MANCC Welcomes Returning Choreographic Fellow Okwui Okpokwasili
Okwui Okpokwasili performs at FSU School of Dance Forum
September 18 – October 10, 2016
Okwui Okpokwasili
Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC) welcomes returning choreographic fellow Okwui Okpokwasili. Okpokwasili, a Bessie Award-winning artist, uses an interdisciplinary, intensely visual, and textured lens to look at issues of gender, culture, and identity as they are expressed in American and global contexts. Poor People’s TV Room is informed by two historic incidents in Nigeria: The Women’s War of 1929, a resistance movement against British colonial powers, and the Boko Haram kidnappings of more than 300 girls which launched the Bring Back Our Girls movement. Poor People’s TV Room attempts not only to unearth this complex history, but to investigate how buried narratives of women in Nigeria resonate with present actions throughout the world.
Performed by Okpokwasili and a cast of three women from different generations, the choreography and music are inspired by traditional Nigerian songs and dances that were performed by women as acts of resistance. Okpokwasili’s work blends these traditional forms with her own contemporary aesthetic.
During her fall residency, Okpokwasili and collaborators will finalize movement, production, and costuming in preparation for the future premiere of the work. She will continue to explore the history of The Women’s War of 1929 through research and conversations with scholars and plans to share the work-in-progress at a School of Dance Open Forum.
This residency was made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Entrypoints
Work-in-Progress Showing
October 5, 2016, 10:30 AM
School of Dance Open Forum
Montgomery Hall Black Box Studio
To reserve a seat, please look for the reservation link under “Entrypoints” on the right side of the page. After you click on the link, please fill out the fields below and submit.
