DanceAfrica
Encyclopedia
DanceAfrica is a heritage and community celebration centered on the diverse dance forms of the African Diaspora
held annually in New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago. Included are indoor and outdoor performance including live music, a film series, master class
es, education programs, and an outdoor bazaar.
s in the 1960s and the growth of dance in the 1970s led to the development of a number of African American dance companies. This is celebrated DanceAfrica, created by Chuck Davis. In the 1940s and 1950s, an African American cultural awareness emerged, seen in performances by Pearl Primus
and Katherine Dunham
at BAM, the dance focus was shifted from entertainment toward modern dance
while integrating African elements. In the 1960s, Alvin Ailey
, Talley Beatty
, and Donald McKayle
appeared at BAM. These artists were based at the Harlem Cultural Center with the New Dance Group
when Chuck Davis arrived in the early 1960s. Davis moved to New York City to perform with musician Babatunde Olatunji
; he also studied Dunham technique and jazz
with Syvilla Fort
. In 1967 Davis formed the Chuck Davis Dance Company at the South Bronx Community Action Theatre, later moved to Bronx Community College
.
In February 1977, the Chuck Davis Dance Company performed in a constructed African village in the BAM Lepercq Space. Based on the success of the engagement, DanceAfrica debuted the following spring beginning with a day-long African bazaar. Arthur Hall, Charles Moore, Chuck Davis, Dinizulu, and the International Afrikan American Ballet participated in the festival, which offered five performances in the BAM Playhouse and culminated with all five companies—approximately 70 performers—on the Opera House stage. A festival was born, growing into the country’s largest annual celebration of African and African American dance and, adding dates in other cities such as Chicago; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; Miami; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; and many others. Dallas recently made the festival an annual event. DanceAfrica is BAM
’s longest running performance series—and has become a Memorial Day
weekend tradition in Brooklyn
. Weddings, christenings, and other ceremonies have taken place during DanceAfrica—transcending performance and becoming ritual—a community’s celebration of African identity. Rennie Harris is also one choreographer.
In the 1980s Chuck Davis added master classes in African movement and music. DanceAfrica 1993 opened with a motorcade procession from Harlem to the steps of BAM. Fifty-two members of the Imperial Bikers Motorcycle Club, each carrying the flag of an African country, were joined by the Council of Elders, artists, and dignitaries for a libation pouring ceremony that included a gigantic carrot cake baked in the shape of Africa. The 20th Anniversary Celebration in 1997 debuted the BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble, a collaboration between BAM and the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Youth Arts Academy that has become an annual crowd favorite.
DanceAfrica has showcased troupes based both in Africa and the African Diaspora including many from New York. Companies have ranged in style from indigenous African to urban American hip-hop. DanceAfrica has shown that “traditional” African dance is not fixed in time and remains tremendously inclusive and diverse, and that even the most cutting-edge choreography can contain African influences. DanceAfrica embodies tradition, but also a spirit of change and growth reaching back into the past and forward into the future, embracing the links between cultures across the African Diaspora, always bearing the message, “Peace, love, and respect for everybody!”
In 2007, DanceAfrica celebrates its 30th festival with 30 Years of DanceAfrica: Remember! Honor! Respect! An African Dance Odyssey, and marks another milestone—its founder Baba Chuck Davis’ 70th birthday.
Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Kulu Mele African-American Dance Ensemble
Ndere Troupe
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2006 Legacy: African Dance in Our World
Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn
Perú Negro
Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2005 Rhythmic Heritage: Going Full Circle
Asase Yaa African-American Dance Theatre
L’ACADCO—A United Caribbean Dance Force
Mamadou Dahoué and the Ancestral Messengers Dance Company
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2004 A Dancers’s path: Ancient Traditions, Modern Trends
The Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble
Ezibu Muntu African Dance Company
Nii Tettey Tetteh and the Kusun Ensemble
Shaka Zulu, guest artist
BAM/Restoration Dancefrica Ensemble and Kusun Atsiagbekor
2003 Rhythmic Rites and Rituals: Connecting Cultural Borders
Kulu Mele African-American Dance Ensemble
Muntu Dance Theatre
Resurrection Dance Theatre of Haiti
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2002 25 Years of DanceAfrica: Africa, My Africa
Ballet Folclorico Cutumba
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Rennie Harris PureMovement
LaRocque Bey School of Dance
Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn
Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2001 Rhythms from the Circle of Life
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
Ndere Troupe
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2000 Cultural Connections
Djoulé African
Génies Noirs
Rennie Harris PureMovement
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
1999 Hear the Movement See the Rhythm
Ballethnic Dance Company
Mizizi
Ishangi African Dancers
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
1998 African Roots in American Soil: Male Rites of Passage
Mask Dance Company featuring Mamadou Dahoué
Sankofa Dance Company
IWISA Music and Dance Company
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
1997 DanceAfrica ’97: 20th Anniversary Celebration
African-American Dance Ensemble
Bokandéye African-American Dance Theatre
Calabash Dance Theatre
The Chakaba
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Djembe Orchestra
Djoulé African
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
LaRocque Bey Dance Company
Marie Brooks Pan-Caribbean Dancers
Mask dance Company
Moving with the Spirit
Nile Ethiopian Ensemble
N’Tore
PAKA’ Dance Company
Rennie Harris PureMovement
Restoration Student Dance Ensemble
Roots of Brazil
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
Women of the Calabash
1996 Rites of Passage: Celebrating Women of the African Diaspora
Rennie Harris PureMovement
Women of the Calabash
Nile Ethiopian Ensemble
Bokandéye African-American Dance Theatre
1995 Honor the Source—Africa the Motherland
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Roots of Brazil
Paká Dance Company
Djoulé African
Rennie Harris PureMovement
1994 Year of the Child
Les Guirivoires
Marie Brooks Pan-Caribbean Dancers
Moving with the Spirit
TriShades of Gold
Djoulé African
1993 DanceAfrica 1993 Sweet 16!
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
A Touch of Folklore and More
Maimuna Keita School of African Dance
Djimo Kouyate
African Heritage Drummers and Dancers
Malaki Ma Kongo
Kairaba West African Dance Company
LaRocque Bey Dance Company
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Company
Calabash Dance Theatre
Bradley Simmons and the Dance Africa Djembe Orchestra
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
International African Islamic Ballet
Kan Kouran Dance Company
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Women of the Calabash
Ntore Dancers
Art of Black Dance And Music
DanceBrazil
African-American Dance Ensemble
Kutero and the DanceAfrica Djembe Orchestra
Baba Ishangi
1992 The Glory of African Dance: A Cultural Jubilee
International African Islamic Ballet
Kairaba West African Dance Company
LaRocque Bey Dance Company
Malaki Ma Kongo
Alyo Children's Dance Theatre
A Touch of Folklore and More
1991 The Griot’s Corner
African-American Dance Ensemble
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Ladygourd Sangoma
A Touch of Folklore and More
1990
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company with guest artists Thunderbird American Indian Dancers
Magic Dancers of Zaire
1989 The Language of the Drum, The Movement of Dance, The African Beat Creates Dance
Les Guirivoires
M.F.O.A. Message from Our Ancestors
Muntu Dance Theatre
1988 Today’s Rhythms, Drums Toward the Future, Reflections of Africa
Urban Bush Women
Les Guirivoires
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
1987 Under the Baobab Tree: The Honoring of the Elders
The African-American Dance Ensemble
Calabash Dance Theatre
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble
Kan Kouran Dance Company
Charles Moore Dance Company
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
Women of the Calabash
Djimo Kouyate
1986 The Legacy: Celebration of Motherhood
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Calabash Dance Theatre
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Kan Kouran Dance Company
Odadaa! International Dance Company
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
1985 The Grand Celebration
Ko-thi Dance Company
Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble
International Afrikan American Ballet
Bernice Johnson Dance Company
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Muntu Dance Theatre
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
Izulu Dance Theatre
Art of Black Dance and Music
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
A Touch of Folklore and More
Calabash Dance Theatre
Women of the Calabash
1984
Bucket Dance Theatre
Afro-Brazilian Dance Company
Melvin Deal’s African Heritage Dance Society
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
International Afrikan American Ballet
Women of the Calabash
1983 6th Big Season
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
International Afrikan American Ballet
Izulu Dance Theatre
Art of Black Dance and Music
Chief Bey
Calabash Dance Theatre
Women of the Calabash
A Touch of Folklore and More
dancers from the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center
1982 DanceAfrica 82
Muntu Dance Theatre
Ladji Camara
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
Izulu Dance Theatre
Lady Helena “O’Luoju” Walquer
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
1981 The First National Festival of African American Dance Companies
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
International Afrikan American Ballet
Izulu Dance Theatre
Art of Black Dance and Music
Muntu Dance Theatre
Ko-Thi Dance Company
1980 A Festival of African-American Dance Companies
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Charles Moore and Dances & Drums of Africa
International Afrikan American Ballet
Izulu Dance Theatre
1979 DanceAfrica ‘79
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Charles Moore and Dances & Drums of Africa
International Afrikan American Ballet
Little Black Heritage Dancers
1978 A Celebration of Life
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble
Charles Moore and Dances & Drums of Africa
International Afrikan American Ballet
1977
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Lepercq Space
African diaspora
The African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
held annually in New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago. Included are indoor and outdoor performance including live music, a film series, master class
Master class
A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also painting, drama, or any of the arts....
