Assanti Dance Theatre presents Sankofa

SANKOFA is an Afro-Contemporary dance performance, premiering at the Malthouse Theatre this December. Juliana Mare has more on this unique fusion of music, dance and culture.

Photo by Sebastian Avila

From December 14 to 15, the Malthouse Theatre will be home to  Sankofa, an inter-cultural fusion of freestyle hip-hop and contemporary, acrobatic and traditional West African dances.

Performed by the dance and drum ensemble Asanti Dance Theatre, Sankofa also features live music to accompany the choreography, including traditional stick and hand drums.

Directed by Appiah Annan, the Assanti Dance Theatre has come a long way from its foundation in Ghana. Despite beginning small, the group has grown to become an internationally acclaimed dance troupe, having toured across Africa, Europe, UK and Australia.

In his latest project, Annan has incorporated African style dances into contemporary choreography, surrounding a central theme. Sankofa is an ancient Ghanaian symbol of a bird reaching its neck back towards its tail and this performance teaches that in order to move forward, we have to also look back to the past.

Assanti Dance Theatre also raise funds for Kkabom,  a not-for-profit organisation based in Ghana which provides education and training opportunities for disadvantaged community members.

Tickets for Sankofa are $33 and can be purchased here.