From humble begins, Appiah Annan’s dreams come to life with Sankofa.
Appiah Annan started dancing on the streets of Ghana when he was 10 years old, paying his dance teacher out of the earnings he made selling food. He went on to be accepted into the country’s leading dance company, and in 2003 he made the bold move of forming his own dance company, Asanti Dance Theatre, on Ghana’s Cape Coast.
“We used to live on the beach and were living on donations and people buying costumes for us,” Annan said, referring to the hard times faced in those earlier years. “Students gave us camping tents so we would teach them.” Since these humble beginnings as a small group of dedicated artists, Asanti Dance Theatre has grown into an internationally recognised theatre company with members touring the world.
Now based in Melbourne, since 2008, their latest work Sankofa beautifully explores traditional and contemporary themes of African music, dance and culture with a contemporary edge.
Featuring incredible international guest artists from Asanti’s sister company in Ghana, combined with some of Australia’s most exciting afro-contemporary dancers and musicians, you will be blown away by the energy, connection to culture and extraordinary talent that these artists present. With undulating torsos, raw energy, exhilarating dance moves and phenomenal acrobatics fused with a combination of live and pre-recorded sound.
Sankofa debuted at the Malthouse Theatre in 2012 to standing ovations, followed by seasons at the Drum Theatre (Dandenong) and Footscray Community Arts Centre. Follow one man’s journey through the centuries and into the unknown, all the time under the watchful eye of the ancient Adrinkra symbol Sankofa.
DATE: Sat 2 April, 7.30pm
VENUE: Arts Theatre, The Arts Centre Gold Coast
DURATION: 60 minutes (no interval)
COST: Adult $48.00, Concession $42.00, Friends $42.00, Adult Group 6+ $42.00, Student Group 6+ $21.00, Student / Child (U15yrs) $26.00
BOOK: (07) 5588 4000 or www.theartscentregc.com.au