es, education programs, and an outdoor bazaar.
History
The political movementPolitical movement
A political movement is a social movement in the area of politics. A political movement may be organized around a single issue or set of issues, or around a set of shared concerns of a social group...
s in the 1960s and the growth of dance in the 1970s led to the development of a number of African American dance companies. This is celebrated DanceAfrica, created by Chuck Davis. In the 1940s and 1950s, an African American cultural awareness emerged, seen in performances by Pearl Primus
Pearl Primus
Pearl Primus was a dancer, choreographer and anthropologist. Primus played an important role in the presentation of African dance to American audiences. Early in her career she saw the needs to promote African dance as an art form worthy of study and performance...
and Katherine Dunham
Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham was an American dancer, choreographer, songwriter, author, educator, and activist...
at BAM, the dance focus was shifted from entertainment toward modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
while integrating African elements. In the 1960s, Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
, Talley Beatty
Talley Beatty
Talley Beatty was born in Cedar Grove, Louisiana, a section of Shreveport, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He is considered one of the greatest of African American choreographers, and also bears the titles dancer, educator, and dance company director...
, and Donald McKayle
Donald McKayle
Donald McKayle is an African American modern dancer, choreographer, teacher, director and writer best known for creating socially conscious concert works during the 1950s and 60s that focus on expressing the human condition and more specifically, the black experience in America...
appeared at BAM. These artists were based at the Harlem Cultural Center with the New Dance Group
New Dance Group
New Dance Group, or more casually NDG, is a performing arts organization in New York City, USA.-History:New Dance Group was established in 1932 by a group of artists and choreographers dedicated to social change through dance and movement...
when Chuck Davis arrived in the early 1960s. Davis moved to New York City to perform with musician Babatunde Olatunji
Babatunde Olatunji
Babatunde Olatunji was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist and recording artist.- Biography :Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, a small town near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Nigeria. A member of the Yoruba people, Olatunji was introduced to traditional African music at...
; he also studied Dunham technique and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
with Syvilla Fort
Syvilla Fort
Syvilla Fort was an American dancer, choreographer, and dance educator.Born in Seattle, she was African American and drew on her heritage in her original dance works....
. In 1967 Davis formed the Chuck Davis Dance Company at the South Bronx Community Action Theatre, later moved to Bronx Community College
Bronx Community College
The Bronx Community College of The City University of New York is a community college in the City University of New York system located in the University Heights neighborhood of The Bronx.- History :...
.
In February 1977, the Chuck Davis Dance Company performed in a constructed African village in the BAM Lepercq Space. Based on the success of the engagement, DanceAfrica debuted the following spring beginning with a day-long African bazaar. Arthur Hall, Charles Moore, Chuck Davis, Dinizulu, and the International Afrikan American Ballet participated in the festival, which offered five performances in the BAM Playhouse and culminated with all five companies—approximately 70 performers—on the Opera House stage. A festival was born, growing into the country’s largest annual celebration of African and African American dance and, adding dates in other cities such as Chicago; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; Miami; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; and many others. Dallas recently made the festival an annual event. DanceAfrica is BAM
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
’s longest running performance series—and has become a Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend tradition in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Weddings, christenings, and other ceremonies have taken place during DanceAfrica—transcending performance and becoming ritual—a community’s celebration of African identity. Rennie Harris is also one choreographer.
