U.S. Dancers Are a Hit in Africa

Photo Courtesy Evidence Dancers


Dance troupe Evidence wins new friends in three-nation tour

By Lauren Monsen

Washington, DC Monday May 3, 2010 - When members of the New York-based dance company Evidence traveled to Africa recently to serve as cultural ambassadors under the U.S. State Department's DanceMotion U.S.A. program, they were excited but didn't know quite what to expect, says Ronald K. Brown, the company's founder and artistic director.

Flying off to Africa in late February, "I was looking forward to meeting the artists" in all three countries on the tour's itinerary, "but I was not prepared for how amazing it was going to be," Brown said. "The enthusiasm and generosity of the people we met there was far beyond anything I'd imagined."

Brown and his dancers traveled to Senegal, Nigeria and South Africa, where they were introduced to their African counterparts and other local residents. During the month long trip, the troupe held master classes and workshops, teaching local youngsters the fundamentals of modern dance while exchanging techniques with in-country artists. They gave public performances and answered questions from spectators, forging connections with people of all ages.

Evidence is known for weaving African elements into its routines, creating a fusion of contemporary and traditional dance moves. That concept surprised many of the African dancers who attended the troupe's classes and performances, Brown said. In Senegal and Nigeria, the local students had their own ideas about American-style dance, "and they wanted to know if we were going to teach tap dance," Brown said. "They asked us: 'Do you tap dance? Do you break dance?'"

Instead, the American dancers performed choreographed pieces that evoked their own African roots, as well as their classical and modern training. "In Nigeria, the response was: 'You're showing us our material. We recognize all of that,'" Brown said. "Many of the young local dancers hadn't thought to incorporate African dance moves into contemporary dance," but they were receptive to the idea.

Before each performance, Evidence dancers "offered up a Yoruba prayer in front of the audience," Brown said. "It was prayer, spoken word and poetry, with recorded music." Audiences responded warmly, and "we got many responses on our Facebook page too," Brown said. "Because we've always tried to reflect our African influences, I think people felt, 'A lot of this is familiar.'"

The dancers themselves were welcomed by music at one of their destinations, and according to Brown, it was one of the most moving experiences of their trip to Africa. Arriving at the township of Joza, in South Africa, "we got out of the van, and there were young people, about 16 years old, in school uniforms, singing," Brown said. "They greeted us, came in [to the local arts center] and performed for us."

While visiting Joza, Evidence dancers worked with people from the township and surrounding areas. Everywhere they went, Brown said, people were eager to communicate through art. "One local dancer did improvisation in a Western dance style," he said. Local children demonstrated a gumboot dance, using their hands and feet to create polyrhythms.

Evidence dancer Clarice Young, who contributed to the DanceMotion U.S.A. blog ( http://dmusa.blogspot.com/ ), wrote that the gumboot dance is used by African-American college fraternities and sororities "as a base for their form of 'stepping.'" She added: "I got to see firsthand where something that's so popular in the [United] States ... originated."

In each country, "it was definitely a two-way exchange" between the African hosts and their American guests, Brown said. In Senegal, a local dance company taught Evidence members to dance in sand, and introduced the Americans to a new rhythm called the Obama, named for the current U.S. president. Nigerian students showed the Americans some movements from traditional Nigerian dances, and in Durban, South Africa, Evidence dancers learned traditional Zulu dances and songs.

The dancers also enjoyed meeting legendary Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour at his nightclub in Dakar, and paused for a day of wildlife sightseeing in South Africa, where they observed elephants, giraffes, lions and cheetahs in their natural habitat, and at thrillingly close range - but from the safety of a jeep.

Brown said he has been invited to return to Senegal, Nigeria and South Africa to teach classes, and is encouraging his new African friends to visit the United States for further exchanges.

When he and his dancers perform, Brown said, "we're trying to tell stories, and to emphasize that dance and theater belongs to people of all sizes, not just people with stereotypical dancers' bodies." The mission of his dance company "is to say something about collective and individual responsibility, accountability to others, and lifting our culture up."

If he were to advise other dancers about to embark on a DanceMotion U.S.A. tour, he said, "I would definitely tell them to be open to the experience. It's all about the people you encounter. We had a wonderful time, and I don't think we've even fully digested the experience yet."

Source: U.S. Department of State