of professional dance experience. Artistic director Mufulu Gilonda says, “We have come together in Philadelphia with the mission of spreading Lisanga Ya Bana Kin. We like to share our culture with Americans because when they see us they realize that they can be part of what we do. Also, there is so much ignorance about African countries and cultures here. Many people are very interested in Africa and we are happy to teach them about our traditions so they understand more about Congo and African ways of doing and thinking. Anyone of any age or background can enjoy our dances and rhythms.” The members of Lisanga Ya Bana Kin participated in Philly Dance Africa under the name Eteko Bonyoma in 1998, 2000, and at the ODUNDE Festival in 2001. Mr. Gilonda says, “We are very proud to have been part of this wonderful project because it gives us the opportunity to share our culture in our new home.” Mr. Gilonda notes that there are very few Congolese nationals in the United States who know Pende dances and the group feels that it will be an excellent addition to the Philly Dance Africa project to share Pende and Mongo dances. Lisanga Ya Bana Kin includes Antoinette Ekila-Baseie, Mete Isako-Kongo, Kabeya Nyanga, Mufulu Kingambo Gilonda, Isako Tchiko, Jennifer Goolsby, Alice Kennedy and Joi Kennedy.

Philly Dance Africa is organized by ODUNDE, the Gadangme Association, and the Philadelphia Folklore Project. ODUNDE, a community-based African-rooted cultural and educational organization, now in its 27th year, annually offers African diaspora cultural events, including one of the oldest cultural street festivals in the country which draws upwards of 200,000 people to our urban neighborhood on the second Sunday in June. ODUNDE offers cultural enrichment to the African American community in Philadelphia through year-round programming that addresses the needs of families and community residents to share their heritage with each other and the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area. The Gadangme Association aims to promote and sustain the rich heritage, tradition and culture of the Ga and the Adangme people in the Philadelphia area, to contribute to the cultural diversity that is American life, and to educate the general public about the Ga and Adangme people and their elegant tradition and culture. The Philadelphia Folklore Project affirms the human right to culture, and works to protect the rights of people to know and practice traditional and community-based arts. The PFP works with people and communities to build critical folk cultural knowledge, respect the complex folk and traditional arts of our region, and challenge processes and practices that diminish these local grassroots arts and humanities. The PFP offers public education in the folk arts, develops community projects and documentary resources, and organizes around issues of concern in the field of folk and traditional arts.

The Philly Dance Africa project is funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Dance Advance (funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Drexel University), the Humanities in the Arts program of The Pennsylvania Humanities Council, principally funded by The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and PFP members.

Event details: Philly Dance Africa
Date: December 7, 2002.
Times: 5:30 PM Dinner/reception. 7 PM Pre-performance discussion with scholars. 8 PM Ceremony and performances.
Place: International House, 3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Tickets: $15 for discussion and performance only. $50 for entire evening.
Tickets available online or by mail through Philadelphia Folklore Project, 735 South 50th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143. 215.726.1106, www.folkloreproject.org or through UpStages (215.569.9700)