Friday, Jun. 27, 2008

Colleyville to Host African Dance Performance

By Rita Cook

Contributing Writer

For people who like dance, the July 5 performance of The Goddess, Zaouli might be a good way to experience a piece of African culture right in your own back yard.

Presented by the St. Louis-based nonprofit organization Afriky Lolo, The Goddess, Zaouli is the story of compassion, love and jealously.

It encompasses an amazing drumming experience, and the costumes are representative of the West African dance culture in the Ivory Coast.

"Our organizational goal is to bring awareness about our culture into the DFW community," said Evelyne Djamat-Dubois, event coordinator for Afriky Lolo. "With intense and spellbinding choreography, the performance takes us on a journey into West African dance, drumming and culture."

The Goddess, Zaouli is a treasured mythical West African story with Zaouli Djèla Lou being a goddess who comes of age and becomes eligible for marriage. Her father, the Lion, deems only the Bird and the Serpent worthy of her hand in marriage and organizes a race to decide which one will win her. Rather than rushing to Zaouli after completing the difficult two-day race, the Bird and Serpent seek immediate food and water, ignoring Zaouli and the true intention of the race.

She realizes her suitors’ selfishness, flees into the forest and suffers a broken heart. Her friends do not help her and she dies, but her spirit returns to her father and disloyal friends, revealing compassion and love rather than hatred and revenge.

While Colleyville might not seem like the first choice for a West African dance performance, Djamat-Dubois said, "Our organization came across Colleyville after a long search for a location with a special stage and lightening. Also, Colleyville seems to be in the center of Metroplex , since we are targeting audiences from Dallas all the way to Forth Worth. We think Colleyville will be perfect to allow everyone to come out and enjoy this exciting performance."

Afriky Lolo is led by director Diadie Bathily, originally from Ivory Coast.

While there will be no local performers in the dance performance, Bathily will host a master workshop on the morning of the performance with a local dance group, the Kumaasi African Ensemble.

Bathily is a master West African choreographer and dancer and the artistic director of two St. Louis-based West African dance companies.

Growing up in Abidjan and Bouake, Ivory Coast, he studied dance at Marie-Rose Guiraud’s School of Dance and Cultural Exchange in Abidjan and at Adam’s Drame’s Dance Institute in Boauake, Ivory Coast.

Diadie has also performed at the United Nations, with Village Arts and Humanities in Philadelphia and at universities across the country.

He resides in St. Louis.