Coyaba Dance Theater's Kwanzaa Celebration
opens the Festive Season
Coyaba Dance Theater’s Kwanzaa Celebration
opens the Festive Season
Coyaba Dance Theater welcomes the young performers of the Coyaba Dance Academy and special guests Soul in Motion and, from Mali, Cheick Hamala Diabaté for their annual multi-generational Kwanzaa Celebration (December 14-16).
Dance Place and Coyaba Dance Theater usher in the joy, spirit and faith of the holiday season at their annual Kwanzaa Celebration. The performances welcome in the seven principles of Kwanzaa through traditional dance and drumming, with an exhilaration shared by performers and audiences of all ages. Coyaba Dance Theater will be joined on Friday and Sunday by the young stars of the Coyaba Academy. Special guests include Soul in Motion (Friday) and Malian musician Cheick Hamala Diabaté (Saturday). Saturday, December 15 will be a Gala Fundraiser for Coyaba Dance Theater. The ticket price of 0 includes performance ticket and an exclusive post-show reception.
Dance Place’s programs are supported by The National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program administered by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Kwanzaa Celebration is partially supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
About Coyaba Dance Theater
Founded in 1984 by Michael Friend as the Soul In Motion Players, Soul In Motion African Dancers and Drummers has become an energetic 13-member company, performing at some of the premier dance events in the Washington, DC area including the ever popular Dance Africa hosted by the Dance Place.
Performer, lecturer, storyteller and choreographer Cheick Hamala Diabaté has appeared throughout Africa, Europe, Asia and Canada. A steward of the 800 year-old tradition of the Griot, the storytellers of West Africa, Cheick shares the oral history, music and song of his culture as it was passed on to him from birth by parent to child. An accomplished musician, he has performed with many of the great musicians of Mali, including Djelimady Tounkara, Toumani Diabaté (a first cousin), Oumou Sangare, Ali Farka Toure and Salif Keita. Since coming to the US a decade ago, has expanded his musical collaborations to include Bela Fleck and Bob Carlin. An album of banjo duets with Carlin, From Mali to America, was nominated for a grammy in 2007 for Best Traditional World Music Album. Now resident in Washington, DC, his most recent album, Ake Doni Doni – Take it Slow, has successfully fused the traditional rhythms and vocals of his ancestors with more electric, American sounds and includes guest appearances by celebrated bluesman and good friend Corey Harris.
What: Coyaba Dance Theater’s Kwanzaa Celebration
When: Friday December 14 at 8pm, Saturday December 15 at 8pm, Sunday December 16 at 4pm. Saturday, December 15: Gala Fundraiser for Coyaba Dance Theater.
Where: Dance Place, 3225 8th Street NE, Washington DC 20017; two blocks from Brookland-CUA Metro Station (Red Line); free and convenient parking
Tickets: 2 General Admission; 7 Dance Place Members, Seniors, Teachers Artists; 0 College Students; for Children (17 & under).
Family Series (December 16): Reserve 1 free ticket for a child (under 12) with each paying adult.
To purchase tickets visit www.danceplace.org or call (202) 269-1600
About Dance Place:
Founded in 1980, Dance Place builds a community of dance artists, audiences, and students through high quality performances, commissions, training and educational program. We are committed to enriching the field of dance locally, nationally and internationally. Our thriving arts campus serves as an anchor in the development of our Brookland neighborhood in Washington, DC.