In the 1980s Chuck Davis added master classes in African movement and music. DanceAfrica 1993 opened with a motorcade procession from Harlem to the steps of BAM. Fifty-two members of the Imperial Bikers Motorcycle Club, each carrying the flag of an African country, were joined by the Council of Elders, artists, and dignitaries for a libation pouring ceremony that included a gigantic carrot cake baked in the shape of Africa. The 20th Anniversary Celebration in 1997 debuted the BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble, a collaboration between BAM and the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Youth Arts Academy that has become an annual crowd favorite.
DanceAfrica has showcased troupes based both in Africa and the African Diaspora including many from New York. Companies have ranged in style from indigenous African to urban American hip-hop. DanceAfrica has shown that “traditional” African dance is not fixed in time and remains tremendously inclusive and diverse, and that even the most cutting-edge choreography can contain African influences. DanceAfrica embodies tradition, but also a spirit of change and growth reaching back into the past and forward into the future, embracing the links between cultures across the African Diaspora, always bearing the message, “Peace, love, and respect for everybody!”
In 2007, DanceAfrica celebrates its 30th festival with 30 Years of DanceAfrica: Remember! Honor! Respect! An African Dance Odyssey, and marks another milestone—its founder Baba Chuck Davis’ 70th birthday.
Performance History
2007 30 Years of DanceAfrica: Remember! Honor! Respect! An African Dance OdysseyBambara Drum and Dance Ensemble
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Kulu Mele African-American Dance Ensemble
Ndere Troupe
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2006 Legacy: African Dance in Our World
Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn
Perú Negro
Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2005 Rhythmic Heritage: Going Full Circle
Asase Yaa African-American Dance Theatre
L’ACADCO—A United Caribbean Dance Force
Mamadou Dahoué and the Ancestral Messengers Dance Company
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2004 A Dancers’s path: Ancient Traditions, Modern Trends
The Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble
Ezibu Muntu African Dance Company
Nii Tettey Tetteh and the Kusun Ensemble
Shaka Zulu, guest artist
BAM/Restoration Dancefrica Ensemble and Kusun Atsiagbekor
2003 Rhythmic Rites and Rituals: Connecting Cultural Borders
Kulu Mele African-American Dance Ensemble
Muntu Dance Theatre
Resurrection Dance Theatre of Haiti
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2002 25 Years of DanceAfrica: Africa, My Africa
Ballet Folclorico Cutumba
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Rennie Harris PureMovement
LaRocque Bey School of Dance
Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn
Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2001 Rhythms from the Circle of Life
