PRESS RELEASE | JULY 2015
Dancers swiftly move with robust feats of physicality. The djembe and dundunba drums charge the space with energy. Poets voice the inner workings of their characters, and the audience contemplates the emotional tension curated by this standout dance-theater group. For over five (5) years, Afromoda Dance Theater continues to surprise, inspire, educate and amaze its audiences with its characteristic synthesis of dance, poetry, theater, and music.
Summer 2015 will premiere Afromoda Dance Theater’s evening-length production, “Harriet.” Through the arts, we will convey Harriet Tubman’s strength, fortitude and resilience. Audiences will witness dance-theater at its best while learning about Harriet’s magnanimous influence on American history. As a formidable and unrelenting soldier for justice, with a noble and generous spirit, Harriet Tubman’s legacy continues to inspire today’s generation. The recent headlines in Ferguson and Baltimore have incited unrest within the nation’s collective identity, and as artists, we have chosen to research, imagine and portray the legacy of Harriet to bring guidance and fortitude during these troubling times. Her bid as the most popular candidate for the $10 bill reveals how Harriet remains an important and relevant figure for the American nation today. This production is needed now more than ever, and can help inform and inspire our community.
HISTORY
Founded in 2010 by Artistic Director and Ghanaian native Victor Bah, Afromoda Dance Theater creates highly intricate and imaginative dance-theater works, deftly melding the techniques of Contemporary, West African, Ballet and Modern dance with poignant character development and spoken word. The company has produced three (3) evening length works: Fragments, Pieces of a Colorful Soul (2011), War and Pieces: Nature of Man (2012), and Home: A Metropolitan Drama (2014). Afromoda continues to premiere new repertoire, including Tunasogea (2012), Birdseye (2013), Duafe (2014) and Senkele (2015).
Each year, Afromoda Dance Theater reaches hundreds of people through theatrical productions, outreach events and local festivals. The company participates each year in events such as the H Street Festival and Services to Justice Conference. The company has also been invited to perform for the D.C. Fair Budget Coalition, Line Dance Awards, and the National Foundation of Families for Children’s Mental Health. Afromoda Dance Theater collaborates with local artists, including most recently the Congressional Chorus. Afromoda Dance Theater Company Class takes place at Joy of Motion Dance Center Atlas, Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
AFROMODA presents HARRIET @ THE JACK GUIDONE THEATER
Saturday, August 1, 2015, 8:00PM
Sunday, August 2, 2015, 6:00PM
Purchase tickets here.
BOOKINGS
Darlisa Wajid-Ali
Associate Artistic Director
dwajidali@afromoda.org
240-392-5153
