A celebration of traditional and contemporary African dance by the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, featuring live drums and community participation.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre brings DanceAfrica to Moody Performance Hall on Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10, both nights starting at 7:30 PM. It's a celebration of African culture in Dallas, blending traditional and contemporary African dance driven by live drums. The show is part of the company's 50th anniversary season, 50 Years in Motion.
The lineup brings together several groups. Alongside Dallas Black Dance Theatre, you'll see DBDT: Encore and the Dallas Black Dance Academy's Allegro, Senior and Junior Performing Ensembles. Guest artists join in too: Lancaster High School DC3, Voices of Empowerment, and the Bandan Koro African Drum and Dance Ensemble. After the main performance, the night shifts into the Bantaba tradition, a communal dance experience where dancers, drummers and the audience move together.
There's more to the weekend than just the two shows. A free community class led by Bandan Koro opens things off at DBDT Studios, and a free festival and marketplace at Klyde Warren Park rounds it out. If you can't make it in person, on-demand streaming is available from Saturday night through Monday.
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For some context on the company behind it: Dallas Black Dance Theatre was founded in 1976 by Ann Williams. It's the oldest continuously operating professional dance company in Dallas and the fourth-largest Black dance company in the nation. Over the years, they've performed at the Olympics in 1992, 1996 and 2012, and before figures like Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela. Admission is free, and both performances start at 7:30 PM at Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora Street.