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
Ndere Troupe
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
2000 Cultural Connections
Djoulé African
Génies Noirs
Rennie Harris PureMovement
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
1999 Hear the Movement See the Rhythm
Ballethnic Dance Company
Mizizi
Ishangi African Dancers
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
1998 African Roots in American Soil: Male Rites of Passage
Mask Dance Company featuring Mamadou Dahoué
Sankofa Dance Company
IWISA Music and Dance Company
BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
1997 DanceAfrica ’97: 20th Anniversary Celebration
African-American Dance Ensemble
Bokandéye African-American Dance Theatre
Calabash Dance Theatre
The Chakaba
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Djembe Orchestra
Djoulé African
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
LaRocque Bey Dance Company
Marie Brooks Pan-Caribbean Dancers
Mask dance Company
Moving with the Spirit
Nile Ethiopian Ensemble
N’Tore
PAKA’ Dance Company
Rennie Harris PureMovement
Restoration Student Dance Ensemble
Roots of Brazil
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
Women of the Calabash
1996 Rites of Passage: Celebrating Women of the African Diaspora
Rennie Harris PureMovement
Women of the Calabash
Nile Ethiopian Ensemble
Bokandéye African-American Dance Theatre
1995 Honor the Source—Africa the Motherland
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Roots of Brazil
Paká Dance Company
Djoulé African
Rennie Harris PureMovement
1994 Year of the Child
Les Guirivoires
Marie Brooks Pan-Caribbean Dancers
Moving with the Spirit
TriShades of Gold
Djoulé African
1993 DanceAfrica 1993 Sweet 16!
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
A Touch of Folklore and More
Maimuna Keita School of African Dance
Djimo Kouyate
African Heritage Drummers and Dancers
Malaki Ma Kongo
Kairaba West African Dance Company
LaRocque Bey Dance Company
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Company
Calabash Dance Theatre
Bradley Simmons and the Dance Africa Djembe Orchestra
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
International African Islamic Ballet
Kan Kouran Dance Company
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Women of the Calabash
Ntore Dancers
Art of Black Dance And Music
DanceBrazil
African-American Dance Ensemble
Kutero and the DanceAfrica Djembe Orchestra
Baba Ishangi
1992 The Glory of African Dance: A Cultural Jubilee
International African Islamic Ballet
Kairaba West African Dance Company
LaRocque Bey Dance Company
Malaki Ma Kongo
Alyo Children's Dance Theatre
A Touch of Folklore and More
1991 The Griot’s Corner
African-American Dance Ensemble
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Ladygourd Sangoma
A Touch of Folklore and More
1990
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company with guest artists Thunderbird American Indian Dancers
Magic Dancers of Zaire
1989 The Language of the Drum, The Movement of Dance, The African Beat Creates Dance
Les Guirivoires
M.F.O.A. Message from Our Ancestors
Muntu Dance Theatre
1988 Today’s Rhythms, Drums Toward the Future, Reflections of Africa
Urban Bush Women
Les Guirivoires
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
1987 Under the Baobab Tree: The Honoring of the Elders
The African-American Dance Ensemble
Calabash Dance Theatre
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble
Kan Kouran Dance Company
Charles Moore Dance Company
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
Women of the Calabash
Djimo Kouyate
1986 The Legacy: Celebration of Motherhood
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Calabash Dance Theatre
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
Kan Kouran Dance Company
Odadaa! International Dance Company
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
1985 The Grand Celebration
Ko-thi Dance Company
Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble
International Afrikan American Ballet
Bernice Johnson Dance Company
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Muntu Dance Theatre
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
Izulu Dance Theatre
Art of Black Dance and Music
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
A Touch of Folklore and More
Calabash Dance Theatre
Women of the Calabash
1984
Bucket Dance Theatre
Afro-Brazilian Dance Company
Melvin Deal’s African Heritage Dance Society
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
International Afrikan American Ballet
Women of the Calabash
1983 6th Big Season
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
International Afrikan American Ballet
Izulu Dance Theatre
Art of Black Dance and Music
Chief Bey
Calabash Dance Theatre
Women of the Calabash
A Touch of Folklore and More
dancers from the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center
1982 DanceAfrica 82
Muntu Dance Theatre
Ladji Camara
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
Izulu Dance Theatre
Lady Helena “O’Luoju” Walquer
Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theatre
1981 The First National Festival of African American Dance Companies
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Charles Moore Dance Theatre
International Afrikan American Ballet
Izulu Dance Theatre
Art of Black Dance and Music
Muntu Dance Theatre
Ko-Thi Dance Company
1980 A Festival of African-American Dance Companies
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Charles Moore and Dances & Drums of Africa
International Afrikan American Ballet
Izulu Dance Theatre
1979 DanceAfrica ‘79
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Charles Moore and Dances & Drums of Africa
International Afrikan American Ballet
Little Black Heritage Dancers
1978 A Celebration of Life
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers & Singers
Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble
Charles Moore and Dances & Drums of Africa
International Afrikan American Ballet
1977
Chuck Davis Dance Company
Lepercq Space
DanceAfrica DC
Since 1987, annually in June, Chuck Davis serves as the master of ceremonies of the Festival in Washington, DC, hosted by Dance PlaceDance Place
Dance Place is an arts organization in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast Washington, D.C.. "The heart and home of Washington Dance," Dance Place aims to "transform lives through performing arts and creative education programs that inspire personal growth, professional success, physical...